Eugene David<br>...The One-Minute Pundit

Posted 9:41 AM by Gene

The CUTTING EDGE lacerates the GREAT WHITE WAY -- or, MIKE REIDEL DOES IT AGAIN:

Most of the critics consider Stephen Sondheim God, [I thought that was PINCH! Oh. This is BROADWAY. --ED.] but there's not a lot of excitement about the revival of "Sweeney Todd," in which the cast, including Patti LuPone (as Mrs. Lovett), doubles as the band.

"[The show is] done constantly," says a critic, noting recent productions at City Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington and a televised concert on PBS.

"This is supposed to be a real skeletal production, and anything that's stripped down these days gets credit for being revelatory. But I don't know how much more there is to reveal about 'Sweeney Todd.' "

Another critic, not a Sondheim fan, sneers: "What is this, the 16th or 19th Sondheim revival we've had to sit through in the last couple of years?

"It says something about how dead the musical theater is when Stephen Sondheim is still considered cutting edge.

"And when he dies, we'll have to sit through all these shows again." [And after that you, he AND his shows will ALL be dead. --ED.]

A critic who worships at the Sondheim shrine says: "My goodness gracious me, this production sounds eccentric. I can't wait to see Miss LuPone with a meat cleaver in one hand and a tuba in the other."

It's unfortunate THEA-TAH audiences aren't in the PRODUCE business, or there might be lots of FRUITS AND VEGETABLES to add to the menu.