steve's notebook

(July 13, 2010)

A year after Angela Lansbury stepped into The King & I as a vacation replacement, she returned sensationally to the Uris Theatre in Sweeney Todd.  When she and leading man Len Cariou finished up their run, the producers brought in a pair of replacements good enough to give them a run for their money: George Hearn and Dorothy Loudon.

Loudon had been trucking away for years — closing on the road in Lolita My Love, supporting in a movie star laden revival of The Women, singing in small cabarets — before getting her big break (and a Tony) as Miss Hannigan in Annie.  Immediately after that, she was cast to star in Michael Bennett’s Chorus Line followup, Ballroom.  Though the show wasn’t the smash everyone expected from Bennett, Loudon was tuned in a heartbreaking performance as widow Bea who falls for a married man to her family’s disapproval.  

As Mrs. Lovett, Loudon’s manic energy could barely conceal her pain as her plans began forcing her to hurt people she deeply loved.  The split second look of anguish as Tobias figures out more than she can deny (at 5:00).  Grabbing ahold of the second “I love you!” (at 2:08) as her justification for everything she’s done.  Lansbury was, of course, iconic in the role, but there are many times when I find I prefer the Loudon’s sheer bravura intensity.

Sweeney began the rise of George Hearn’s star. Hearn, a one-time Mr. Dixie Carter, had a small part in Camelot, a replacement gig in 1776, and starred in Richad Rodgers’s final show, an flop adaptation of I Remember Mama (“I never miss a Liv Ullmann musical.”) but this was a turning point.  Following his Broadway run, he toured in the show with Lansbury and won an Emmy for the 1982 television broadcast. In 1983 he created the part of Albin in La Cage Aux Folles, winning his first Tony and earning his place in the books.  (A further Tony was to come for Sunset Boulevard in a much less competitive season.)  Ben in Lincoln Center’s legendary 1985 Follies concert.  Eventually Broaday’s go-to grand old man for Sondheim and golden age scores.

I’m less taken with Hearn’s performance than I am Loudon’s.  Nearly a match for her Lovett’s intensity, Hearn played the Sweeney’s rage to the hilt (see 2:40, Cariou took this as a healing moment, see 2:50).  Madness is certainly a legitimate way to approach the role, but if he’s been driven to that point before the curtain rises, there’s less for the actor work with.  Cariou entered a grave, wounded man bent on revenge, but didn’t snap until “Epiphany” — a slow burn that built through the first act until it tumbled suddenly over the edge of sanity.  This hits me as a scarier take, perhaps, seeing the snap, but also rather more sympathetic, a man broken then driven mad, and therefore more painful.  Still, I’ve encounter plenty of people who prefer Hearn and I can certainly admire the power he brought to it.

Despite two strong performances, Loudon and Hearn couldn’t keep business strong enough for the huge Uris and the show closed within a few months.