Sweeney Todd

               This is not a review of the show I saw – that’s not my thing.  I’m also not going to summarize the show in my post.  That’s what Wikipedia is for.  This is just my reaction to a theater experience I had recently.

                Last weekend, I saw Sweeney Todd at the Signature Theater in Arlington, VA.  The Signature won the regional theater Tony in 2009, and the theater scene in Washington, DC (my hometown!) is quite vibrant and reputable.  I had high expectations for Sweeney Todd, and I was not disappointed.

                I had actually never seen the show (or the movie) before, and I was mostly unfamiliar with the music.  Especially for how dark it was, the music was catchy.  I especially like how the words and melody of the opening number are woven throughout the show.  I often find myself now singing “Did Sweeney… Did Sweeney Todd… the demon barber of Fleet… Street.”  It’s haunting and memorable.

                I was impressed by the magic Sondheim worked to write a song which is hilarious while also wildly disgusting and more than a little disturbing.  I am, of course, referring to “A Little Priest.”  I don’t know where people come up with ideas like “let’s write a musical about baking people into pies,” but that’s why those people have careers creating musical theater and I just blog about it.  I think Sweeney Todd is genius, especially considering (and notably not in spite of) its strange plot.

                I’m glad at least Anthony and Johanna get some semblance of a happy ending, but I also do appreciate the tragedy of the play.  For the same reasons that I overwhelmingly prefer Thomas Hardy to, say, Jane Austen, I like when theater (particularly musical theater) is dark.  Just because people are singing on stage doesn’t mean everything has to be glittery and bright and accompanied by tap dancers in top hats.  I think a lot of musical theater has embraced the dark lately, but Sweeney Todd is for sure the darkest thing I’ve seen yet.

An Ode to the Rock of Ages OBC Recording

       I’m a huge Rock of Ages fan.  Though, I confess: I’ve never seen the show.  I’ll see it someday.

       In the meantime, while I save my pennies for that elusive trip to New York City, the cast recording is everything a musical theater junkie like myself could ever want.  It stands on its own two feet.  The first time I listened to it, I could follow the story, which, for me, is essential to truly appreciating the music.  This is especially amazing considering Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical.  I have a squillion cast recordings, but few are able to be as meaningful to me whether or not I have seen the show.  Rent is another which comes to mind.

        I know that art speaks to different people in different ways, and I respect that people may disagree with me.  I also know that there are lots of other great show albums out there.  Trust me – you don’t come to own six different recordings of Hair by feeling ambivalent about what’s out there.  But for me, the Rock of Ages album has achieved something special.  The amount of dialogue included is nothing short of perfect.  It’s not overwhelming, but it really illuminates the music and lyrics.  This is near impossible for a jukebox musical.  Those songs weren’t originally written for Drew, Sherrie, and company, but I always forget that while rocking out to the album.  Rent, for example, has the benefit of the songs being written specifically to tell that particular story.  I’m not trying to compare the two, I’m just making the point that it’s all the more difficult to make a stellar cast album when the songs are not original.  The narration elements make me feel like I’m really there.  The only part about which I am a little fuzzy is a plot point about a confectionary store.

Well done, Rock of Ages!