The other day, Crystal told me that she had a surprise planned for me and that I was not allowed to plan anything for this Tuesday night (today). Since I am a sucker for surprises and go WAY out of my way to make sure that I don't figure them out, I was completely set back when Crystal guided me to the TN Theater on Gay Street. Much to my surprise, they were playing John Doyle’s Sweeney Todd, which ranks somewhere among my favorite movies. Although the movie was excellent, I was very excited at the possibility to see the play, as it was originally intended, because I had the sneaking suspicion that I would like it much more (sorry Mr. Depp). I am happy to say that my suspicions were correct!
A Quick Note About the Theater
I know that this is common sense, but I do want to articulate that plays are a different creature altogether than their movie counterparts. Much like a movie, they have a very limited amount of time to convey a large story. Unlike the movies, they have very limited casts, very limited resources, and the disadvantage of using a very small stage and amount of props to pull off their act. In order for a play to be ‘as good as’ a movie in delivery and content, not only do the actors have to be masters of their craft, but also the planners and set builders have to be imaginative w/ the resources that they have and yet make sure that those resources clearly convey the intended message. It is a very difficult balance to keep.
Also, considering that a play is live, there are SO MANY things that can go wrong. Don’t believe me? Ask me sometime about how I nearly electrocuted myself and killed all the power on one of TWC’s opening nights, lol. It is a tough business and deserves ALOT of respect.
On with the show!
So, the show itself was excellent. I don’t want to waste much time trying to compare the play to the movie, but there are a few facts that stood out. Much to my surprise, the play (even this one was an adaptation of the original work) followed exactly the same path as the movie. This is either a testament to the attention to detail of Mr. Burton or a testament to the popularity of Mr. Burton’s work. :) I did find it helpful that I somewhat knew the storyline, as it added to the suspense and also helped me completely understand all the divergent plotlines. As for the musical numbers, they were nearly identical to those found in the movie, however they blended into one another much more seamlessly than the movie itself. The movie had quite a bit more dialog whereas the musical is much more… uh… well… musical.
The Cast and Acting
I cannot even being to say enough about the cast. They were AMAZING. The awesome aspect of this play was that the actors handled every aspect of the play. Not only were they the singers, but they were also the musicians. Each of them played at least 2 instruments throughout the show, rotating in and out of the center stage while the story progressed. I kept feeling my jaw dropping as one person would be singing, pick up a flute, switch attention to the other actor, and start playing the music to that actor’s numbers. Of course, we are not simply talking about instrument solos – they acted as a small orchestra having violas, flutes, tubas, violins, pianos, guitars, horns, bells, etc. These were all shared and divvyed out among 8ish actors. WOW!
Adding to this amazing fact, the actors also had the task of setting up the stages between scenes. In this case, there were an plethora of props laying across the stage and the actors would manipulate, move, and set up while to story flowed. This might sound as if it would be distracting, but each movement was often choreographed or so reasonable that it added to the story rather than taking away. So, the scene quickly morphed from a boat deck, to a diner, to a courtroom, to a street corner, back into a diner, etc. Of course, the cost of this great effect was that they actors never got a break. They were either playing instruments, moving props, or acting / telling the story. I was simply dumbstruck by the amount of skill and dexterity that this would require.
One of the main props was actually a coffin as often used as the Mr. Todd’s barber chair. Needless to say, there was some really great symbolism / foreshadowing going on. It was pleasantly difficult to soak it all in as the actors worked across the stage.
Looking up for some information on the cast, I ran across a very small YouTube snippet of my favorite scene. Although this really does not do it justice, I embedded the video below (notice the cast playing the music for this number in the background)
Kudos to the actors. They did an excellent job!
In Conclusion
All in all, I have to say that I had a great time. Not only did I get to enjoy a very dark and hilarious storyline, but it was presented by true masters who knew how to tell a good story. I sincerely wish that they were still playing in town as I would have to beg and plead everyone to go check them out and support them. Maybe next year!