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Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours Used & new from $14.34 Edition: See more product details Great Buy Buy this video with Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together - A Musical Review VHS today! Buy Together Today: $ 39.93 Customers who bought this video also bought: Stephen Sondheim's Follies in Concert VHS Into the Woods VHS ~ Bernadette Peters Sunday in the Park with George VHS ~ Mandy Patinkin Fosse VHS Original Cast Album - Company VHS Explore similar items Product Details Director: Lonny Price Format: Color, NTSC Rated: NR Studio: Image Entertainment VHS Features: NTSC format ( US and Canada only. This VHS will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about VHS formats .) Color, NTSC ASIN: B00006491G Other Formats: DVD with DTS Stereo Average Customer Review: Based on 19 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank (VHS): 9,573 What's Your Advice? Is there an item you'd recommend instead of or in addition to this one? Let the world know! Enter the item's ASIN ( what's an ASIN? ) in the box below, select advice type, then click Submit. I recommend: in addition to this product instead of this product Editorial Reviews Amazon.com The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra's 2001 concert production of Stephen Sondheim's witty shocker is musically superb and (even without scenery) theatrically effective. The performers are in costume and use a few essential props such as Todd's razor, but more than these details the quality of their singing and acting makes this production stand out. It looks like a final seal of approval at the end when Sondheim comes out, smiling, to take a bow. Sweeney Todd evokes a special balance of horror and comedy because injustice, revenge, and cannibalism are the subjects of its grisly humor, balanced with moments of romantic idealism. George Hearn in the title role and Patti LuPone as the enterprising, utterly amoral pie seller Mrs. Lovett are both brilliant, with an excellent supporting cast. Members of the orchestra are occasionally seen behind the action, but frequent, effective close-up shots of the singers generate a dramatic atmosphere. --Joe McLellan --This text refers to the DVD edition. Description This delicious production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Ba rber of Fleet Street , a musical thriller of revenge and romance set in Victorian Engla nd, features Broadway diva Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and veteran stage actor George Hear n in the title role. Premiering in 1979, the legendary Sweeney Todd --winner of nine New York Drama Critics Circle Awards and eight Tony Awards--is recorded with the San Fran cisco Symphony as conducted by Rob Fisher. Cast: Patti LuPone: Mrs.... read more See all editorial reviews... Spotlight Reviews (what's this) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Teeny SWEENEY , February 26, 2005 Reviewer: wrongband (see more about me) from California USA In less than two weeks, after buying both the ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST ALBUM, watching the taped 1982 live performance on VHS (originally aired on PBS and currently out-of-print) and now this, the SWEENEY TODD IN CONCERT DVD, SWEENEY has quickly become one of my all-time favorite shows. Of the concert musicals I've seen, this is certainly one of the finest. The performers are not quite "in costume" but rather in (mostly) all-black Japanese formal wear-flavored variations on the original SWEENEY's costumes. Cleverly done, as is the platform stage design around the orchestra (the exquisite New York Philharmonic.) It is also much more intimate and better executed than the lackluster LES MISERABLES IN CONCERT. George Hearn reprises the title role, which he took over for the original Len Cariou on Broadway and played on tour. To me, Hearn is the definitive Sweeney. It's been almost 20 years since he played the role opposite the original Mrs. Lovett, Angela Lansbury, on the PBS performance. At 67, his emotional ferocity combined with his rich, booming baritone are still unmatched. Todd could easily be portrayed as a monster from a horror film, and Hearn gives him humanity and depth that at times brings you to tears. Lansbury was nothing short of brilliance in the role of Mrs Lovett. Here, Patti LuPone is a different story. She has true stage presence; her wonderfully big voice is in top-form (and she is technically a better singer than Lansbury) but it's distinct lack of emotion and tendency for brassiness doesn't suit a role like this. She'd make a splendid Mama Rose in GYPSY, a role that Bernadette Peters will be playing on Broadway soon (and Peters would make a better Mrs. Lovett than a Mama Rose.) Why does LuPone feel the need to oversing every note? Even during 'By the Sea' when Mrs. Lovett is