Lincoln Center is known for its brilliant concerts, including the American Songbook series, classical music concerts and performances by musical theatre stars. From time to time a musical also gets staged, and as can be expected, they are always high quality. Knowing that, I was still surprised by how marvelous this production of Sweeney Todd is.The cast gathered for the show brings together people from various backgrounds: Emma Thompson is an internationally recognized movie star, Bryn Terfel is a famous opera singer, Audra McDonald and Philip Quast are legends of musical theatre, Christian Borle is a brilliant Broadway actor, etc. This was a really good decision, and although I'm usually against casting people who are not musical theatre actors in musicals, here it seems the best people were chosen for each role even if musicals are not their main occupation. Bryn Terfel is a perfect Sweeney, making the character's need for vengeance fully believable, while being really funny in the comic scenes. Emma Thompson is absolutely hilarious as Mrs. Lovett and I would count her performance as one of the best in the history of this musical. The rest of the cast is equally perfect in their respective roles.This brilliant group of performers isn't the only thing making this production so amazing. The director's choices are fascinating: what begins as a traditional concert performance with the actors standing side by side and singing their lines from their books, very quickly changes into a crazy show when the books are thrown away and the cast utilizes all of the available space. The fact that the orchestra is seated in the middle of the stage is used a number of times as characters "borrow" things from the musicians, which is hilarious every time it happens. Certain aspects are purely make-belive with people gesturing towards and "using" objects which are not there and without scenography each new place of action is announced by a new poster being put on a wall. In a traditional staging this would be a fault, but here is fits perfectly, as the concert style of the show allows for more imaginative techniques. As someone who has always been fascinated with stagecraft, seeing the solutions the crew came up with was a truly memorable experience.I can't find one aspect of the show that is not absolutely perfect. From Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics making Sweeney Todd the gem that it is, to every single performance, to the staging and the fun the creators obviously had breaking conventions of concert performances. Watching the musical is pure pleasure and I'd recommend it to every musical theatre fan.

It is on you tube Happy happy joy! There are nuances in this performance that none other has. Of all I have seen, this is the best! And I don't know why this review has to be so long but the Johanna scenes are so much better. You understand at last what this character was all about.

Why OH Why has this NEVER been re-aired on PBS or Any of their related channels? WHY is there NO DVD or recording available? This is SO unfair!! It was Awesome and totally enjoyable and WHY are whatever powers-that-be depriving audiences Everywhere from being able to SEE and HEAR in Any way, shape or form this marvelous production?? I missed the first 14 minutes. or so though have the rest on my DVR, but am Desperate (as is also the previous poster, and amen! to her comments) for a complete recording of this most- wonderful version (no offense, Angela, et al, I own your recordings) production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"!!!!

The only reason this isn't getting a 10 for 10 is that I can't seem to find it available for purchase. I can't even find it for downloading under questionable circumstances. I want to buy a copy of this damn it! Let me do so!!!!!!!!! I need more lines to make this review valid So, This is brilliant and I will do anything or pay anything to have a copy that I can watch whenever I want! And IMDb keeps telling me that my review isn't long enough to post. Fine. I'll keep rambling in hopes that someone somewhere involved with the NY Philharmonic will hear my pleas, demands, bribes, willingness to work outside the law, etc and somehow somewhere provide a copy of this for me to purchase or purloin. It's already been recorded, so shove it up online and demand a ton of money, and I'll be happy to pay just to see the piano lifted and dropped over and over whenever I want.