Thank you Youffraita and Belinda for the invitation to the Theatricals group! I am a huge Sweeney Todd fan, and submit this little listing and comparisons of the different interpretations of Sondheim’s masterpiece for your pleasure. I’ve highlighted some of my favorite Sweeney Todd actors, and included videos for each. I would have loved to compare different versions of Epiphany, but alas, YouTube failed me on that. So I concentrated on clips that demonstrated the character and showed a bit of the flavor of the production.
Len Cariou – the original Sweeney Todd, he performed opposite Angela Lansbury (the original Mrs. Lovett). Cariou played Sweeney as very dangerous, a bit thuggish, always at the edge of exploding. He simmers and smolders until Epiphany, when he finally explodes into fury and rage, becoming a murder machine.
In the number “By the Sea”, he doesn’t fiddle with his pipe, but sits with a strange smile, planning revenge on the Judge and looking forward to the next day’s work. This is a scary Sweeney with moments of humanity breaking through. His performance was captured on the original soundtrack.
Added bonus – Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou reprising the song “A Little Priest” 25 years later. So much fun watching them transform into Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd!
I was able to see Len Cariou in a cabaret last year, and sprinkled amongst the songs were some of his favorites from Sweeney Todd (The Barber and his Wife). He sang a bit of Epiphany – transforming into Sweeney for a moment and startling everyone.
George Hearn – replaced Len Cariou as Sweeney on Broadway and on the National Tour. He played opposite Angela Lansbury and Dorothy Loudon. Hearn is a more tragic Sweeney, filled with grief that’s transmuted to rage and anger. In the 1980 recording (available on DVD), he plays Sweeney with a lost little boy aspect. His emotions explode out constantly, until Epiphany when he loses his grasp on sanity. But there are still moments of grief that break through his madness, making the last scene agonizingly tragic.
George Hearn and Angela Lansbury
George Hearn and Dorothy Loudon (shot from the audience)
Denis Quilley – played Sweeney in the 1980 London production. I’ve never seen an entire recording, but some tantalizing glimpses are on YouTube. His Epiphany seems almost the epitome of the “proper Englishman” losing his composure.
This video includes some of his performance and comments by Sondheim and other cast members.
George Hearn – yes, he played Sweeney twice, 25 years apart. In 2000, drafted at the last minute as a replacement for Bryn Terfel, he reprised Sweeney in the Concert version. This version was mounted with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and the play was performed amongst the orchestra (recorded on CD). Very few props, but with George Hearn and Patti LuPone you really don’t need much on stage. Hearn played Sweeney as older and driven, aware that he was on a path of vengeance that he would not escape from, mired in grief that turns to rage. This version was taped in San Francisco with the San Francisco Orchestra (highly recommended DVD).
Michael Cerveris – played Sweeney in the 2005 Revival by John Doyle, opposite Patti LuPone. This production presented the story as a tale told by Toby, a patient in an insane asylum. The actors also were also the musicians. This presented a surrealistic, almost claustrophobic version of Sweeney Todd. Sweeney is violent, manic, emotional – and sometimes makes Hearn look a bit restrained.
Brian Stokes Mitchell – played Sweeney in the Kennedy Center performance in 2002. The only clip I’ve found shows Sweeney as entirely losing any shreds of sanity in Epiphany. He’s no longer a man running down the path to hell; he’s jumped off the cliff of sanity into chaos and madness.
Sweeney Bonus – what happens when you have two talented Sweeney Todd Alumni that want to honor Sondheim for his 80th birthday? You put them together and let them fight it out! George Hearn and Michael Cerveris teamed up with Patti LuPone in a segment from Sondheim’s 80th Birthday Celebration (available on DVD). Here’s a clip from the outdoor concert in Chicago in 2010: