For me, Sweeney Todd is not just Stephen Sondheim's best musical but also one of the greatest musicals full-stop. Of the 1982 production, the 2007 film and this 2001 concert production, it is difficult to say which is my favourite of the three as all three have so many great merits to them. There is not much to fault at all with here, and it does the score and musical justice. The camera work is choppy in places and while Davis Gaines characterises beautifully and gets much better later on- I do think generally that he has a beautiful and rich voice- he starts very off-pitch(not just slight, this is can't hear the music sort of quality), which wasn't pleasant on the ears, he is also too old I agree for Anthony but that wasn't big enough an issue. The costumes and sets are hugely effective to the atmosphere and the lighting is wholly appropriate to the dark, minimalist look to the visuals. The stage direction has the ability to be witty and harrowing, nothing about it came across as dull and distasteful to me, the chorus are directed quite interestingly but not in a way that jars. The orchestral playing is superb throughout, giving the magnificent score its full impact(Epiphany just made me go wow!), while the chorus are well-blended and involved in the drama. George Hearn is a complete revelation as Sweeney, his voice has lost none of the power it had nineteen years earlier, which helps give Epiphany the power it has, and he is both sympathetic and chilling. Patti Lupone's Mrs Lovett compared to Angela Lansbury is broader and played with a straight deadpan approach, which considering it was Lupone playing to her strengths worked, she doesn't have the best voice- like Gaines she has moments where she is pitchy- but still sings with terrific gusto and character. Timothy Nolen's Judge Turpin is creepy and sinister with a very strong voice, thank goodness that Johanna was included because it adds so much to the character and is just hair-raising here and in any production I imagine that includes it. Neil Patrick Harris is very charming and sings with a very pleasant tone as Toby, while the Johanna of Lisa Vroman is a vast improvement over that of her 1982 counterpart(especially in Green Finch and Linnett Bird, a very difficult song to get right), instead of shrill and strident her voice is clear and vibrant. Victoria Clark is also great as the beggar woman. So overall, a terrific concert production of a musical masterpiece. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I would give this a 10 if it was a fully produced film. Why wasn't this made instead of the Tim Burton one?For those of you who don't know - Sweeney Todd is a man falsely imprisoned (transported to Australia) by a judge who covets Sweeney's wife. When Sweeney finally escapes and returns after many years, he discovers his wife is dead and that the judge is indirectly responsible. Enraged, he plots to cold-bloodedly kill the judge - who, like everyone else, fails to recognize who he is after his long stint in prison. There is a LOT more to the plot, but technically any more would be a spoiler.Wonderful cast of great actors and great singers! George Hearn is a revelation, not only can he bring great subtlety to the music, but he embodied the complicated role so well, made it so believable and understandable, you can't imagine another actor doing it better. Patti Lapone was funny and sexy as Mrs Lovett and brought out a really sweet side to Mrs Lovett as well as the overt nastiness. Timothy Nolan was really creepy as the judge and what a voice! Stanford Olsen was a perfect fit for the role and stole the show with his amazing high notes and Neil Patrick Harris had wonderful energy as Tobias. If I was being picky, Davis Gaines (as a 47 year old playing young Anthony Hope) looked too old on screen, but I guess this is a concert version. Even the small parts are fabulous. Chorus and Orchestra spot on. One reviewer mentioned the camera work being too choppy - but personally, apart from the lack of sets, props, and the fact you can hear the audience when they react, it feels (and sounds) like a film. I think this is a big plus!I didn't know anything about Sweeney Todd and actually caught part of this for the first time at a house party. Ten minutes of watching that made me search for the DVD to buy. It's riveting!Throw away the Tim Burton and trade gloss for substance.

I just recently saw the Tim Burton version of this, and I added some comments on that too. After watching the film, I came home and watched this version, and it throws the deficiencies of the Burton film into sharp relief. The Burton film looks better, but that's about it. If you really want more on what I thought about it, look under the comments in that film.First off this is a live concert performance. That means sets, costume, props, stage machinery, etc. are minimal. The performance happens around and even among the orchestra on a concert stage. That is the only flaw, for lack of a better term, in this production. If you've got a good imagination, it's insignificant.Second, the San Francisco Symphony is one of the best kept secrets in this country. They are great. I have several recordings of their work, and I have always been extremely happy with them. When you think of great American orchestras, the usual cities are New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. San Francisco belongs in that group. Their playing of this score, which was, of course, originally set up for a pit orchestra less than half the size of the forces used in this production, is as near perfect as anyone can reasonably hope for. It also really emphasizes the operatic feel that I always felt this musical has.George Hearn is the best Sweeney Todd I've ever seen. That comes from an old pit orchestra hand that has been through more than a few performances. Apparently the original choice for this production was Bryn Terfel, a Welsh bass-baritone opera singer. Apparently he got ill and had to be replaced. It would have been very interesting to see that. Maybe he'd have been a new favorite, but Hearn is still great. Patti LuPone is also a fine Mrs. Lovett and is able to keep Hearn's anguished Todd from overwhelming everything. Timothy Nolen makes a disturbingly lustful Judge Turpin, and I was glad to see the scene of his self mortifying struggle with his feelings for Johanna included in this production. It is often cut, but it provides a not exactly sympathetic, but at least clearer, view of Turpin's character. Neil Patrick Harris is also an excellent Tobias Ragg. He even has a good voice. Who woulda' thought it? Pirelli, Anthony Hope, Beadle Bamford, Johanna...all are well cast, well played, and well sung.In short, it's hard to believe how well everything was done. If you've come away from the Burton film with a less than happy feeling, please check this out before you abandon the musical entirely. It represents Sondheim's best work, and is well worth seeing.

You either love Sondheim or you hate him (although few of the arguments for hating him hold water, In My Anything But Humble Opinion). Certainly his darkest work and arguably his best, Sweeney Todd is an exploration of the depths to which a man will sink to wreak vengeance on those who have wronged him.With all respect to Len Cariou, who created the role in the original production, George Hearn is and always will be the definitive Sweeney Todd. There are things he does that I don't even think he's consciously aware of anymore, but are absolutely chilling to watch. Patti Lupone has the thankless task of trying to follow the immortal Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett; she carries it off by making almost completely different dramatic choices and playing her strengths (like Meryl Streep, she's got one of the best deadpans in the business, and lines that Lansbury played for laughs, Lupone plays straight--we still laugh, but for different reasons). The rest of the cast acquit themselves beautifully, particularly Davis Gaines as the lovestruck Anthony Hope and Victoria Clark as the crazed Beggar Woman.But the real surprise of the cast is Neil Patrick Harris as the innocent, waiflike Tobias Ragg. Having played the part myself, I have a bad habit of holding other actors to impossible standards--and Harris not only meets them, he flattens them. Instead of watching him and thinking, "I could have done that," I found myself watching him and saying "I wish I'd done that"--something I've never been able to say in any other production.The score is as close to grand opera as Sondheim gets, and the gems--"A Little Priest", "Not While I'm Around", "Johanna", "Wait," and the act II quartet sparkle as brightly as I've ever heard them.Grade A.