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overlookmax · 1 year ago

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i know no one will see this but here are my thoughts about sweeney todd on broadway

(side note: this was my first time seeing the show fully. i knew the story and characters but i had never seen it all the way through)

1. the stage, i was seated on the right orchestra and i could see perfectly. in photos it doesn’t look that way but the stage is really close to the audience. i would recommend sitting in orchestra. the front mezzanine also looked like a good view, i wouldn’t be able to say if it was though.

2. the set was very simplistic which i think fully works for this production. this show focuses a lot on lighting which was so mesmerizing. (theres a reason they won that tony) i’m not an expert on broadway sets and such so i don’t have a lot to say but every set piece is very expertly made and executed.

3. every actor and actress fully embraced their role and did the absolute most with it in the best way possible. the cast really seems like they have fun with their roles. when i was there their was an understudy for the begger woman, mia pinero, and she was absolutely fantastic.

4. the music is incredible. i don’t think i have to convince anyone that anything that stephen sondheim has composed is amazing. most of the songs don’t have big choreography or sets or props or whatever because the actors and actresses are so captivating on their own. it takes so much talent to be able to entertain an audience just on your own and this company just absolutely blows it out of the park. every song was perfectly executed and played out. i’ll talk about my favorite performances by josh groban, annaleigh ashford, gaten matarazzo, daniel yearwood, and more in their own paragraphs.

5.josh groban as sweeney todd- i’ve seen many people say that josh isn’t a good actor/ he doesn’t much emotion when he sings and fully completely 100% DISAGREE. josh is incredible and soo captivating. he’s was a little more animated at times then i was expecting but that doesn’t bother me at all. i truly believe that he was born to play this role. he’s very intimidating as the character (best way i can describe it) in a way i’ve never seen. i always get worried i won’t like the singing in live musicals cause it won’t sound like the soundtrack but josh’s voice is incredible. i love his baritone it’s so unsettling yet soothing which i have no idea is possible. his voice is just so nice to listen to. the way they staged the song epiphany was not how i was expecting but i still absolutely loved it. it didn’t big bold action or lighting or whatever cause josh groban is enough to make the scene just so incredible. i loved his chemistry with annaleigh ashford, they were (despite the murder and cannibalism) so adorable together.

6. annaleigh ashford as mrs. lovett- was her accent cockney? no. was she hard to understand at times? yes. did i mind? absolutely not. they were literal 30 second laugh breaks and chears whenever she was on stage. i honestly can’t even describe how amazing and funny she was. she IS the sondheim it girl. i think she was also born to play this role. she is so ridiculously funny. easily the best performance of the show. with the song by the sea it was literally just them sitting on chairs on stage and yet it was probably one of the best performances. again, the chemistry they have. it takes a lot of talent to make two murderers cute and somehow they do it effortlessly. again again again, annaleigh ashford is incredible.

7. gaten matarazzo as tobias ragg- i get that this so very much stunt casting but gaten is truly great. he’s an incredible actor and singer and you can tell he really loves performing on stage. the relationship between lovatt and toby is so adorable and annaleigh and gaten really make it. gaten really embraces this role and again does the most with it. the ending i was not expecting and gaten really makes it so unsettling and sad.

8. daniel yearwood as anthony- as you know jordan fisher did leave the production sadly but daniel is amazing. i know i’m just repeating the same thing for each person but truly he is great. he’s an amazing singer and really captures the emotion in each scene.

9. maria bilbao as johanna- again just incredible. her singing was mesmerizing and beautiful. i though she was great. i wouldn’t say that she does anything mind blowing but that’s not a bad thing! i loved her i’m just trying not to repeat the same mantra for each character/ actor

10. mia pinero as begger woman- like i said she was an understudy. i think this was her first time performing this role but she was great. she was also very very sweet! i saw her at stagedoor and she talked to a lot of people but she was just so nice and i loved her so much.

11. i’ll condense this and just say that all the actors/actresses were incredible. i wouldn’t say that any person in the company wasn’t good or wasn’t as good as everyone else. the ensemble was just as captivating and mesmerizing as the main characters. at no point in the show was i ever bored.

12. stage door- i was standing directly in front of the stage door behind a few people. only three people came out- josh groban, mia pinero, and jamie jackson (judge turpin) all were very nice and i got all their signatures! for josh and jamie a very nice woman held up my playbill for them to sign and i was able to give mia the playbill myself and told her how incredible she was! i was next to three girls, two were in their twenties and one i assumed was in her thirties since she mentioned having a son. they were all very nice and i talked with them throughout the stagedoor. however behind was a young boy who would not shut up about gaten lol. i’m not trying to complain about him since he obviously didn’t know stage door etiquette but he kept holding his phone above my head and he got really mad at my sister for trying to stand next to me. he was really annoying and everyone around seemed to agree. besides that all the people at the stage door were very very nice and i’m very grateful cause this was also my first stage door

Overall! this show was incredible and i wish i could just sit and watch it over and over again. i’m very glad and lucky i was able to go. i would absolutely recommend any go if they can. being in times square is kinda annoying but the experience is worth it. that’s all! thanks to anyone who read this lol.

#sweeney todd 2023 #sweeney todd broadway #sweeney todd #josh groban #annaleigh ashford #gaten matazarro #stephen sondheim #sweeney todd the demon barber of fleet street #sweeney todd revival

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