I just like for responses to things to line up properly, that's all.
My father LOVES this show. He was first introduced to it by watching the Tony awards one year. Christine Baranski played Mrs. Lovett and she and the gentleman playing Sweeney were performing Have a Little Priest. When we joined Netflix Dad added both the Angela Lansbury production AND--this is important for you, Shaz, trust me--the Patti LuPone and Neil Patrick Harris in-concert version to our que. NOBODY plays Mrs. Lovett better than Patti LuPone, nobody. She just gets her. She owns that role. And NPH as Toby? *swoon* I saw the DVD of Sweeney in concert (not as boring as it might sound, I assure you) just before How I Met Your Mother premiered on CBS and seeing NPH in Sweeney is what made me want to catch him in HIMYM. I have not regretted it. I love him as Barney.
So, for Christmas we gave Dad the 2005 revival cast recording of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and took him out for dinner and to see the film the day after Christmas. I enjoyed Johnny as Sweeney. Not the best I'd ever seen, but he did much better than I'd expected. Helena was... okay. I think I'm just of the mind that Mrs. Lovett should always be a bit of a belter and Helena doesn't have that in her. At all. She's also too young and pretty. But then, the cast was all on the young side.
If you're looking for a good soundtrack/cast recording, I'd suggest going with either the original Brodway cast (though I'm not a big fan of Lansbury as Lovett, the original Sweeney was AWESOME), the 2005 revival cast (LuPone rocks, not sure I love Michael Cerveris as Sweeney), or the Sweeney Todd in Concert (Patti LuPone, Neil Patrick Harris, and... well, if he's not the original Sweeney, he comes damn close. That guy's awesome). I know I'm suggesting the full show to you instead of just the film music, but the full show is entirely worth it.
I'm really not trying to spam your journal with comments, Shaz, promise
My father LOVES this show. He was first introduced to it by watching the Tony awards one year. Christine Baranski played Mrs. Lovett and she and the gentleman playing Sweeney were performing Have a Little Priest.
When we joined Netflix Dad added both the Angela Lansbury production AND--this is important for you, Shaz, trust me--the Patti LuPone and Neil Patrick Harris in-concert version to our que. NOBODY plays Mrs. Lovett better than Patti LuPone, nobody. She just gets her. She owns that role. And NPH as Toby? *swoon* I saw the DVD of Sweeney in concert (not as boring as it might sound, I assure you) just before How I Met Your Mother premiered on CBS and seeing NPH in Sweeney is what made me want to catch him in HIMYM. I have not regretted it. I love him as Barney.
So, for Christmas we gave Dad the 2005 revival cast recording of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and took him out for dinner and to see the film the day after Christmas. I enjoyed Johnny as Sweeney. Not the best I'd ever seen, but he did much better than I'd expected. Helena was... okay. I think I'm just of the mind that Mrs. Lovett should always be a bit of a belter and Helena doesn't have that in her. At all. She's also too young and pretty. But then, the cast was all on the young side.
If you're looking for a good soundtrack/cast recording, I'd suggest going with either the original Brodway cast (though I'm not a big fan of Lansbury as Lovett, the original Sweeney was AWESOME), the 2005 revival cast (LuPone rocks, not sure I love Michael Cerveris as Sweeney), or the Sweeney Todd in Concert (Patti LuPone, Neil Patrick Harris, and... well, if he's not the original Sweeney, he comes damn close. That guy's awesome).
I know I'm suggesting the full show to you instead of just the film music, but the full show is entirely worth it.