bk and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the Lexington Opera House on Saturday night. I was transfixed it was so good. When the curtain went up, bk leaned over to me and said, gleefully, I can already tell I'm going to love this!
The production was a little unusual because the cast wore more or less modern clothes and they never showed any of the murders -- they mimed them while the stage lights turned red and then the victim would put on a jacket with blood spilled down the front. Since none of the actors ever left the stage, it was helpful to remember who was dead.
The reason the cast was always on stage is that they also played all of the instruments. On a couple of occasions the person who was singing was actually playing, but most of the time, the folks not directly involved in a scene would step to the edge of the stage and take up their instrument. There was a violin, a bass, a couple of cellos, a guitar, a piano, a tuba and a trumpet and, I think, a triangle at one point. The only furniture on stage was a coffin that they used alternately for a table or a bed or a platform.
The cast was talented and the whole production was really well done. Loved every minute of it.
The funny thing is that the production was sponsored by the Kentucky Blood Center, and the audience members each got a little straight razor letter opener as a souvenir.
2 comments:
Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical ever! Get the original Broadway cast soundtrack with Angela Landsbury - it rocks. Stephen Sondheim is the man!!!!
Funny! bk wrote an entry on his blog (it's private, we'll invite you though) saying almost exactly the same thing. Then he included a favorite scene (from the DVD *starring* Angela Lansbury) which is Have a Little Priest.
He was really looking forward to the show and it did not disappoint. Would have been fun if you were there too!
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