I’m going to go ahead and say it: I think Sweeney Todd may be the perfect musical.

Not this production in particular (which I did love, but I wouldn’t call it perfect). But the show itself. Sweeney Todd is everything I want from a musical.

Before I go any further, I have to admit something incredibly embarrassing for a theatre kid: I didn’t grow up listening to Sondheim musicals. Hey, we’ve all got our flaws. I’m not Sondheim illiterate – I just didn’t obsessively comb through his discography as I did some other composers. We never did a Sondheim show in school, I never sang his songs in singing lessons, and, apart from West Side Story (lyrics by Sondheim) and a production of Merrily We Roll Along that I saw when I was way too young to understand what on earth was going on, I didn’t see a Sondheim musical until the age of 19. (Assassins. Great show!)

Going into Sweeney Todd, I knew the basic plot: demon barber Sweeney Todd kills people, and his co-conspirator Mrs. Lovett bakes them into pies. I knew the famous songs, like “The Worst Pies in London,” “Johanna,” and “A Little Priest.” I didn’t know exactly how the characters fit into the show, like why the Beggar Woman was there and what Toby did besides sing a pretty ballad. A part of me wishes I’d discovered this show sooner, but another part is happy that I got to experience Sweeney Todd with fresh eyes, because it is spectacular.

I guess I’ll go into why I think it’s the perfect musical:

1. The plot. It’s simple to understand, but there are twists and turns. It’s got an A-plot with Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and a B-plot with Johanna and Anthony that are woven together and balanced nicely. It’s well paced – I was on the edge of my seat during some moments, but I was allowed to breathe during more tender, emotional songs. At the end of the day, the show is a tad melodramatic, but there are real, visceral emotions – sadness, despair, loneliness, love, hope. It’s hard not to get emotionally invested.
2. The characters – there’s so much depth given to each role, even to side characters. But I don’t think they’re rigidly constructed, in the sense that actors have quite a bit of freedom to take the characters in whatever direction they choose. Sweeney, for example, can be played more manic, or stoic, mysterious or methodical. Mrs. Lovett can be wild and unpredictable, silly and wacky, or resourceful and loyal. I think Shakespearean plays are often like this, too, which may contribute to why they’re performed year-after-year (among many reasons).
3. It’s whimsical and theatrical – not in an unbelievable, roll-your-eyes kind of way, but in that magical way only live theatre can be. I love the use of the ensemble as a “Greek chorus,” helping you follow the action.
4. The show is dark and moody, but it’s got moments of lightness, of joy, and pure comedy. I loved the use of physical comedy during “Johanna.”
5. It’s edgy (well, as edgy as musical theatre can be). It’s got some grit to it. I love the “horror” aspects of the plot. It’s not scary scary, but I love the blood. The laundry department must be working overtime in this show.
6. The music, the lyrics…it’s all the feelings. It does all the things. It’s my favourite music from a music/lyrics Sondheim musical.

I honestly can’t think of a single thing I would have the audacity to suggest changing. It’s a masterpiece, through and through.

Unfortunately, though, that does mean that each Broadway revival has a lot of pressure to do the material justice. Yes, the characters are well written that they can be taken in many different directions, but that certainly doesn’t stop people from making comparisons. Multiple people, after hearing that I saw this show, commented that they had seen the original 1979 production with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett. Imagine being Annaleigh Ashford and having to take on that role.

But she did it, and she was fantastic. I’ve been a fan of Annaleigh’s work ever since I saw her in a nothing role in 2007’s Legally Blonde. She took that role and stole every scene she was in. Her comedic timing is impeccable. Annaleigh makes moments funny that probably weren’t intended to be so, just by small head nods, or arm gestures, or vocalizations. She’s not always subtle, though…there’s a moment where she slides down the stairs in the splits, and another when she rolls on top of Sweeney Todd. She’s brilliantly funny, and her more emotional scenes are equally believable. Her singing voice is also great. I loved her performance.

