sweeney todd

Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is by no means a conventional musical; it takes
several forms of
music and theater and artfully places them together. Sondheim
very effectively
transports the audience back to Victorian England for a mad waltz
with murder,
mayhem and meat pies. He also utilizes his skill as a choral
composer to write
some truly fascinating ensemble pieces accompanied by a very
intricate plot with
many elements carefully layered.
There are several important thematic elements in this carefully
written
commentary on our society, and Sondheim makes good use of his
music to accent
not only the melodramatic plot, but these themes as well. For
example, the song
“Kiss Me” becomes an anthem for Anthony and Johanna and a symbol
of their true
love they loved when they did not even know each other’s
names. Sweeney Todd
may be a dark musical, but its construction lends well to light
voices and an equally
light orchestral style. Plot-wise, this show is rather light, the
characters seem
cartoonish and one-dimensional, especially Mrs. Lovett, Anthony,
and Johanna,
who appear to be little more than melodramatic character roles.
Ironically, Mrs.
Lovett, the absolute capitalist, is one of the show’s most

complex characters. Mrs.
Lovett is not merely some amoral witch out to make a fast dollar,
she is a character
driven by greed and love to keep Sweeney however she can.
In conclusion, the play gives an excellent example of captive
innocence, and
the loss of innocence that immediately follows. Sweeney is driven
to murder, Mrs.
Lovett bakes these people into pies, Johanna kills, Lucy is
forced to become a
Beggar and a whore, and nearly every major character experiences
their own fall
from grace. Every character in the show is a captive, whether
literally or
figuratively. Most importantly, Sweeney is a captive of his
revenge and Mrs.
Lovett is imprisoned by her love for Sweeney. Both are determined
to do whatever
possible to attain their goals and both fail, ultimately
destroying themselves just
short of reaching their goals.