Review - Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Posted by ksphan on February 10th, 2010 filed in Comedies, Other TheatricalComment now »
Or Why the Dictionary Should Have “See Sweeney Todd” Under the Defenition for Black Comedy
I admit I had reservations about seeing Sweeney Todd. A disturbing main theme, and at the heart of it, one of my major sensitive points. But a friend of mine thought I’d enjoy it and kept talking it up relentlessly. So I added all 3 versions she recommended to my Netflix queue - a 1980’s filmed stage production (with George Hearn as Sweeney and Angela Landsbury as Mrs. Lovett), a 1990’s filmed stage concert (with George Hearn as Sweeney and Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett), and the 2007 movie (with Johnny Depp as Sweeney and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett). And they sat there. And sat there. My friend kept asking if I’d seen any of them yet and when I admitted I had not she would again encourage me to see them in that order.
Finally, I caved. I put the 1986 filmed stage production at the top of my queue. It came and I watched. This show embodies the words “dark comedy” and I admit I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Now I suspect that at least part of this was how awesome Hearn was. A powerhouse singer and incredible actor, Hearn commanded in every scene he appeared in. ”Epiphany” most notably. The keyword here is “Unhinged”. He and Landsbury performed wonderfuly together and had great chemistry. No stranger to the stage, Landsbury was also entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Their big song together - “A Little Priest” is darkly hilarious. They both are clearly having fun scheming together. The show is not without its dark and creepy moments. Todd’s first murder - of an attempted blackmailer (who didn’t foresee the danger of pissing off a guy with a load of razors and the needed expertise handy) is done almost gleefully and no remorse. When confronted by Mrs. Lovett about the crime, he smiles then justifies his actions. And at the end when he murders Beadle Bamford, Judge Turpin, and unknowingly murders his Lucy. Then he almost murders Johanna. His last act is to toss Mrs. Lovett in the flaming oven for her misleading him about Lucy, letting him think her dead so when she appeared before him he didn’t even think to look closely at her. The Judge, his primary target, was on the way and he slashes her throat in a moment of impatience. I figured if he hadn’t been killed by Toby he would likely have killed himself.
In the concert version, there were some people I liked better than the filmed stage version, and some I didn’t enjoy as much. I was elated to see the lovely and talented Lisa Vroman play Johanna (I had seen her twice as Christine in my favorite musical The Phantom of the Opera). Part my enjoyment of her beautiful voice and part because in the filmed stage version I couldn’t STAND the shrill singing of Betsy Jolson. I know she was once Hearn’s wife, but I disliked her in every way. Her acting always seemed fake and forced, and did I mention her unbearably shrill voice? I much prefer Lisa. As Pirelli, the first victim, I liked the overall performance of the stage version much better (the swirling of the cape, the indignation of his elixer being called piss with ink, his laughter and delight at blackmailing… well… trying to blackmail, Benjamin Barker), but I liked better the voice of the concert verion Pirelli. Plus, when Mrs. Lovett sings “What a nice plump frame whats his name has… had… has” makes a lot more sense in the concert version. Then there was Toby. I liked the stage Toby pretty well, but again prefer the concert performer. I admit to bias here too. I really like Neil Patrick Harris and was delighted to find out he was Toby in this version.
The movie was my least favorite version. Depp’s acting was really good, but his singing was attrocious. Helena Bonham Carter was just okay acting wise and also terrible singing. Her two big solo numbers “By the Sea” and “Worst Pies in London” were sung with the same vocal style. The two songs are very different, but her voice didn’t reflect that. Depp was flat and uninteresting except during “Epiphany”. He shone during “Epiphany” and I give him kudos. One of my main gripes, though, is that once he found he’d killed Lucy, there was just a numb shock, no grief. In the two musicals, Hearn leans over her body, sobbing with pain, grief, and remorse. Depp just sat there and sang softly. It didn’t work for me. I delighted in seeing Alan Rickman playing creepy Judge Turpin. I only knew him really from the Harry Potter series of films so to see him in a totally different role was wonderful. I liked his singing too, which I didin’t expect! I had no idea he could sing, let alone so well! The young actors playing Anthony and Johann were pretty good, but I was bummed that their duet got cut as I wanted to hear how they sounded singing together. I was also bummed that the scene was cut in which Turpin tells Johann of his intent to marry her. The creepiest scene that doesn’t involve slashed throats! I also was happy to see Pirelli was played by Sacha Baron Cohen who I really only knew as King Julian in Madagascar. In the two stage shows, Pirelli’s murder is done quickly - a swift slash of the razor, but in the movie, the razor was drawn across his throat slowly. And in the musical, Todd first chokes Pirelli, but in the movie he first beats the crap out of him. In all 3 you wonder if Pirelli was tossed in the trunk already dead. Cohen’s acting and singing were both quoite good and he left his mark. Impressive given how short a time he was onscreen before his untimely demise.
A Plug for My First Phantom
Posted by ksphan on February 3rd, 2010 filed in Performers, Phantom of the OperaComment now »
I have now seen Franc D’Ambrosio perform 7 times as a solo artist. This does not count the one time I saw Him as The Phantom. All but one time was in San Francisco. The other place I saw Him was in Coos Bay, Oregon. This was also the first time I saw Him as a soloist.
I’ve seen His Broadway show and His Hollywood show, both several times. Last time He was in SF, He did a special show where a survey was taken of the audience of which songs they wanted to see. Franc had no prior knowledge of the songs selected. His pianist, Chuck Larkin, took the songs that got the most votes and put the show together. He’d play a few notes of a song and Franc knew instantly what He was doing. I saw two of these performances. Yes, some of the same songs were selected, but there were differences.
This year, He is coming out with a new show - highlighting WWII music. He has titled this new show “I’ll be Seeing YOUZ… A Bronx Boy’s Musical Perspective of World War II”. Knowing the wonderful performer Franc is, I am sure this new show will be fantastic! I have to wait to August to see it though….
Check out Franc D’Ambrosio’s calender to see if this amazing performer will be near you!
Do You Remember Your First Time?
Posted by ksphan on February 1st, 2010 filed in Phantom of the OperaComment now »
This question is often seen in advertisements for tickets to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”. Every time I see it I say to myself a resounding YES. And I do. Vividly.
It was the end of September in 1998. I saw it in San Francisco which was about an hours’ drive from where I was living. My ticket was my birthday present from my wonderful parents that year - my 26th to be exact. They bought me my ticket as my gift and Mom got her own ticket to avoid my having to choose one person to attend the show with me and also to avoid the jealousy that would invariably ensue with those not chosen.
I’d been working temp jobs on and off while living with my parents since graduating from college two years previous and the only assignment I’d hated had just ended the day before. So for me that made the day a double celebration.
I don’t drive by choice, so Mom drove to and from the theatre. The show was a Wednesday matinee and set to start at 2 p.m. So we left the house and had a fancy lunch of Wendy’s (fast food) before hitting the road. There was a parking garage a couple blocks from the theatre, so Mom used that rather than try to find street parking which is no small feat in San Francisco.
Mom scored us front row orchestra, center stage, and the theatre was running a special promotion - for each pair of tickets a free Phantom of the Opera tote bag was given. Mom told me that since the tickets were my birthday present I could have the bag too. It was black cloth and had the full white mask on one side, the cracked lettering logo on the other, and two woven handles.
We found our seats and got all settled in. I started to go through the Playbill, checking out what the actors and actresses looked like under the wigs and make up. To this point, all I knew was the very bare bones basics of the story line and a couple of the songs. Some family friends heard I was seeing it and loaned me their Original Cast complete show two CD recording. I was so taken with Music of the Night that I kept playing it over and over. I had only played the second CD the night before the show, but I was so exhausted from the hated temp job I fell asleep and really didn’t know how the show ended.
At 2:00 exactly, the lights dimmed and I heard myself gasp. The prologue began and led to the overture. Watching the slow and steady rise of the chandelier was breathtaking. To this day, 11 years plus later, every time I listen to a recording of this show, the overture still sends a thrill through me and I picture that moment - the light exploding in time with that first blast from the pipe organ that begins the overture. The rehearsal scene is when it all started to seem real at last. I really WAS seeing The Phantom of the Opera!
I sat there, entranced, just watching this story unfold before me, feeling transported to Paris. I can still see the first appearance of star Franc D’Ambrosio. When The Phantom first appears to Christine, standing behind the mirror. He had his hands at his sides, drawn up to his full height, and he was twitching his fingers slightly as if from nervousness. He had no hat on and I didn’t know he was supposed to until later when I joined a Phan group on Yahoo! and a reviewer talked about The Phantom’s fedora. Then I saw pictures of different actor/singers in full costume and always in a black fedora. I have no idea why Franc was not wearing it that show.
