Little Lark of London

When Sweeney Todd starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford was announced, I was thrilled. I’d loved Groban’s work in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1832 and had wanted to see Ashford in a leading role for years. Unfortunately, this production failed to meet my expectations for a Sondheim production, mixing the modern and classic in ways that do not blend together. 

This production of Sweeney Todd, directed by Thomas Kail, places the characters in a similar London to other productions – a dark and smoky place with period costumes (designed by Emilio Sosa) and settings (with the set designed by Mimi Lien). That, however, is where the similarities end, as the creative team has taken the work of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler and adapted it in their own interpretation, adding more modern aspects. Choreographer Steven Hoggett has the cast making sharp and jarring movements, pulling the audience out of the classic setting. There are many moments that feel like they have been pulled from an interpretive dance and thrown into a dark musical, and this only works in a few scenes, including “Poor Thing.”

While the orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire are glorious and it is wonderful to hear the orchestra, it is sometimes difficult to understand the lyrics over the noise of the instruments, which is a major issue for a Sondheim show. I also cannot write this review without lamenting the loss of the iconic whistle, a sound which I was looking for at the beginning and was quite disappointed to realise was no longer in the show. In a way, it summarises my thoughts on this production of Sweeney Todd as a whole – by removing classic aspects and replacing them with more concepts, the creative team struggles to find its own identity and instead mixes the modern and classic. 

While I adore Groban’s voice, it is at times difficult to separate the character performer, as you sit there listening to Josh Groban and not the character of Sweeney Todd. Groban does an excellent job capturing the grief of Todd as he deals with the loss of his wife and the abduction of his daughter but struggles to reach the levels of rage that is expected from the character, particularly once he is reconnected with his razors and begins his murder spree. He has fantastic chemistry with Judge Turpin (Jamie Jackson) and they have a lovely duet, but he fails to allow Sweeney to unleash his anger, instead sticking with emotionless killing with no reactions as the bodies of his victims slide down into the oven.

But his character-breaking cannot compare to Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Mrs. Lovett like a modern “TikTok girlie,” modernising the character in a production that is still placed in the past. I may have loved her interpretation in a modern version of Sweeney Todd, but in the period costumes and with the grim setting she stands out like a sore thumb, and typically not in a good way. There are moments where it feels like Ashford herself, not Mrs. Lovett, is attempting to break Groban, not Sweeney Todd, which almost immediately throws you out of the world of the show.

Ruthie Ann Miles is brilliant as the Beggar Woman, easily switching between the sweet voice crying for “Alms for a miserable woman” before jumping into an aggressive attitude, attacking men with questions like “Wouldn’t you like to push me parsley?” and “Would you like a little muff, dear?” Even when she is outside of the action, staggering around the stage, your eyes are constantly drawn to Miles and her physical performance. She becomes the heart of the show, standing in for whatever emotions Groban and Ashford fail to portray. Nicholas Christopher, however, quite nearly steals the show as the overdramatic Pirelli, prancing around the stage and proving that his bark is bigger than his bite in nearly every scene he is in. I loved watching him take centre stage during the barber competition, forcing everyone’s attention onto him as Todd quickly and quietly does his job off on the side. 

Ultimately, Sweeney Todd is a show that feels like it is trapped between multiple concepts that are struggling to meld together, making audiences feel like they are watching a few different shows at once. The orchestra is fantastic and the performers are giving it their all, but the creative team fails them by being unable to decide where they stand on Sweeney and the setting. 

Sweeney Todd runs at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway in New York City, with tickets currently available through 5 May 2024. Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford’s final performance will be 14 January. Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster’s first performance will be 9 February. Tickets can be purchased here.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman