(no subject)

[skygiants]

This weekend I went to go see a production of Sweeney Todd, notable for being 'immersive' and featuring pie, like real edible pie. (It was also going to be notable for featuring Norm Lewis, aka Handsome Javert in the Les Mis 25th Anniversary Concert, but TRAGICALLY FOR ME left a week before I got there.)

A few notes:
- the immersive aspect was largely based on the fact that most of the audience was sitting at long pie-eating tables, and cast members would frequently come and sit at the last seat of them and stare you intently in the face while singing at you, or march up and down along the top of them and stare you intently in the face while singing at you
- ...it was weirder when you were looking up at them marching along in front of you because you became very conscious of the fact that your neck was extremely exposed
- the Beggar Woman was double-cast as Pirelli sashaying around in a giant moustache chewing on all the scenery, which was delightful and also I imagine nice for the actress to get something to do in the show besides wail at people
- also she lounged around our table for a bit and flirted with me during the big Pirelli number, which, no complaints
- on the flip side, they cut most of her "City On Fire," which is one of my favorite numbers :(
- the three-person orchestra all got to ham it up being visibly nervous during the bit in "A Little Priest" about the respective taste factors of fiddle player and piccolo player
- Johanna's actress was amazing -- very good at selling Johanna as a character and not just just an ingenue, and all her desperation about her situation throughout
- Mrs. Lovett and the Beadle were also extremely good
- I did not love our Sweeney though, who spent most of the time sort of pulling his face down and opening his eyes really wide to signify that he was INTENSE
- most importantly, the pie that they fed us beforehand was delicious
- (and probably not made of people)

Comments

[sovay]

- the three-person orchestra all got to ham it up being visibly nervous during the bit in "A Little Priest" about the respective taste factors of fiddle player and piccolo player

Aw.

I am glad to hear about Johanna; I care that she and Anthony be handled well and they often aren't.

[skygiants]

Me too! It's very easy to make Johanna a Generingenue, but done well she's the lynchpin of the story.

[evewithanapple]

But was it meat pie? Or suitably gory raspberry pie?

[skygiants]

Well, mine was vegetarian, but everyone else got chicken. ...theoretically chicken.

[rachelmanija]

I hate actors staring into my eyes and cutting any of "City on Fire" is terrible, not to mention that a bad Sweeney is tragic, but I kind of love the rest of it - especially feeling like your throats are exposed and actual pie!

Was it meat pie?

[skygiants]

It was chicken pie for everyone else (mine was vegetarian) and my parents complained that it wasn't plausibly cannibalistic enough, but, I mean, 'the other white meat,' so who's to say?

[vass]

- (and probably not made of people)

That was my first concern on starting to read this post, yes.

Were the customers sitting with you for 'God, That's Good'?

[skygiants]

At the ends of our tables, yes! We had Judge-Turpin-as-a-generic-customer (it was a very small ensemble) at the end of our table hoarding his pie; my mother, being my mother, made sad eyes at him like she wanted to take some of his and was firmly denied.

[littlerhymes]

Hmm, this productions sounds FULL of interesting choices! Because I mean - "probably not made of people" - how do you know

[skygiants]

ONE TAKES A LOT ON FAITH.

ALSO, the pies were made by Obama's favorite piemaker!

[oracne]

Coooooooool.

[skygiants]

It was a neat production!