Franc’s performance of Music of the Night was absolutely entrancing. He made me feel like here was The Phantom finally directly in front of this woman he has fallen in love with and this is my one shot to help her love and not fear me. At his “floating, falling, sweet intoxication,” he ran one hand up in front of her, drawing his hand in front of her arm, brushing the sleeve of her dressing gown as her fingertips stroked his mask and then reaching her hand, grasping it. Spectacular. Then the point at which Christine faints, he was a few paces from her, on the right side of the mannequin and she on its left. He finished the note he was singing when she collapsed, he gave a start and rushed to her side. He swept his cloak over her then kneeled next to her and let one hand hover near her hair. I thought this simple gesture very telling. He longed so much to touch her curls, but won’t let himself do so without her consent.
The first act finished and then IT happened. The Phantom drops the chandelier which descended rapidly, swung out over the audience and flew past my hair. I had no clue this was going to happen and I remember distinctly jumping and shrieking. Hey, YOU try having a two ton object rush past YOUR head and see if you react calmly! The lights came back up for intermission and I’m still gasping. ”That was SO cool!” I told Mom, who was laughing with delight at my reaction. She had seen the show on Broadway in 1989, shortly before the departure of Tony winning original star Michael Crawford.
The second act began and I was transported again to Paris. The graveyard scene was another that gave great insight into the character of The Phantom. He sings to Christine who had just been singing to the memory of her father, trying to win her back. Though the first act had ended with him feeling crushed and betrayed by Christine, his love for her is unchanged. She was moving towards him, giving him hope that she wanted him too, when Raoul intruded on the scene. This sequence ends with the stage erupting in flames and I still recall the heat against my face!
Point of No Return is The Phantom’s last ditch efforts to win Christine from Raoul so here he really pulls out all the stops. Daring caresses, staying in close proximity to her, and I have seen a couple Phantom actors react to her singing his masterpiece as if it was giving him an orgasm. Then she brushes against his mask and realizes its him. She reveals his masked face to the audience. He sang a few heartfelt words to her then offered her his ring. She took it and slipped it on her finger just before she grabs his mask, showing his face to all. The ultimate betrayal as far as he is concerned. He whisks her off the stage and pandemonium ensues. This leads to The Final Lair scene.
This is a critical scene for the actor playing The Phantom. He has by now killed two men, but he still has to keep the sympathy of the audience. It is a fine line he must walk between madman and sympathetic man. Franc kept that balance beautifully.
I am going to skip ahead to The Kiss. Franc did this so heartbreakingly, so beautifully that the memory of it is as vivid as if I had seen the show days ago, not more than 11 years.
“Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me the courage to show you, you are not alone!” and she grabbed him by the shoulders, turning him around to face her, kissing him full on. He stiffened in shock, his arms waved twice, trying to pull away, but she held the kiss, held onto him. Finally, he relaxed a little into acceptance that this was really happening and moved his arms around her awkwardly. She broke the kiss and drew him closer, he stood there, trembling, his face against her shoulder, then he turned his face towards the audience and we could see he was sobbing uncontrollably. Turns his face back into her shoulder for another moment. Then he pulled away from her and freed Raoul.
I was hoping that she would stay with him, but no, she ran out with Raoul. Then I hoped she would return to him. She did, but only to return the ring. I hoped she would return again to stay with him for I think she really did love him, but would not let herself acknowledge that love. The show ended and I was devastated for him! How could she leave him? He would have handed her the moon if she asked for it!
The show over, Mom and I made our way back to the car to head for home. During the stroll to the garage, Mom asked me what I had thought. I told her that I loved it but the ending was so sad. My Mom’s next words? ”Do you know how you sound? I mean, you ARE kidding, right?” I assured her I was quite serious and did indeed find the ending very sad. He loved her and he’s all alone. That was when I learned that something she’d told me years before that I had not believed really was true. She’d told me if you show 9 people the exact same car accident then ask what happened you will receive 9 different answers. Applying this to the show, Mom and I may have seen the exact same actors, heard the exact same words and watched the exact same actions, but we saw very different characters, especially The Phantom.
I alone celebrate my Phantomversary, but I do call Mom on the day and wish her a happy anniversary. The first few times I did this, she was confused since her and my Dad’s wedding anniversary isn’t until April! But when I launched into my “so many years ago you created a monster” spiel she realized what I was commemorating.
Mom and I still don’t see eye to eye about this show and I doubt we ever will. Where she sees a villain who terrorized, murdered, and kidnapped, I see a man who was capable of amazing love. Someone who deserved tremendous sympathy, someone who just wanted to love and be loved.