playfully mimicking the seagulls' "Hoo-Hoo", LuPone pummels them with her vibratto. Her Cockney accent is just plain silly; she sings and acts the role like a diva--she is very much Patti LuPone throughout the whole show. Still, her distinctiveness, like her big voice, is her trademark. It's just the way she performs, and she is a legend. The supporting cast is wonderful. Davis Gaines (Anthony) and Lisa Vroman (Johanna) have both chemistry and incomparable pipes, while Neil Patrick Harris makes a sweet Tobias. Timothy Nolen (Judge Turpin), John Aler (Beadle), and Stanford Olsen (Pirelli) are all primarily opera singers and show some fine acting chops. Victoria Clark is a STANDOUT as the Beggar Woman. Also kudos to the vocal chorus who seamlessly go in and out of the action on stage. If they ever decide to release a DVD of the 1982 SWEENEY performance with Lansbury and Hearn, I highly suggest you buy that one. In the meantime this concert is a splendid, albeit slightly imperfect, tribute to a brilliant piece of musical theatre. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? 13 of 15 people found the following review helpful: Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd , June 26, 2002 Reviewer: A viewer from Dorchester MA Let's start with what's wrong here. Not much. Of course, Patti Lupone isn't quite right as Mrs. Lovett. She plays her hard and manipulative, with none of the misguided vulnerability that made Angela Lansbury's interpretation both more likeable and more evil. George Hearn hams it up now and then as Sweeney, but he clearly has command of the role. Both he and Lupone, whose approaches couln't be more varied, actually work quite well together and you believe in their evil alliance. The supporting performances are uniformly excellent, especially the surprising Neil Patrick Harris as Tobias. What's most remarkable about this DVD is the presentation of the show. This is no mere "in concert" performance, but a pared down version of the actual musical, uniquely staged around an orchestra and chorus. If you've never seen "Sweeney Todd", this is the SHOW folks, not a reasonable facsimile. Watching it was an absolute pleasure from start to finish, and there's not one moment that is less than riveting. Jule Styne once said that "Sweeney Todd" is the best example of writing for the musical theater, and he was not wrong. One is reminded of the marvel of this show throughout it's presentation here. There is no better example of the Broadway musical, or American music for that matter, than "Sweeney Todd". This version does Sondheim proud, but you don't have to be a fan to savor the wonder of this work. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: Sondheim and Hearn Rule! , January 30, 2005 Reviewer: sondheimlover from New York, NY USA To: Mark Orell; That little bit that Pirelli sings before he is slain does not have a name; it's technically a reprise of "The Contest" with different words. Anyway, Sondheim is God and "Sweeney" is my favorite show of his ("Passion" running a close second.) George Hearn is the best Sweeney ever; I paid [$] for a seat in the balcony to see this concert at Lincoln Center - worth every penny! I think George Hearn is much better than Len Cariou, who ain't bad! When Hearn yells: "At last, my right arm is complete again!" it never fails to thrill! I agree that Patti Lupone is no Angela; but still enjoyable. I saw it with Audra McDonald as the Beggarwoman; unfortunately, she is not on this DVD, more's the pity. I saw this production at the Kennedy Center; Christine Baranski was an excellent Mrs. Lovett; however, I felt Brian Stokes Mitchell was miscast (and let me hasten to add that I love him). This just isn't his part. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? 1 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Patti and George rock. , November 7, 2002 Reviewer: MARK ORELL from Randolph, MASS USA Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. His skin was pale and his eye was odd. These are the first words of one of the finest musicals ever written. It was written by one of my favorite composers, Stephen Sondheim. It starred one of my favorite performers, George Hearn As Sweeney As Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. There are other great performers. Patti LuPone is brilliant as Mrs. Lovett. Personally, when I first heard her sing "The Worst Pies In London", I didn't "Lovett." It was more like yelling than singing. The second time, it was all right. However, I have discovered after that experience that I am prone to change my mind about an actor's performance. For example, sometimes when I watch Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical, I think, "Oh, God, David Hasselhoff stinks at singing and acting." Sometimes, I think his singing is o.k. and he could be less hammy and so on and so forth. Lisa Vroman, from