Sweeney Todd :: essays research papers

Sweeney Todd is by no means a conventional musical it takes some(prenominal) forms ofmusic and theater and artfully places them together. Sondheim genuinely effectivelytransports the audience back to Victorian England for a mad waltz with murder,whitethornhem...and meat pies. He also utilizes his skill as a choral composer to salvesome truly fascinating ensemble pieces accompanied by a very intricate plot withmany elements carefully layered. There are several important thematic elements in this carefully writtencommentary on our society, and Sondheim makes good use of his music to accentnot only the melodramatic plot, save these themes as well. For example, the songKiss Me becomes an anthem for Anthony and Johanna and a symbol of their truelove....they loved when they did not even know each others names. Sweeney Toddmay be a dark musical, but its construction lends well to light voices and an equallylight orchestral style. Plot-wise, this show is rather light, the characters see mcartoonish and one-dimensional, especially Mrs. Lovett, Anthony, and Johanna,who start to be little more than melodramatic character roles. Ironically, Mrs.Lovett, the absolute capitalist, is one of the shows most complex characters. Mrs.Lovett is not merely some amoral becharm out to make a fast dollar, she is a characterdriven by greed and love to keep Sweeney however she can. In conclusion, the play gives an elegant example of captive innocence, andthe loss of innocence that immediately follows. Sweeney is driven to murder, Mrs.Lovett bakes these people into pies, Johanna kills, Lucy is forced to become aBeggar and a whore, and nearly every major character experiences their own fall