"I think Sondheim saying he'd originally envision it small has made many think that is how he wrote it. It seems to be that he adapted his writing to Prince's vision early on because musically and lyrically it is not written that way - small or simple, or focused on just being scary or about revenge."
Yes, I think you may be right about that, and I agree 100 percent with everything else you wrote.
When people do smaller productions of shows that were originally presented "big" on Broadway, they almost always tend to insist that the show will work much better in an intimate space with a much smaller cast and orchestra. I tend to find such comments very annoying and disingenuous. Again, I think SWEENEY works phenomenally well in large productions in large theaters with large ensemble and orchestra, and also in much smaller productions like the current one at the Barrow Street Theater. But I have loved all of the more grand-scale productions of the show that I've seen -- the Broadway original, L.A. Reprise!, New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic/San Francisco Symphony -- and I would hate to think that all future productions of this magnificent show/score will be "intimate." |
