I’m providing even more information on Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd for the simple reason that, well, I think this is America’s finest contribution to musical theatre. To be honest, though, it really is everywhere—from the giant poster on Santa Monica Blvd. and Highland Avenue to the multitude of posters lining the bus stops all over the greater Los Angeles area (I really don’t venture anywhere outside of L.A. unless I have to.) On top of that, Stephen Sondheim will be making a rare appearance at UCLA in March and the re-envisioned Broadway revival will be making a pit stop in downtown around that same time. So, for all those Angelinos looking to reacquaint themselves with the demon barber, or for the new fans that can’t get enough of it, mark your calendars!

Until them, let me break down the three versions now available:

Sweeney Todd (1979)

The Players:

• Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett–before she wrote about murder, she planned and she took home a Tony for it. Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd also took home a Tony.
• The then-unknown-but-soon-to-be Alias alum, Victor Garber, played the love sick sailor, Anthony.

The Music:

• Sometimes operatic, sometimes manic, it was always lavish and atmospheric. Sondheim employed counterpoint and discordant harmonies to create this Grand Guignol.
• The Ballad! A Greek-style chorus made up of the company comment on the legend of Sweeney Todd.
• Joanna has more songs. The young lovers had a somewhat fleshed out story.

The Look:

• Hal Prince used the Industrial Revolution as a cold metaphor for the type of people it was producing: Londoners in desperate times taking desperate measures. It was present in the backdrop of rows of factories found throughout London, in the authoritative sound of the factory whistle that shrilled through the show, and in the overall Brechtian scope of the whole production.

Sweeney Todd (2005)

The Players:

• They’re all there, but striped down to a handful of actors. Only this time they’re a little sexier, a little more deranged, and better dressed in black leather and white coats.

The Music:

• Not as opulent as the original, but that is only its strength. There is no orchestra. By having the actors play their own instruments in character, the music takes center stage.

The Look

• Don’t look for any set changes in this production. The director, John Doyle, has made it clear by now that this is an intimate evening. Scene changes, location changes, and deaths are achieved through the wonder of theatre magic (i.e. costumes, make up, lighting, etc.)

Sweeney Todd, the Movie (2007)

The Players:

• Most characters have survived; others have been excised not by razor blade, but by screenwriter’s pen (or delete button.)
• The subplot with Anthony and Joanna, as scarce as it was in the original, has been further made scarce.
• As for the chorus of commenting Londoners—completely gone.
• Still, by doing this, Burton has created a more personal fully fleshed-out character in both Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett. For the first time, one can almost sympathize for these poor souls.

The Music:

• Shorter versions of the songs, but only detectable by the obsessive fan.
• Some songs completely cut (but that is to be expected in a film version of any musical.)

The Look:

• Breathtaking. For the first time ever, Sweeney’s London is gorgeously rendered on sound stages and CGI to personify the “big black pit.”
• Close-ups, monochromatic color palettes, and vibrant red blood that gushes as if from garden hoses help to visually attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.

Photo by talkinbroadway.com.

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