| Description |
This is the 1982 Los Angeles Touring cast of the Original 1979 production of Sweeney Todd by Steven Sondheim. The only principal difference is the replacement of George Hearn for Len Cariou in the role of Barker/ Todd. The 2007 film version starring Johnny Depp was based on this production. I have a few other LIVE ON BROADWAY DVDs that I hope to upload shortly, and am very anxious to get some more. If anyone seeing this has any kind of live performance of a stage show, please torrent it and leave a comment here to let me know. Even poor quality transfers from VHS would be great!
Two notes:
1 Γ?? Although this is the same version that has played on PBS from time to time, some idiot sound technician has turned down the audible audience noise, which detracts a bit from the overall enjoyment in my opinion. It is great to hear the audience laughing guiltily at some obscene joke, but a little of that gets missed here.
2 Γ?? The DVD came with no extras, even subtitles, so there is no point in torrenting this as anything other than an .AVI file.
The information below comes from the amazon.com description of the DVD
Stephen Sondheim's Victorian horror thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is generally considered his greatest work, macabre but darkly humorous with a viscerally powerful score that has found a home both on Broadway and in opera houses. George Hearn (who replaced Len Cariou of the original Broadway cast) plays the title character, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 18th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber), and Angela Lansbury plays his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, who finds a practical business use for Todd's victims. This combination of horror and humor is echoed in Sondheim's score: brooding menace ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," "My Friend"), achingly beautiful ballads ("Johanna," "Not While I'm Around"), clever puns ("A Little Priest"), coloratura arias ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and intricate choral and ensemble numbers.
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
Product Description
Times are hard in 1846 London and one must make do. So Nellie Lovett adds something extra to the meat pies she peddles on Fleet Street. The secret ingredient: freshly murdered victims of her partner in crime barber Sweeney Todd. Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim refashions a macabre tale into a musical masterwork in this dazzling performance of the 1979 Broadway hit originally staged by Harold Prince. In her Tony-winning role (one of eight the show earned including Best Musical) Angela Lansbury plays Nellie. George Hearn turns his stage role of twisted Sweeney into an Emmy-winning triumph. The score coils around itself in ever-tightening spirals. The lines ripple with black humor and madness. Enter Sweeney's tonsorial parlor. Attend the tale. |
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