#Broadway Review | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

withallthingslove · 1 year

Text

The Phantom of the Opera Broadway Thoughts/Review - April 4, 2023

The main trio was Jeremy Stolle, Julia Udine, John Riddle and it was my first time seeing all three of them in these roles! Unless I win the lottery tomorrow for the final performance this was my last time seeing Phantom on Broadway before it closes and it proved to be the performance I needed to have closure.

Nehal Joshi continues to add something every performance as Andre. During Hannibal, he linked arms with Piangi during a choreography bit and then he went to stand by the elephant to sing like he was a member of the ensemble.

Julia really comes alive during Think of Me it’s obvious that her Christine loves performing once she gets over her initial nervousness.

As the candles rose during the title song, Jeremy was feeling himself and he spun the boat pole in a circle like it was a lightsaber before starting to row again and it was ~ hot ~

When Julia got out of the boat, he grabbed her hips and kind of spun her to look at him and it was also hot. His cape twirl and the way he throws it down onto the bed boat while not breaking eye contact with Christine is also hot. His phantom definitely has some Leo somewhere in his chart he is a slutty showman

I had seen some reviews on here saying that in recent months Jeremy’s voice has sounded strained while playing the Phantom. Vocally he struggled with the “I have brought you” part of MOTN, the end of AIAOY reprise, and “deep as hell” in Down Once More but those were the only parts he had to adjust the notes.

The Phantom and Christine almost kissed while leaning up against the portcullis. Which made the phantom chasing her to that corner of the lair in STYDI feel like a cruel parallel

During I Remember... Julia starts singing while lying down which seemed more realistic.

John’s Raoul is so so so earnest. That’s the best word to describe him. Right before Primadonna when the managers said Christine would play the page boy his head jerked up like “say what?”

When they are scrambling to read the Phantoms note from Madame Giry Firmin dropped the note to the ground

Jeremy’s Phantom really shines while messing with Carlotta he soaks up taunting her and is having a ball stealing the attention away (again there is Leo somewhere in his chart)

During the ballet scene, all of the ballerinas were adding little extra things in their performance while the shadows and murder are happening like adding lines saying “Did you see that?” and playing up the humor and fear.

John’s love language as Raoul is definitely physical touch but before kissing Christine for the first time he seemed so hesitant and nervous even though it was so apparent he wanted to.

During Wishing, it comes across like Julia’s Christine has been compartmentalizing or was in denial about her dad’s death. And her “her father promised her” is very pointed like she’s angry at her dad for dying

In Wandering Child, Jeremy isn’t really paternal he’s more of a patronizing “I know you have daddy issues” and he caressed his face during “far from my fathering gaze.” Julia was actively trying to resist it like physically trying to fight against the trance which I appreciated

John was ready to FIGHT in Wandering Child he charged up to the grave and it seemed like if Julia didn’t stop him he would have climbed up the wall to the Phantom.

An overall note about John… he seems to really pay attention to what the Phantom does. He keeps glancing at the chandelier during Il Muto and he notices the Phantom almost as early as Christine does in Masquerade. And while he’s protective of Christine he seems to be analyzing the Phantom, possibly sizing him up or trying to figure out what he’s going to do next. And I think this works really well in the last half of act II where Raoul is leading the charge because of course he is. He’s like “I’ve been studying this guy I have an idea” which also plays into the earnestness of John’s portrayal.

Jeremy’s vocals I think were strongest during PONR and his character really leans into the horniness of the song. Once Julia realizes it’s him she performed the most over-the-top sexy I’ve seen Christine do but it seemed to be to taunt the phantom. Like fully flashed her entire leg when she put her foot up on the bench.

When the Phantom proposes, Julia gently shook her head with her eyes pleading “please don’t ask that of me” and god it was such a subtle acting moment but it stood out to me so much. And then she ripped off his mask to get him to stfu

Jeremy’s Phantom has a strong attachment to his mask. As soon as he gets it back in STYDI, you can see his whole demeanor change. In the Final Lair, when he sang “A mask my first unfeeling scrape of clothing” he started to cry as if he was truly remembering his first mask. And then he realizes he’s being vulnerable in front of Christine and he gets mad at her pitying him

John is the only Raoul I’ve seen act like he’s being strangled the whole time during the final lair. Some eventually stop struggling but he kept it up the whole time. His energy was just really refreshing.

