SWEENEY TODD
The question is simple: which of the two DVD versions of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd do you like better: the fully staged version with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury or the concert version with Hearn and Patti LuPone? For me, there’s no competition – the DVD with Hearn and Lansbury is my preference. Seeing a record of this superbly written, staged and performed production was a life-changing experience for me and I never tire of it.
Which is yours?
Musical Cyberspace 
I prefer the whole cast. George Hearn is amazing. 😀
Just to clear this up, Sondheim did not write it that way. He wanted it to be done on a far smaller scale and more intimate level. He was actually kind of disappointed with the way Hal Prince did it.
Really? I think that such a lavish and elaborate score needs an equally lavish and elaborate set design.
I don’t know. The first version I saw was the concert version with the full orchestra and huge chorus. I thought that really did the music justice, and I was a little disappointed with the touring DVD. The music didn’t sound nearly as full there. I think with Sweeney it’s best to go all out, or minimalist, no in-between stuff. The full production seemed to put the characters more at a distance than the concert version. I think it impeded the story.
Full production!