I like Michael Cerveris. Did a good job as John Wilkes Booth in
Assassins, and he did a decent job here as well, except that he
can't seem to pick an accent and stick with it. Len Cariou, who
played the original Todd (and probably the better of the two- I'm
not gonna comment on George Hearn, cause I haven't heard
him) stuck with a nonBritish accent, which is fine with me. His
gravelly bass was enough to pull it off. Cerveris seems to switch
from British to American, to southern American (his Booth voice)
through the course of the album.

Patti Lupone is not any worse than Angela Lansbury as Mrs
Lovett, but she is a very different Mrs Lovett. Lansbury was a
playful kind. Lupone is definitely more seductive and sensual.
Course, to be fair, she's got that voice that just lends itself so
easily to be sensual and seductive. That being said, there are a
few moments where she doesn't quite reach to Lansbury's
freneticism.

All told, the cast in general just isn't as energetic as the original
'79 cast. Alexander Gemigani as Beedle Bamford... completely
devoid of emotion. I'm thinking specifically of the line "Ah sir,
happy news indeed!" It's a line where the Beedle is (depending
on your take) sucking up to Judge Turpin, or just being happy,
but Gemigani completely monotones it. I don't understand why.
If it's a choice it makes no sense, and if it's because he's
disgruntled about something (theory on this later), GET OVER IT.
You're getting paid to act. You did so WELL in Assassins, just
keep it up, dude.

The rest of the cast, as I said, seems less energetic. I don't know
if they had to do a lot of takes of the tracks, or if it had
something to do with the fact that they were also the musicians
of the show.

While we're on THAT subject, there's something to be said about
splitting the cast between being onstage, and doing the music.
The orchestrations, while mostly faithful to the score, were very
different. Where the original was a full sweeping panorama of
music, this is a barebones, let's-get-just-the-instruments-we-
need kind of playing. It didn't seem as rich and full as the
original.

And yes, I know it's not fair to compare the two recordings, but
you know what? Life is full of unfairness. The only thing you can
do is get used to it, so for once, I'm going to be unfair.

All that being said, however, the lyrics are much more easy to
understand in this recording. Possibly because of better
recording technology (26 years of technological advances will do
that, I guess), but also because the voices are crisper. Ben
Magnuson and Lauren Molina, doing my favorite part of the
show The "Kiss Me" sequence, are actually UNDERSTANDABLE.
For the first time, I know what they're saying, even when the
Judge and Beedle join in at the reprise two tracks later.

Ben though, sounds more like he's old and fat then a young lean
sailor. Lauren has a beautiful voice though.

And the Judge... oh so much better. Turpin in the original was
old and raspy and gravelly. This time, he's clear and younger
sounding, and oh so much better.

And I won't even go into the casting of a girl to play Signor
Pirelli, which makes absolutely NO sense at all. I mean, yes, I
know that girls can (sometimes) play guys better than guys do
(two examples spring to mind immediately), but Pirelli is
SUPPOSED to be a big guy. It's important that he be a big guy,
cause, according to mrs Lovett, "what a nice plump frame
whatshisname has...had...has..."

Anyway, moving on to the songs.

The first act is MOSTLY okay. No Place like London and Barber
and His wife were combined into one track, which is fine with
me. There's also more dialogue thrown in then in '79, which
fleshes out a story that, honestly, didn't need to be fleshed out
that much. At least in the soundtrack.

Anyway, the only really rocky parts were Pirelli's Miracle Elixir
where they cut out the entire bit about Todd and Lovett taunting
and exposing Toby. They cut out the best part- the transition
from PME to The Contest- Toby going "Talk to him!" The Contest
was cut extremely short, which is fine with me because

1. I don't like the Pirelli character that much and
2. I especially don't like Pirelli as a girl playing a guy.

That being said, however, they cut out the best part of the
contest, as well- the toothpulling part of the contest- wherein
one man volunteers for a toothpulling free without charge, and
Pirelli, unable to find a second volunteer, and being faced with
forefeiting the contest, grabs Toby, who strenuously objects that
he doesn't have the slightest pain. Pirelli punches him hard in
the mouth and says "You do now!"

Other than that, though, Kiss Me/Ladies in their Sensitivites
rocks, except for the above mentioned part with the Beedle
being monotonic.

Pretty Women is great. The difference between an old raspy
judge and a younger clear judge is what makes the difference.

Epiphany is different, since Todd doesn't get really angry about
anything until near the end of the song. The whole thing is
supposed to be performed in an ecstasy of rage, in my opinion,
which provides the catalyst for Todd going along with Lovett's
plan so easily in...

A Little Priest. I would imagine this song has been done badly,
but it's not here. Cerveris and Lupone are mre playful with each
other then Lansbury and Cariou are, and it works a little better.
Mostly what's lacking in this song is the orchestration, but I can
overlook that. They did one of my favorite songs very well, and
for that, I'm grateful.

The first act was mostly pretty good.

The second act though...

The second act should be wrapped in wax paper and sold
$1.95/pound, cause it got BUTCHERED.

God, That's Good, the song that got me started on Sweeney
Todd in the first place, because of the bit where Lovett and TOby
and the customers are shooting back and forth, just before the
first "God, that's good!"...

slashed. Gone. No more.

Johanna, Sweeney's Reprise is slower, and missing the door and
chair sound effects, but I think it's more effective that way.
without the effects I mean. It still could have been a little faster
paced.

Not While I'm Around is much better in this recording than in the
original. There's more song, and more dialogue, and it's really
the last bright spot in the soundtrack, because after that...

The Wigmaker Sequence, in which Anthony learns how to rescue
Johanna, and we learn why the Judge goes back to Todd's...

GONE.

Parlor Songs, the Beedle's big moment, where he really gets to
have fun...

GONE. That's my personal theory on why Gemigani is so
depressed everywhere else. He doesn't get his due. This is his
song, his moment, and it was cut. That isn't nice.

Final Sequence... cut up. The whole first half plus a little bit
more... GONE. But they leave the bit with the Judge, and the mad
woman, and mrs lovett and Toby... and it is extended a little, but
STILL.

So all told, it's a good soundtrack. I think that having the actors
do the acting and the music was a mistake, and it cuts down on
part of the beauty that is Sondheim's score, and the cuts they
made on the soundtrack totally killed the second half, but all in
all, it's Sweeney Todd, and that redeems it a little bit.