Play It Again: Sweeney Todd's "My Friends"

Play It Again: Sweeney Todd's "My Friends"

For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recordings. Wherever possible, I’ll link to the songs on YouTube, where I listen to most of them myself.

This week, I consider five versions of the disturbingly understated song “My Friends” from Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. For those few who may be unfamiliar with the show, “My Friends” is essentially a love song sung by the title character to his knives as he discovers his new vengeful purpose; his partner Mrs. Lovett joins in later in the song in an unsuccessful attempt to divert his attention towards herself.

Like many of the best musical theater songs - and as is par for the course for a mature Sondheim show - there are many ways to approach this song as a singer and an actor, and all five Sweeneys reviewed below are successful in their own way. The music and lyrics are always the same, but each performer uses his particular gifts to craft a character who is some combination of defeated, determined, or downright demented.

My overall favorite version is marked with two stars (**); one star (*) is used to indicate that a particular version stands out in terms of singing, orchestra, sound, or other miscellaneous qualities.

**ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST (1979) - YouTube

Sweeney Todd: Len Cariou; Mrs. Lovett: Angela Lansbury

*SINGING: On paper Cariou’s perfect pitch and steady vibrato might sound less interesting than some of the Sweeneys to follow, but it’s actually a wonderfully controlled dramatic choice that embodies a character who comes across as more obsessively determined than insane. Lansbury’s affected casualness only partially conceals her own developing obsession. Both singers achieve that rare simultaneous combination of perfect singing and vivid characterization, and they sound amazing when they meet for a few notes of unexpected unison.

ORCHESTRA: The gently billowing, string-laden orchestration is lush but unobtrusive, with woodwinds adding tone color at select moments (like “we’ll do wonders, won’t we”). This version uniquely features prominent punctuations from the tubular bells, especially near the end, distinguishing it from the otherwise almost identical orchestrations for the film and the 2023 revival.

SOUND: The sound is generally clear, though slightly less so than some of its successors; perhaps the voice slightly overpowers the orchestra at times. Like some other older cast recordings, and many classical recordings, the dynamic range is expansive, with very soft and very loud moments, faithfully capturing the in-theater experience. (I think most cast recordings tend to engineer out these extremes in volume, and they’re much less pronounced on the other four recordings of this song.)

*MISCELLANEOUS: This version includes a particularly vivid version of the brief dialog leading into the song, so I’ll give it the star for that. Otherwise, there isn’t any real difference in the content of the song itself, or any notable difference in tempo among the five versions. As noted below, some versions include the immediately subsequent iteration of “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” while this one puts it on a separate track; obviously this is neither here nor there with regard to the quality of the song.

BROADWAY REVIVAL CAST (2005) - YouTube

Sweeney Todd: Michael Cerveris; Mrs. Lovett: Patti LuPone

SINGING: True to the production’s concept, Cerveris’s Todd oozes insanity; his extremely detailed performance includes a chillingly whispered “whisper” and moments of vocal creak that convey his manic desperation. LuPone’s Lovett is easily the most seductive of the five; whereas the others seem to crave Todd’s companionship most of all, it’s clear that this Lovett is motivated by more primal instincts.

ORCHESTRA: A steady piano replaces the strings in this severely pared-down orchestration. A solo clarinet adds interesting touches throughout, joined by the flute and trumpet at the song’s climax. Again, all of this is in perfect keeping with the intent of this production, and it worked brilliantly on stage, but it doesn’t make for the most satisfying listening experience.

SOUND: The sound is clear but quite flat; there’s little sense of space, especially when both vocalists are singing.

MISCELLANEOUS: This one features a shorter spoken introduction.

MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (2007) - YouTube

Sweeney Todd: Johnny Depp; Mrs. Lovett: Helena Bonham Carter

SINGING: Depp’s delivery takes advantage of his vocal limitations to convey a Sweeney who sounds broken and lost, with his tentative singing that is sometimes slightly off-key and often on the border between speech and song. Carter’s Lovett is surprisingly restrained in this song; her delivery gives the impression of a rather touched shyness at this point in the story.

*ORCHESTRA: The orchestration is very similar to the Broadway original, but the expanded orchestra allows for all the layers to be heard more clearly - for instance, the three-note rising figure heard after “all these years,” and the double reeds at times in unison with Todd’s vocal line.

*SOUND: Quite impressive, full and spacious sound, very clear and perfectly balanced. 

MISCELLANEOUS: There’s no introductory dialog, but the track does include a short orchestral version of the “Ballad” music.

LONDON REVIVAL CAST (2012) - YouTube

Sweeney Todd: Michael Ball; Mrs. Lovett: Imelda Staunton

SINGING: Ball’s singing is as beautiful as ever, but his emphasis is on perfect vocals rather than evocative characterization - at least until his very disquieting, shall we say cut-throat, final line. Staunton’s singing is effective, particularly in her lower and middle range; her top notes can sound a bit thin. The two of them sound quite good when they sing together near the end. Overall, this is a lovely-sounding, middle-of-the-road take on the material.

ORCHESTRA: The orchestra is larger than the 2005 revival but much smaller than the others. The harp fills in many details near the beginning, with swelling woodwinds prominent at the end of musical phrases and in the song’s climactic moments. While it can’t compete with the fuller orchestras heard elsewhere, this one has a very nice sound for a smaller ensemble.

SOUND: Quite good, but the vocals drown out the orchestra in some of the heavier moments.

MISCELLANEOUS: Includes introductory dialog and the following “Ballad” segment.

BROADWAY REVIVAL CAST (2023) - YouTube

Sweeney Todd: Josh Groban; Mrs. Lovett: Annaleigh Ashford

SINGING: Groban’s approach is similar to Cariou’s - pathological resolve conveyed through perfect singing - and his execution is at least as good as his predecessor’s. Ashford, however, is no Lansbury (or LuPone or Staunton); as appealing as she was on stage, the qualities that animated her Lovett in the theater do not come across on this track. I hate to say it, but were it not for this lack of spark on her part, this would likely be the top choice overall. (Again, this observation is specific to her performance on this song, not her overall performance on the full recording or in person.)

ORCHESTRA: Virtually the same as the original orchestration (minus the bells), though it sounds better, more finely differentiated, on this recording.

*SOUND: Like the film soundtrack, this version was carefully recorded and mixed; the full and clear sound reveals every detail of singing and orchestration.

MISCELLANEOUS: Includes introductory dialog and the following “Ballad” segment.