Hey, Mr. Producer, plays Johanna. Her singing is divine but her acting is not. I hear that she's playing Christine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. When she delivers what (in her case) thankfully little dialogue she has in the show, I am surprised that at her first line, she is not greeted with hisses, boos, and a storm of vegetables and watermelons. I never heard of Neil Patrick Harriss until my dad told me about him. He was very good in this show which is amazing because when they tape a musical with a t.v. star in a singing role, in the case of Jekyll and Hyde, sometimes they stink. I was first introduced to Sweeney Todd when I saw the cast recording at [a local bookstore]. Then, I found out more and more about the show. I found out that the licensers rate it R. I saw a picture of the show in which a victim was already killed and blood was flowing down his cape. Then, I heard about the concert version being shown on t.v. on Halloween (very appropriate). I wanted to know a bit more about Sweeney Todd. With the 1982 live taping starring George Hearn (again) and Angela Lansbury (the original Mrs. Lovett) out of print, all there was was tbe cd and libretto. I decided to just forget about the show altogether especially when Dad said that it wasn't for me. I saw snippets of the concert version at a Virgin Atlantic store in New York (ironically, I was in New York City to see another Sondheim show, Into the Woods.) I was a little confused by the scattering of the orchestra. Then, I found out that it would be rebroadcasted on t.v. on Wednesday, October 27, 2002. I taped it and watched it and realized that its content lowers it to a PG-13 rating. First of all, if your first experience of musicals in concert was with Les Miserables, the actors do not stand up and walk over to microphones to sing. Instead, it is more of a staged version of the show except with no sets, very few colorful costumes,(the only colorful clothes in the show are Johanna's white dress and Judge Turpin's mauve bathrobe), only key props (they'd have to be crazy not to have Sweeney's razor.) and a bloodred stage. To lower the sight of the throat slitting, the victims (in the Trio in the second act) are wrapped in blood red capes. My favorite parts are the recurring song, The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, the scenes where the Beggar Woman wants to have sex with Anthony, Sweeney's Epiphany (George Hearn's performance of that song is breathtaking and amazing), the part where Judge Turpin says, "When I offered myself to her (Johanna), she showed a certain...reluctance (naturally there was laughter from the audience because who wants to marry their parents)", the scene where Toby pulls off his wig, and Mrs. Lovett's line after Epiphany: "Yes, that's all very good." It shows that she's something of a bimbo. I also liked how the bake oven is represented by a blood red curtain. My favorite songs would have to be (in the order that they appear in) The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (and its numerous reprises), No Place Like London, The Barber and His Wife, Poor Thing, Green Finch and Linnet Bird, Johanna (all three versions), Pirelli's Miracle Elixir (because of the incessant reference to a certain excrement made by Sweeney), that song where Pirelli blackmails Todd only to pay his own price (can anyone tell me the name of that song?), Pretty Women (and its reprise), Epiphany, A Little Priest (and its reprise), God, That's Good, By The Sea (and its reprise), Not While I'm Around (and its reprise), and Parlor Songs. I was a little confused on the last two times when Sweeney slit his last two throats. When Sweeney slits his first, third, and fourth throat, the camera zooms in so much that it blurs. After the last two throat slittings, after the picture came back to normal, the bodies were nowhere to be found. This is my first complaint. My second complaint is Lisa Vroman's acting. My third is how at first, The Worst Pies in London will seem like yelling, and finally, Image Entertainment has again made it an annoying tradition to have no track cameras at the foot of the stage. Hello, Image, anybody home? The orchestra is onstage. Maybe, they just have tradition or maybe the stages are constructed to close to the audience or maybe all the shows they film have orchestra pits too close to the first row. All in all, in the words of a certain character from Austin Powers in Goldmember, "This one's a keeper." You should get it. You will love it from the first chords of the organ to the end. And check out the Making Of featurette on the DVD. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? See all customer reviews... Customers who bought videos directed by Lonny Price also bought videos by these directors: Michael Houldey James Lapine Terry Hughes D.A. 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