At one point Julia tried to put her arms around the Phantom’s shoulders to plead with him, and Jeremy ducked out from her (I don’t know how since he’s so much taller)

Jeremy was scaryyyyyy when he leaned over Christine before “you try my patience” and even after he turned around Julia was still frozen terrified. I think that was the first time I’ve ever watched it live and actually felt really really scared for Christine. Her fear was just so palpable.

After the kiss, when the Phantom walks up to Raoul, John started breathing really hard like he thought the Phantom was going to kill him and Julia’s desperate “No!” showed that she thought the same.

Because of how much Julia’s Christine wanted to be free of the Phantom it surprised my how sad her Christine seemed during the ring return. It did seem to be the mostly out of pity though.

There was no second “I love you.” When Jeremy was standing watching Christine and Raoul ride off on the boat together, something about his body language really captured the finality of his loneliness in that moment.

When I saw Phantom in December after so many years away all it did was reawaken my love of the show, and when I saw it in March the performance was so chaotic I was distraught (an understatement) when it ended because I knew I needed to go again. Something about this performance brought a lot of closure and as soon as it ended, I didn’t cry like I did in March. I just felt content.

I think that’s partially because every cast member is just doing the most so there were so many small moments to savor, but I also think it’s because I got to see Jeremy’s Phantom. I met him twice back in 2013/2014 when I was deep in the Phandom and him being so involved with fans was a huge part of my formative love of Phantom in high school. And when I wasn’t following the show as much I still kept up with a lot of backstage stuff through his Instagram. So it felt very full circle to finally catch him as the Phantom.

#phantom of the opera #poto #phantom broadway #jeremy stolle #julia udine #john riddle #nehal joshi #phantom bway #poto broadway #phantom #broadway #phantom of the opera broadway #majestic theatre #broadway review #phantom review #mine

35 notes · View notes

terrificallytoni · 5 months

Text

Seeing Spamalot on Broadway Should Be Your Destiny

View On WordPress

#broadway #broadway musical #broadway musical review #broadway review #broadway revival #broadway show #Broadway theater #broadway theatre #monty python #spamalot

2 notes · View notes

haveamagicalday · 11 months

Text

So we heard this barber was the best at giving shaves but my husband went a week ago and he literally never came home?? The meat pies sold below the shop were really good though. 2/5 stars

#sweeney todd #non disney #yelp review #my post #sweeney todd the demon barber of fleet street #the demon of Fleet Street #Josh Groban #broadway

252 notes · View notes

jackmkelly · 8 months

Text

hello tumblr my new pride and joy just came in the mail

#newsies #newsies broadway #jack kelly #LOOK AT ITTTT!!!#reading kaths medda review >>>>#musical jacks canon name being francis too (allegedly..)#im obsessed w this.#best $30 on ebay i ever spent

118 notes · View notes

toomanyopinionss · 6 months

Text

Scattered thoughts after watching the finale of GEN V

Spoilers Ahead

i forgot how ANGRY homelander makes me. like i haven’t seen that awful mf in my screen in a minute but the candle full of rage i hold for this man is clearly not snuffed out. mr. how to ruin everything in 45 seconds or less. fvck homelander

lord, and the RACISM of this whole thing just has me so fvcking heated, because of course the two pretty cis white kids are the heroes (even though one of them supposed to be dead according to public records, and the other ones boyfriend killed the mf principal) and not the top ranked kids in school, three of which are poc and queer (possibly all queer, emma gives off a vibe). like emma, marie, jordan, and andre are arguably 4 of the most decent students on this campus. the only thing marie has done is fucking exist, and the world has just delivered nothing but awfulness to her. gtfo of here, im so upset.

if the term “morally gray” was a universe it would be this one. cause fuck indira but fuucccckkkkk homelander.

