Sweeney Todd - Interview with Stephen Sondheim

[vietkiet]

SUP BRO! COME AT ME BRO!

[Golightly143]

@emmyrossumfn101 ah so many great things. and there's this amazing thing called the internet where you can find answers to your questions

[jcanepa07]

There is quite a bit of difference between the stage show and the movie. But, the changes that were made reflect the different mediums. In the stage show, the Ballad of Sweeney Todd is needed to bookend the show and provide seamless transitions throughout the show. The movie did not need such bookends or transitions. The song 'Look at me' needed to be after 'Greenfinch and linnet bird' to show the love connection. With the movie, only a look was needed to express this emotion. Etc. Etc.

[madgeson]

Julia Mackenzie is the best Mrs Lovett I have ever seen.

Lansbury is over the top.

H.Bonham Carter is nowhere.

Lupone.Terrible.

[emmyrossumfn101]

Does anyone know what else Sondheim did? I'm only familiar with Sweeney Todd.

[FlabbergastedDude]

@emmyrossumfn101 he wrote the lyrics for West Side Story :D

[boooohoo9]

@emmyrossumfn101 Anyone Can Whistle, Carousel, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, among others. He's the most prolific composer and lyricist for musical theatre and film. How do you not know anything else?

[flaggerify]

@boooohoo9 Carousel??

[charlottekane123]

@boooohoo9 carousel was written by rodgers and hammerstein

[Britt3Nic]

@emmyrossumfn101 WICKED, Into the Woods, Assassins, Company, .. a ton of stuff. worth looking into

[TheatreGeek333]

@Britt3Nic He Didn't Do Wicked, That Was Stephen Schwartz (:

[raymom2]

I agree Jerraph! I love to hear him speak about his formulaic approach to scaring the hell out of the audience. His are the only pieces that I fully invest...taking no notice of those around me in the theatre. What a wonderful gift that is to give. He's brilliant.

[EngorgedxSpleen]

Ahhhh! I love just getting a peak into that genius' mind. I liked how he was very objective about his view on the movie. He didn't quite say whether he liked that his masterpiece was altered and cut, but remained professional and used great tact.

[JollyMe08]

I, for one, think he sold his soul.

[overthemoo]

@JollyMe08 Oh don't be silly. Burton first approached Sondheim about his adaptation idea almost 2 decades ago. He wasn't known in film as he is these days.

[Jerraph]

Sondheim - the greatest composer in musical theatre in the world right now. Genius and master of his art.

[sonicfan74]

i like it how people say it put the stage play to shame but the man who made the play loves the movie

[magicalfascination]

he is inspirational! :D

[stickyfixer]

I liked the movie too - but i prefer the stage version. I found it difficult to get my head round all of the chorus music being cut - and I thought HBC was badly miscast. But the movie looks amazing and the finale was great. I don't agree with what he says here about 'Cabaret' - it's very much a movie adaptation of a stage show, more-so than the Sweeny movie (just in my opinion!).

[yougottagetagimmick]

I agree with you. They changed much more in the "Cabaret" film than they did in the "Sweeney Todd" film actually...But, you know, Sondheim doesn't really like "Cabaret", I think...*grins*

[claytonwoot]

Hahahaha! No it's definitely not!

[LusciousBaybee]

genius!

[dupbr13]

I lvoe how he says that this is a different "film on stage musical" hes right, It really does depend on what you saw first, If you saw the movie first, and haven't seen the stage production then ya your going to have a different opinon about it. Its just like the 2004 version of The phantom of the Opera. everyone has their views. I love all of it.

[mousesandwich]

I think it depends whether you can approach things with a totally open mind. I loved the film and I love the stage musical too and I'm happy to mix opinions rather than have it in black and white. For example I liked the way they used actors without singing expirence so that it became about acting as much as it was about singing but on the other hand I still think Patti Lupone is the best Mrs. Lovett ever.

[bflo710]

he is simply a genius....

[mrslovvet]

He's such a genius!

[EHMNB]

He is extremly cool :)

[phionexflames]

aaaaaaaaaa he's old!!! noooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I love him so much o gohs

he's like one of my absolute idols (i have many)

[irishgalsal]

This fantastic. Can you please listen to kwiatman on utube.....and his version of "Not While I'm Around". He would love to record this but can't find a way to get in touch with Mr Sondheim to ask permission. Do you know how we could contact him please?

[Eohrider]

Wow. That's cool. I didn't even know who Sondheim was, and I went on Wikipedia and read all about the origin of Sweeney Todd. I discovered that Sonheim wrote one of my favorite songs from a different musical. Small world.

[sweeneytoddfan24]

i love the music in sweeney todd i listen to it all the time !!! its like the only thing i listen to

[SweeneyTodd98]

Wow he's brilliant

[moviemom4]

Nice interview.

[bckesler]

Brilliant, but the film version of Cabaret is nothing like the stage version. It takes far more liberties than Sweeney Todd did.

[bassman462]

It depends on what version of Cabaret you saw. The latest vogue in revivals of past shows on broadway and the subsequent small theatre productions is to do what many are referring to as a "revisal." This was done to the revival of Cabaret in 1998. Between the film version of Cabaret directed by Bob Fosse and the "revisal" of Cabaret, the former would be the most faithful to the original version produced and directed by Hal Prince on broadway in 1966.

[bckesler]

I'm talking about the film version in comparison to the original stage show, which at the time of the film, was the only stage version there was. The "revisal" is a combination of the stage and screen versions. That's my point, is that the film version of Cabaret actually took complete songs out and replaced them with entirely new ones. The story is completely shifted, characters and their relationships with each other are different, etc. Sweeney Todd is an incredibly faithful adaptation.

[TurkeyToast]

What a brilliant composer!

[FallingRedRose]

Brilliant mind!

[devlyshbabiipnay]

Omg he's so hot

[GormanToons]

???? Great composer though ^_^

[MutantViolin]

He is so modest.

[nightcrawler42]

oh no. he is looking so old.

[cupcake101]

He's so cool!

[BlueUltraViolet]

He's a genius. I love all his works.

[MatthewwMatthew]

What a guy.

He is Jesus.

[rmelofranco]

Of course he is. He's even Jewish.

[MatthewwMatthew]

more or less.

[pdpMASTERP]

less

[MatthewwMatthew]

He was born Jewish and stepped into a synagogue at the age of eighteen. That's all he can say for being Jewish, so less would be correct.