demon barber

What happens when you combine Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Stephen Sondheim? Beth becomes a happy girl. Two weeks ago, I took myself out and finally saw the new version of the musical SWEENEY TODD. It was fantastic. Johnny Depp becomes even cooler (if that is possible), displaying a gritty, rock voice, and a deep misery that is both repulsive and compelling at the same time. Helena Bonham Carter is funny and sad as the out-for-love Mrs. Lovett (the part I hope to play in about fifteen years), although, I couldn't help but wish that her voice was a little beltier. Tim Burton is a genius. His vision of the world is one that I totally adore. Using a black, white and grey palette, the world of London is depressing, gross, and so real you can almost taste the stink on the street. You can tell that he had fun splashing the ridiculously red blood around on the dismal background. SWEENEY is the kind of show that you either love or hate. It is a dark, violent story, and has an upsetting premise, and there is no happy ending on the books for this one. The doom and gloom of the film matches the dark angst of the music, and Sondheim's score has found a fabulous bedfellow with Burton's vision. Be warned, this movie is not for the faint of heart, or the weak of stomach. It is a horror flick through and through....with the bloody corpses to prove it.

Final thoughts: Brilliantly done, but not one to try to munch away on snacks through. Also, special kudos to the under thirty set who more than hold their own in this flick.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com