if they don’t do right by andre, im going to be so pissed. the fact that this episode showcased the most of him we’ve seen as a character and it was still half-assed?? i want moreeee

bruh, i know in the battle between action/drama and romance, that the former has to take precedence in this type of story, but even emma and sam got a fucking conversation. are you so serious? limoreau didn’t have time for a 2 minute discussion about their relationship??? the writers could have added a couple more minutes to this 30 minute episode? it’s been CRICKETS y’all, and i demand reparations. i mean we’re not gonna see them again for another, what… 2 years??The jordan and marie moments are so cute, don’t get me wrong, but they are minuscule after episode 5. I be having to run to fan fiction just to satisfy my need for emotional closure. do better

CATE. now ms. gorl, we were rooting for you. and you went and made a mess of things. and quite frankly, trying to get to jordan destroyed my last string of patience for her ass, and it was already fraying the minute she messed with sam. i am officially un-identifying as a cate apologist. if we bein honest, marie should have gone for the other hand too.

bruh, lowkey loved sam’s arch this episode, i don’t know. his character intrigues me, and he’s been through so much stuff, i just wanna give him a hug. When he said “I hate myself.” i felt like crying. homelander needs to keep his greasy no good, bloody mf hands off of him, i swear

Ok this is getting lengthy

i love this show and it’s characters, for the record, in case that wasn’t clear lol

8.5/10

56 notes · View notes

thesongofpurplesummer · 1 month

Text

What are some of your controversial opinions about The Tony Awards or Olivier Awards? (Shows/People that should have won)

27 notes · View notes

girlkennyroy · 1 month

Text

how did the annoying people (me) sleep after the reviews of An Enemy of The People came out and they were all positive, each mentioning how Jeremy Strong is one of the greatest actors of our time?

(pictures unrelated, i just want him to bre@stfeed me)

#to be honest i was scared the reviews might turn out bad and i feel so silly now. i should have never doubted father #jeremy strong #kendall roy #an enemy of the people #dr. thomas stockmann #thomas stockmann #ibsen #broadway

22 notes · View notes

thatqueerfangirl02 · 3 months

Text

My honest opinion of Mean Girls (2024)

Even though nobody asked for it.

If you are familiar with the Broadway Musical, and you are expecting this to be a movie version of the Broadway Musical, you will be disappointed. However, it is a wonder modern remake featuring songs from the Broadway Musical.

Renee Rapp is perfect and I love her. She can do no wrong.

Aaron Samuels could have been better, but I was initially glad they didn’t just go for a “White Boy of the the Month” type. (I was informed after the fact that he is in fact a “White Boy of the Month” I just haven’t seen TSITP.)

Song wise Apex Predator, Sexy, Revenge Party, World Burn, and Rather Be Me we’re fantastic, overall beautiful execution. However they did cut some of my favourite songs, and put in new ones instead.

The songs they did keep were changed a bit to have a more “2020s “ vibe, instead of the “Y2K/2010s” Broadway vibe that they originally had.

Loved the little cameos.

Full of queer representation (gender & sexuality) as well as BIPOC representation. I even noticed some of the background/extras had visible disabilities which is amazing.

There are a couple iconic/notable lines from the OG versions that were changed for - I’m assuming - political correctness, but they were done in a way that didn’t change the intentions.

Queer icons Janice (forget her last name too lazy to google it) is played by Actual F*cking Disney Princess Icon MOANA herself!!! And I personally think that is a slay and a power move.

TL;DR Overall great movie, 7.5/10 would recommend and will watch again 👍🏼

#Mean Girls #(2024)#Musicals #Movie Musicals #Broadway #Renee Rapp #Regina George #Honest Review #i don’t know how to tag this

27 notes · View notes

jimmyspades · 3 months

Text

James Spader playing Jack Lawson in his Broadway debut as the star of David Mamet's Race, which ran from December 2009 to August 2010

#boston legal ended 2008. race started 2009. welcome back alan shore #my deepest desire in the world is for jim to do another broadway show... literally nothing I wouldn't give to make that happen 🥺#james spader #race #stage #*#read the play this morning hmmm. as with most mamet works I'm sure it's better coming from the actors' mouths rather than the page #which appears to be true from the few short clips available online and reviews #but this was jim's first stage work in decades and he got rave reviews 🎉#when he takes off his jacket...... gd his body he looks so good and he way he touches himself. he's so solid I need to hug him #and his hair falling out 🤤

25 notes · View notes

droughtofapathy · 8 days

Text

"Theatre critic circles are in desperate need of diverse voices, and these old white men cannot be the only arbiters of good and bad in the industry," and "it's not the feminist take you think it is to dismiss a show's negative reviews just because it's men who are raising the valid critiques you yourself see but can and will overlook because you're attached to a show you say is 'written for the girls, gays, etc." are two viewpoints that can coexist.