I’ve heard people say they’ve never seen Mrs. Lovett played “this way” before, and I obviously hadn’t previously seen the show so I don’t know exactly what they mean. But I think, in general, that Mrs. Lovett is typically portrayed by an older, more matronly actress – or at least one that reads as so in comparison to Sweeney Todd. Annaleigh still looks a bit haggard, but she’s young and stereotypically pretty and plays into Mrs. Lovett’s desires for Sweeney as a companion in a way that perhaps was unexpected. Though the love Mrs. Lovett has for Sweeney is ultimately unrequited, it’s somewhat believable that he could develop feelings for her, which adds a sense of credibility to the blind faith she puts in him.

I’ll chat a bit more about the actors in this production, and then move on to some technical aspects. Another standout performer to me was Dustin from Stranger Things (aka Gaten Matarazzo) as Tobias. Gaten started off as a Broadway performer, so this wasn’t stunt casting (more on that later). Gaten has a beautiful, beautiful voice, and he’s superbly likeable. I was happy to see him every time he came on stage, and his performance of “Not While I’m Around” was heartfelt and earnest. He’s also very funny. Gaten’s character on Stranger Things, Dustin, is funny because he’s a bit eccentric and goofy; Gaten’s Tobias is still funny, but because of the earnest performance he gives – it’s more nuanced and grounded.

Before I talk about Sweeney himself, I wanted to mention the high-quality ensemble, because they were spooky-cool and I loved all the big cast numbers. This isn’t a dance show, but there are a lot of shrugs and body contortion-type things which were fun and weird, and executed with full enthusiasm. Special shoutout to Paul-Jordan Jansen (aka the show opener!), who is my friend’s husband and has great stage presence and a powerful baritone voice.

Now, onto Sweeney Todd himself. If you didn’t know, Sweeney in this production is played by the angel-voiced Josh Groban, which is likely why tickets are more expensive than those for other shows. And his voice is amazeballs (I’d initially chosen the descriptor “spectacular,” but in an effort to not repeat words, I looked up synonyms and this is what google came up with). Some people thought he over-sang – I didn’t feel that way, but I understand that point of view. He certainly isn’t phoning it in, and he doesn’t miss a note.

Josh is billed above the title, which means that if he’s not on stage for a performance and it hasn’t been announced previously, then you’re entitled to a refund. He’s pretty good at not calling out (unlike another performer currently billed above the title in another show, *cough cough*), so if you have your heart set on seeing him, chances are pretty high.

Josh’s acting is good, but for me he didn’t match Annaleigh’s powerhouse performance. Josh played up the emotional, heartbroken aspects of Sweeney, but I think he could’ve leaned more into the dark, gritty, downright insane qualities of the character. I would’ve liked to have seen a more distinct shift into madness during his epiphany song, aptly titled “Epiphany.” He wasn’t bad – I’m not that harsh a critic – but he was totally outshone by Annaleigh, and it’s not my favourite performance of his (this is).

So, overall, the cast was great. There were a few technical aspects, though, that I’d like to mention. The stage design and lighting was very cool – dimly lit, haunting, a bit creepy, and well-positioned shadows. If you saw the show’s Tony Awards performance, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I loved it. One thing I will say, though, is that I could’ve used more blood. There’s a bit of gore (so I wouldn’t take small kids to this show), but I could do with more.

One major critique – I thought the sound mixing was off, which is a common criticism I’ve heard. I sat in the front left orchestra, and sometimes I found it difficult to hear what the cast members were saying. The orchestra seemed a bit too loud. This show won Best Sound Design at the Tony Awards, which I find odd – maybe it sounds better in other parts of the theatre. Sound mixing isn’t usually something I notice in a show, so I think it had to have been pretty off for me to have been bothered by it.

At the end of the day, I loved Sweeney Todd, and I would definitely put this show at the top of your list of what to see this season.

Sweeney Todd is playing at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre on Broadway with Josh Groban until January 14, 2024. There are rumours that the production team is trying to find a replacement for Groban, but for now, the show is set to close with Josh’s exit. You can grab tickets here. This one rarely (if ever) sells discounted tickets at the TKTS booth, so it’s best to go through the official box office, or try your luck with the digital lottery.

Featured image: sweeneytodd.com; photo by Franz Szony.