I will never forget the first time I saw a Stephen Sondheim production; it was Into The Woods in the West End in the early 90s. As the lights darkened and I sat there watching the opening sequence I kept thinking, ‘What on earth is this?’ But by the time the curtain had come down on the first act I was a convert and had entered the enchanted world of a musical genius never to look back.

So, when the new Broadway cast recording of Sweeney Todd landed on my desk my headphones immediately went on and I excitedly settled back to listen to the charms of this relentless and intoxicating score.

The joy with all Sondheim musicals is that the complex and intelligent scripts are up for interpretation, just like a straight play. And, over the years, I have seen three very different interpretations of Sweeney onstage, all of which were differing degrees of excellent.

This new recording relates to the current New York production which opened in November 2005, although the stripped down concept of using a cast of just 10 actor musicians was first staged at the tiny Watermill Theatre in Newbury, before moving to London - where I saw it performed. (Incidentally, the production is also on a UK tour until April 2006, with Jason Donovan as the eponymous lead.)

Each character in the production has to play a couple of instruments and stays onstage for the entire performance, which means you can now discover the hidden talents of Broadway diva Patti LuPone as she blows her tuba and whacks her percussion! Is there anything this women can’t do?

The original orchestrations have been laid bare to great effect by Sarah Travis who brings a chilling new quality to the work and makes you hear the dense score in a startling new light.

For those who don’t know, Sweeney Todd is based on the 19 century legend of a London barber, who is driven to crime when a malevolent judge takes his wife and child from him. His plan for revenge includes a cutthroat partnership with Mrs. Lovett, an enterprising businesswoman, who is soon producing the tastiest pies in London!

The amazing voice of Patti LuPone sings Mrs Lovett and Michael Cerveris gets out his blades to be our Sweeney, and both performances are very different to what you might be used to.

This is not a lush sound. It is raw and coarse and leaves the performers very exposed. But they pull it off. By the time we hear the final ‘Ballard of Sweeney Todd’ we have been sucked into a nightmarish world of blood and guts, murder and mayhem. Perrrrfect!

For any Sondheim fan this is a ‘must have’ to add to the collection. Don’t be a fool and wait to buy it – Get it now.

Listen to selected tracks from the new recording of Sweeney Todd by clicking here.

Sweeney Todd
Label: Nonesuch
Released: 6 February 2006
ASIN: B000CRR3P6
Catalogue Number: 7559799462

Buy the CD of Sweeney Todd online now and marvel at this re-worked classic!

Win, win, win
To celebrate the release of Sweeney Todd, we’ve teamed up with Nonesuch to give you the chance of winning your very own copy! We’ve 5 CDs to give away and all you have to do is answer the simple question below.

Of course, if you can’t wait to see if you’re a winner then why not buy the CD of Sweeney Todd online now!