It might be easy to dismiss a male critic's pan of a show because it's meant for women. That's not feminism. That's gender essentialism. The show may be written for a queer female audience, but should queer women not also demand quality and cohesion in a show's book and score, or must we always be satisfied by the crumbs we are given? We should not be arguing that just because a show is geared towards a female audience, it must be above critique, or that the real and present flaws in the book and score are only important to men, and all women will like it anyway.

As a queer woman of color, had I been a critic, my review would have been mixed to negative just like all those men you dismissed because the problems do not change from a gendered perspective. The book is weak. The score disjointed. The protagonist watered-down. It's like the writers set out to say "it's a queer love story," but didn't do the work to delve any deeper, and hoped to carry the show on that alone. Queer stories deserve to be held to the same high standard as any other show, and boiling it down to "it's queer so you have to like it and critics are homophobic" is a ridiculous, immature, reductive statement.

#lempicka #broadway #this is about lempicka but also my main point stands with many recent pieces of media geared towards women #like the whole “can't criticize barbie” because it's for women and you're sexist if you hate it #or anyone who hates that blonde pop singer is misogynistic #no i just have fucking taste and want something better #and not to dismiss the single positive review (by a female critic) but like...look at the outlet #nytheatreguide isn't exactly where i'd go for quality reviews: it's more of a marketing site/press release than a news outlet #can't talk about this on the discord because it's like lecturing lemmings

12 notes · View notes

eddie-redmayne-italian-blog · 1 day

Text

New Photos from NYTimes!

credit photos to Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

review here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/21/theater/cabaret-review-eddie-redmayne.html

Here you can find my post with the extended version review

https://www.tumblr.com/eddie-redmayne-italian-blog/748449610314448896/cabaret-review-what-good-is-screaming-alone-in?source=share

#eddie redmayne #gayle rankin #cabaret nyc #eddie redmayne cabaret #first review new york times #review cabaret new york times #broadway #musical theater #theatre #august wilson #te emcee #sally bowles #talented cast

12 notes · View notes

withallthingslove · 1 year

Text

The Phantom of the Opera Broadway Thoughts/Review - March 9, 2023

This marked my fifth time seeing Phantom on Broadway, and I went with my friend who was seeing it for the first time. The Phantom was Ben Crawford, Raoul was Paul A. Schaefer, and Christine was played by both Emilie Kouatchou and Kanisha Marie Feliciano. Kanisha replaced Emilie during Il Muto.

compared to when I saw it in December, the audience was not as loud during songs and was more enthralled/not taking a breath

From the start, Paul’s Raoul seemed stronger than the last time I saw him. It was also a vocally strong performance all around for everyone.

While going down to the lair during the title song, Ben’s Phantom caressed Christine’s arm as she passed him at the end of the travelator

During STYDI, Emilie and Ben had a lot of tension when she decided to hand his mask back. And the way Ben hovered over her before grabbing her arm made me sjdjsk

Ben and Emilie were not seen coming up the trap door after the lair and the part where the ballerinas would spot the Phantom and Christine was cut. Instead the ballerinas just screamed after Magical Lasso and exited instead of pointing toward the Phantom and Christine so something felt off there

Kanisha came on during Il Muto instead of Emilie and it was my first time ever seeing an emergency cover happen in a show. During Il Muto I thought Kanisha’s confusion played well, but in All I Ask of You she seemed a bit overwhelmed. Paul really took over All I Ask of You and increased his energy in a really reassuring way.

