Sweeney Todd at Royal Festival Hall
Bryn Terfel (Sweeney), Daniel Evans (Tobias), Maria Friedman (Mrs Lovett), Daniel Boys (Anthony), Emma Williams (Johanna), Philip Quast (Judge Turpin)
alysscarlet? Sooooo worth the money.
Okay, first up? First time of seeing/hearing Sweeney Todd. And yes, you could've knocked me sideways with a feather over the fact that Pretty Women is from this musical. (no, it's nothing like the Roy Orbinson song) Bare stage due to being RFH, great sound except for the orchestra intruding occasionally on the lower/softer notes.
V. well acted - Maria Friedman especially as Mrs Lovett is hysterical, and Bryn Terfel? Gah. The man just looms. And this is from someone who was up in the gods. Now I have no idea how Johnny Depp's going to be able to pull it off, because now I have the image of Sweeney Todd being very, very physically imposing. Philip Quast is shorter and skinnier than him, and considering how big he is... (seriously. they hugged outside the stage door and there's a good few inches height and shoulders difference) Philip Quast doing his patrician with corrupt undertones best. Daniel Evans as Tobias is just... awww. :pats him on the head: And it doesn't help that when that boy shaves (last seen as George Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George, which he'll be taking to Broadway - andromakie, beg, buy or steal if it's the same production that started at the Chocolate Factory, it's worth it for the staging alone) he de-ages 20 years and looks 12. TWELVE, people. Emma Williams agrees with me. When he removed his hat during rehearsals, (shaved head too) the director didn't recognise him. 'Where's Daniel gone?' '...He's standing right next to you.'
Everyone really good, just a few notes on the people I'd not seen before :
Bryn Terfel? amazing voice, great actor, it's just... it makes it clear how different opera singing vs. musical singing is. His diction is ... not that brilliant, because it kept being sacrificed for the sound. Several moments where you realised you couldn't hear all the words, unlike with the others where you could hear every word, being musical actors. (opera vs. musicals further emphasized by me sitting next to opera-goers who in the interval said they kept missing bits because they're used to subtitles and thus don't listen all that carefully for actual words, just the sound)
Daniel Boys as Anthony? Oh, my. Amazing. Voice is just ... guh, great actor, great stage presence. Looks like there's a reason he wasn't given musical songs, or romantic musical songs on ADWD. On tv he was good, but live and actually acting he's stunning. You think he was great doing swing numbers? Nothing compared to musical. Though yeah, still kill to see him doing more swing or something like Guys and Dolls.
miniosiris? I have another Philip Quast signed program and photo with and you don't. thpppppbbbbt.
alysscarlet? Sooooo worth the money.
Okay, first up? First time of seeing/hearing Sweeney Todd. And yes, you could've knocked me sideways with a feather over the fact that Pretty Women is from this musical. (no, it's nothing like the Roy Orbinson song) Bare stage due to being RFH, great sound except for the orchestra intruding occasionally on the lower/softer notes.
V. well acted - Maria Friedman especially as Mrs Lovett is hysterical, and Bryn Terfel? Gah. The man just looms. And this is from someone who was up in the gods. Now I have no idea how Johnny Depp's going to be able to pull it off, because now I have the image of Sweeney Todd being very, very physically imposing. Philip Quast is shorter and skinnier than him, and considering how big he is... (seriously. they hugged outside the stage door and there's a good few inches height and shoulders difference) Philip Quast doing his patrician with corrupt undertones best. Daniel Evans as Tobias is just... awww. :pats him on the head: And it doesn't help that when that boy shaves (last seen as George Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George, which he'll be taking to Broadway - andromakie, beg, buy or steal if it's the same production that started at the Chocolate Factory, it's worth it for the staging alone) he de-ages 20 years and looks 12. TWELVE, people. Emma Williams agrees with me. When he removed his hat during rehearsals, (shaved head too) the director didn't recognise him. 'Where's Daniel gone?' '...He's standing right next to you.'
Everyone really good, just a few notes on the people I'd not seen before :
Bryn Terfel? amazing voice, great actor, it's just... it makes it clear how different opera singing vs. musical singing is. His diction is ... not that brilliant, because it kept being sacrificed for the sound. Several moments where you realised you couldn't hear all the words, unlike with the others where you could hear every word, being musical actors. (opera vs. musicals further emphasized by me sitting next to opera-goers who in the interval said they kept missing bits because they're used to subtitles and thus don't listen all that carefully for actual words, just the sound)
Daniel Boys as Anthony? Oh, my. Amazing. Voice is just ... guh, great actor, great stage presence. Looks like there's a reason he wasn't given musical songs, or romantic musical songs on ADWD. On tv he was good, but live and actually acting he's stunning. You think he was great doing swing numbers? Nothing compared to musical. Though yeah, still kill to see him doing more swing or something like Guys and Dolls.
miniosiris? I have another Philip Quast signed program and photo with and you don't. thpppppbbbbt.