Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Continuing a fortuitous tradition of capturing the Sondheim legacy on video recordings, this performance was filmed before a live audience in Los Angeles during the 1982 national tour. Almost 20 years later, Hearn returned to the role opposite Patti LuPone in an acclaimed concert production. But Sweeney Todd is an especially compelling experience in this 1982 version, complete with the clever staging tricks (e.g., the barber's chair) and as close to the original cast as we're likely to see. --David Horiuchi

Although I usually curse Warner Brothers for having the worst track record of any major studio for not releasing their extensive library of films to DVD, today I applaud them for giving us back this wonderful show with its delightful performances on DVD. Not only can we relish Angela Lansbury in her Tony-winning role as Mrs. Lovett, but we get the extra bonus of seeing George Hearn as Sweeney, to my mind the best Sweeney I've ever seen (and I've seen two others as well -- Len Cariou, who originated the role on Broadway and was probably the sexiest Sweeney (making Lovett's attraction for him perfectly understandable), but without Hearn's depth and a bit too American (or rather, Canadian), and Denis Quilley, who performed the role in London. Although Quilley's acting and singing talents were a match for Hearn's, he was physically not exactly right.

As for the Mrs. Lovetts I've seen, the West End production's Sheila Hancock will always be my favorite for her ability to capture all the comedic aspects of the role (as Angela Lansbury does too) while still managing to plumb the pure evil depths and total amorality of the character. Ms. Hancock had the ability to make the theatre-goer laugh his head off one moment, and then to send chills down his spine the next. But who could not love Angela as well? And aside from Ms. Lansbury, one gets a chance to see several others from the original Broadway cast reprise their roles for this production, including the wonderfully sinister, powerfully voiced Edmund Lyndeck as Judge Turpin and Ken Jennings as Tobias. (Toby is not an easy role to cast, since one has to practically be a castrato to sing it.)

I was also fortunate enough to see the original Broadway production before the cuts were made -- the shortening of the barber competition (a wise decision), the elimination of the self-flagellation scene in which Judge Turpin, brandishing a whip, is seen in a black robe, his buttocks exposed (this should never have been cut but was probably considered too outragious for the out-of-town tourists to handle), and the removal of the Tower of Bray number (which, again, was a wonderful pastiche and very funny, as it added to rather than detracted from the suspense, and hopefully will one day be re-evaluated and restored to future productions). But at least, the missing numbers are all on the cast album for admirers of the show to enjoy.

The role of Anthony was replaced in this production by Cris Groenendaal (who was in the chorus in the original), and who has a stronger voice than Victor Garber, who originated the role, but Garber is a stronger actor, as can be surmised from his long and successful career, both in musicals and non-musicals. I also enjoyed Betsy Joslyn as Johanna, which is a silly and comedic role which she milks for all its worth, and yet still remains a chip off the old block. It's Johanna, after all, who grabs the revolver from Anthony to shoot Mr. Fogg in cold blood.

Finally, before receiving the DVD, I was fearful that I might be looking at something with faded color bleeds and poor video quality simply transferred to a different media. But I am happy to report that the show has held up well, both visually and audibly. In fact, in this L.A. production, the only thing I missed from the Broadway production (other than the cut numbers) was that in the original theatre, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett make their final appearance rising through a hole in the floor from an elevator beneath the stage, as if coming back from hell for a brief encore. Now THAT was an entrance!


Great Show, Lousy Recording   June 24, 2004
I first saw Sweeney Todd on Broadway over 20 years ago, and was thrilled to be given the chance to revisit it now on DVD. If you love the dark comedy/thriller genre and are prepared to find cannibalism amusing at times, this one is for you. (Decades after seeing it I still announce to my family on the rare occasion that I make shepherd's pie that we're having "Shepherd's pie peppered with actual shepherd on top!") The music is FANTASTIC and creepy and Angela Lansbury is absolutely in top form. The problem is this; The recording was made as a low quality, live recording for PBS TV over twenty years ago. As a result, you will see the colors are less vivd than they should be, the picture quality is a little shabby and the show sounds like a flat, worn out tape recording. Still, this is a great performance of a Broadway classic.


Its that amazing!   June 23, 2004
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Sweeney Todd is an absolute masterpiece. It basically puts every other show in the last 30 years to shame with its glorious music, supurb book and amazing characters. After owning the old VHS of this pruduction, it was so nice having a DVD of it. Even though the production was getting sort of old at the point this was shot, and you can tell that Angela is sort of tired of playing Mrs. Lovett. Its still a thrill to have this preserved. The cast is AMAZING. Even though Angela seems bored, she is still wonderful and electrifies the stage with her presence and talent. Its no wonder she won a Tony for basically every major Broadway Show she ever did. Hearn is ofcourse, AMAZING. His acting isn't as good as Cariou's, and I find Cariou scarier, but his singing is just sooooo good, and even though his characterization isn't my favorite, he gives his Sweeney a lot of dimensions, making you see that Sweeney Todd was once a good man and isn't just an insane mad man, even though I prefer that.

The supporting cast is wonderful. I know everyone hates the Johanna, Betsy Joslyn, and even though I must admit her performance is a bit odd and her voice seems to be struggling, I love it. SHe makes Johanna into a complete nut and is completely insane, adding something even creepier about her character and her relationship with the Judge. I mean, hello, she has been molested by the judge her entire life and is kept inside ALL the time. I find it a bt ridiculous when Johanna is played all pretty and nieve. Does ne1 REALLY think Johanna would be so sweet after years of confinement? The Anthony's voice is VERY good and sing all his songs very well, even though his hair is a bit ridiculous. The Judge is great, and SOOOO creepy, and so is the Beedle. THe Tobias is very good, even though he's not as cute and endearing as he was when the show first came out, but he does it very well. Its just such an amazing show and I love it and everyone should buy this and the CD! Its sooooooo good!


Sondheim is a genius   June 22, 2004
This, to me, is Sondheim's masterpiece. It does, however, have some flaws. One must be forgiving of Antony's stylish combover hairdo.. after all, it was 1982. The main complaint I had about the DVD though is Betsy Joslyn as Johanna. During "Green Finch" there is a line where she sings "teach me how to sing" and I literally said out loud "someone needs to"... she was THAT bad. Despite her horrible singing and overall silliness in playing the role, I still give the DVD five stars because I much prefer watching the stage production with costumes etc to the concert version. In addition, George Hearn and Angela Lansbury are, in a word, brilliant. No two actors who have since played these roles have had such comedic chemistry. I watch this DVD over and over again and never cease to be entertained by their performances.
If you are going to choose between this and the more recent concert addition, please choose this version. Though there are some good performances in the concert, you don't get the true feel of the show.


Good Production   May 28, 2004
I am very glad this production is finally on DVD. It is probably the best rendition of Sweeney to hit the stage, and the DVD is definetly worth having for anyone who wants to hear a truly great musical.