When Ben appeared in the angel my friend went “oh fuck oh fuck” so it’s cool how surprising the angel still is to people who haven’t seen it

Ben also timed his hand coming up over the angel to the music so well it made it feel really gothic and creepy

Nehal Joshi as Andre really brought a ton of physical comedy and had dialed it up a bunch since I saw it in December. He walked through the ballerinas performing in Hannibal and bumped into more ballerinas during Il Muto. He also was more exaggerated with Firmin.

Ok so we have to talk about Paul in act II... the first time I have seen him have consistent stage presence all the way through. He had so many cute moments with Kanisha and was appearing so protective instead of just standing there. I can’t even begin to recount the number of little reassuring touches he did that just added so much to his relationship with Christine. My friend commented that she thought she would be bored of Raoul based on the beginning but was obsessed with him in act II so she also noticed it

Kanisha has such a beautiful voice, but I think it took until Wishing for her to settle into the character. Her Wishing was really beautiful!

When Ben appeared in the graveyard my friend went “not this fucker again.”

It was the best Wandering Child trio I’ve seen (and I do not like the trio in the song I prefer how it used to be from years ago). But the trio actually worked here. It was really cool to see Ben’s characterization change with Kanisha compared to how he would be with Emilie. With Kanisha he was immediately more paternal with her and this made the lyrics “wandering child” and “fathering gaze” that much more impactful.

Paul was bringING it during Wandering Child and since Kanisha and Ben were too, the sequence of Christine walking in a trance to the Phantom to Raoul stopping her, to the Phantom yelling at them while Chrisitne tries to stop Raoul while Raoul tries to protect Chrisitne just all ~ came together ~

Ben sounded really good in PONR. The new blocking I think this time I interpreted that Christine was just trying to force the Phantom to finish the choreography and then once she unveiled it as him she was maybe going to try and find a way to help the situation without the Phantom needing to die. And then he proposed to her and she was SHOCKED

During the final lair Ben was a bit more scary and physical than when I saw him in December and this made Paul louder and more protective. Kanisha’s “tears of hate” line was very defiant.

After the kiss for a second it looked like Kanisha’s Christine maybe felt something for the Phantom but a bit unclear on what that feeling was. She definitely stopped hating him after the kiss though and was looking at him almost perplexed and even after he let Roaul go, she still seemed to be trying to figure out what he was doing and what she felt

Ben broke my heart because when Christine came back to return the ring he leapt up and seemed to be thinking she was going to stay. Then Kanisha took a huge step back and stiffly outstretched her arm and it dawned on him that she wasn’t staying.

He sang “I love you” once, and once she left he said it again but more in a pitiful way to himself. So he wasn’t trying to convince her to stay like he did when I saw him with Emilie.

I don’t get the 100% vibe that Ben’s Phantom goes after Kanisha’s Christine. He seems to have sadly accepted it and I see more of like a 25% he considers trying to find her but doesn’t go through with it

I cried multiple times during the show and when I got home I sobbed at the thought of that being my last time seeing Phantom, so I bought one more ticket for April. My credit card and friends and family are probably unsurprised yet exasperated, but I think need one more time to say goodbye. This show in particular was pretty much perfect vocally, and it was so cool to compare the different acting interpretations and how they changed once Kanisha came onstage.

But it was super chaotic and a roller coaster of emotions from hoping Emilie is OK, wondering what happened, being disappointed Emilie wasn’t on anymore, loving that I got to see Kanisha, and then being disappointed I couldn’t have seen Kanisha at the beginning while still wishing I got to see Emilie all the way through. By the time Ben was singing at the end of the Final Lair, I realized my emotions had been so all over the place and I had so much adrenaline that I didn’t get to use the show the way I originally intended and hadn’t been able to just sit back and appreciate it one last time.

So I guess I’m going back again

#phantom of the opera #poto #phantom broadway #ben crawford #paul a schaefer #emilie kouatchou #kanisha marie feliciano #nehal joshi #phantom bway #poto broadway #phantom #broadway #phantom of the opera broadway #majestic theatre #broadway review #musical theatre #mine

13 notes · View notes

terrificallytoni · 6 months

Text

Come to My Window (on Broadway)

View On WordPress

#broadway #broadway concert #broadway musical #broadway review #broadway show #Broadway theater #broadway theatre #circle in the square #concert #Melissa etheridge #Melissa Etheridge: my window

2 notes · View notes

pieshopbarber · 4 months

Text

My dumb little review of the 2023 Sweeney Todd revival!! 😀

I had been hyping myself up for seeing the 2023 revival for multiple months on end, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Obviously I had a bunch of issues with it, there are always going to be issues with anything, that’s how the world works, but overall I could not be happier with the experience.

