| Alfred Drake as Sweeney would have been more likely a Sweeney, who while bitter about what had happened to him and his family, would have played up much more the charming of Mrs. Lovett to get her on his side (even though she's been stuck on him since way back, and he doesn't really need to). Drake had done "Gigi" around 1974 on Broadway so it wasn't that long after that "Sweeney" was mounted. As of of musical theater's most charming leading men, his Sweeney might even have been more charming initially to his barbershop customers before slashing them, which might have been even more terrifying. |