I thought it was really well casted overall, each and every one of these performers were fantastic and 100% deserved the roles they have and the praise.

Josh Groban’s performance as Sweeney Todd was absolutely fantastic. While I wish they cast someone older, I can’t argue that Groban was absolutely fantastic as the role. I had high hopes since hearing the first few songs from the cast album, and was blown away when I saw him live. Todd is always one of those characters who is very interesting to see performed, mainly due to how erratic he can be, switching between being completely depressed and withdrawn from the world to enraged and running around screaming and slashing throats at the drop of a hat, and Josh managed to really capture this. I also really enjoyed a lot of the little things he did. He definitely brought a bunch of middle aged white dad energy to the role that I don’t see a lot, really driving home the point that he really is just a father who lost absolutely everything. I also adored the choreography (I don’t know if this is the right word, but I’m just kinda dumb) with the razor, especially during epiphany, my favorite moment being where he descends the stairs to start confronting the audience where he slams the razor into the railing and scrapes it down. Really good stuff. A personal favorite moment of mine is the end. The enraged screaming of “BENJAMIN BARKER!” To violently sawing at the judge’s throat (which I was not expecting but holy shit was that awesome), but then holding the razor out in front of him as if disgusted by it and his own actions, but snapping back into a rage when he sees Johanna, practically turning into a feral animal, growling and literally lunging at her and down the stairs. His performance was definitely the highlight of the show.

Now onto Annaleigh Ashford. Oh jeez. Her accent was not great. It was better than it was in the cast recording, so that was nice, but it still sucked. I do not like Ashford’s characterization of Lovett. She’s too touchy and grabby with Todd, which definitely isn’t how Lovett should be. She waits, and she wouldn’t be that touchy and impatient. It does help with some of Todd’s characterization, with him either completely ignoring her advances, being disgusted and pushing her away, or being too much in a daze to fight back against her, but I still did not like it. I also do not like her casting, Ashford is too young and conventionally attractive for the role, however despite this, I can not ignore how genuinely funny she is as Lovett. Her comedic timing and line delivery never failed to get a laugh out of me, and I loved how she really embraced the Lovett hyperactivity. The energy she brought during little priest was absolutely amazing, literally rolling on the ground and doing the little Lovett jig. The banter between her and Todd was absolutely fantastic, and it’s impossible to ignore how well her and Groban meshed together. I have to say that the moment she really shined was during Not while I’m around. At the beginning she’s defensive and on edge as she realizes that Toby is on to the whole thing, turning into a very motherly sternness as she tries to convince him to stop thinking about the whole thing, to the heartbreak and panic as she realizes that they need to kill Toby. Her sadness when she is telling Toby how to work the oven and meat grinder is something I don’t see a lot when people play Lovett, and it was fantastic. I also loved her approach right before she gets killed. With her practically sobbing as she sings because she is happy since this is the closest that Todd has ever been with her, but also because she knows that she’s going to die, she knows that this closeness is not because of love, it’s because Todd wants her dead because she lied.

Obviously, Gaten just left the production, so Tobias was played by Daniel Marconi. I really enjoyed him as Toby, he really portrayed the whole pathetic orphan thing really well. However I did think his voice was a little too mature sounding if that makes sense. Overall though, really good as Toby. Was absolutely amazing during not while I’m around, the panic in his voice was palpable, really talented guy.

Nicholas Christopher was probably one of the best Pirellis I’ve seen. Pirelli is my favorite character from this musical overall, and he was just so freaking good. Really played into the camp and flamboyance of the character, really being a fruity little piss seller. During the contest he dramatically sprawled across the guy in the chair, or would fling the razor out towards the ensemble making them freak out and shrink away and overall was absolutely hilarious. One of the most brilliant things about his performance was how towards the end of the contest where he realizes that he’s losing, he begins to lose the Italian accent and the Irish starts to slip through, which I’ve never seen anyone do when playing Pirelli. I also loved the contrast that Nicholas Christopher had between the high pitched Italian accent and the super low gruffness he had with his Irish accent. Was definitely my favorite character from the whole thing.

The beggar woman was played by Ruthie Ann Miles, and I don't really have any issues with her. She was super good as Lucy, and her singing was really good. I thought it was brilliant that they had her wig obscuring her face and had her keep her shoulder or back to the audience so we couldn’t see her face until city on fire, right before Todd kills her. I also really enjoyed how she would physically interact with the other characters, as I don’t see that often with beggar woman performances.

Jamie Jackson was overall pretty good as judge Turpin, however I felt his acting was a little overdone. His voice was a little too wheezy and nasally at points, and him grabbing onto Lovett’s skirt was far too dramatic. However he did give me the ick, which is needed whenever someone plays Turpin.

Beadle Bamford was really funny. Similarly to Pirelli, Johnathan Christopher really played into the flamboyance of the character, which I always love. I really loved the bit before parlor songs where he unabashedly steals from Lovett. He was super funny and a great mesh with Turpin.

Maria Bilbao was fantastic as Joannah. Her singing was absolutely fantastic, and she was able to capture the naivety, yet strength of the character. Johanna here actually felt like a teenager who was both scared of the world because of how Turpin sheltered her, but also had eyes full of wonder and hope. Really loved her.

Daniel Yearwood as Anthony was good. I really don’t have much to say about him. He was really good. His line delivery was really good, but I thought he sounded really similar to Gaten on the cast album. That’s not a gripe with him, it’s just something I noticed.

I went in knowing that the factory whistle would be (sadly) absent from the show, yet still found myself bracing for it. I was kinda disappointed that the whistle was excluded since it’s such a massive part of the class system metaphor, but I totally wasn’t expecting the extra loud whistle when Turpin was killed. Literally made me almost shit myself in the mezzanine. Also again, Josh literally sawing at the judges throat was great at that moment too.

I also was somewhat tentative about the dancing. I don’t think of Sondheim or Sweeney Todd and think of dancing, so I went in cautious about it, and honestly I hated it a lot less than I thought I would. The dancing in the opening and closing ballads works? It’s not atrocious to be honest, it’s jarring yes, but isn’t the worst thing they could have done. The dancing is used very sparingly throughout the rest of it, and it’s not awful. It created a really surreal and dreamlike atmosphere which is quite fitting for the scenes they had it in (ladies and their sensitivities, poor thing, city on fire) or it created a hectic and almost unsettling aura (god that’s good, Pirelli’s miracle elixir). I also noticed that during these dancing moments that Todd, Lovett, Turpin, beadle, Toby, and Lucy would be the only ones still moving normally, kind of highlighting their disconnect from the rest of London. This was really highlighted during city on fire during the beggar woman’s part.

I also really like the inclusion of the scene that originally was after Mia Culpa. Normally it’s cut alongside Mia Culpa, but was kept in the revival, which is honestly awesome. It gives the context of how Johanna got the key and gave it to Anthony, and also how she found out Turpin wants to marry her, and without it it’s kinda weird and confusing. Honestly though, I wish Mia Culpa was included, just because it’s a great song and helps to characterize the judge, and the fucking social media used its lyrics to show off the judge that one time, so yeah. But it’s understandable why they didn’t. I’ve seen it performed and can only guess how hard it is for the judge performers to go from that into ladies and their sensitivities so quickly.

Overall, I could not have been more impressed and happy with the revival. I’m incredibly thankful I was able to go. The cast, crew, and orchestra have every bit of my joy and thanks for putting on such a great production of one of my favorite musicals.

#sweeney todd #stephen sondheim #sweeney todd the demon barber of fleet street #sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street #broadway #musical #musical theatre #mrs. lovett #sondheim #josh groban #annaleigh ashford #2023 revival #sweeney todd 2023 #musical review

18 notes · View notes