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Title: Not as good as I remembered.
Review: When I bought the Sweeney Todd in Concert DVD, I reviewed that it was a good place-holder until this DVD came along. I was wrong. Except for Lansbury's performance, there's entirely too much about this production that makes the more recent concert version more recommendable. For starters, the camerawork doesn't age well, with cheesy closeup shots that steal thunder from the hugeness of the staging. This is hardly a deal-breaker though; however the supporting performances are. Hearn and Lansbury are great. Lyndeck is good. The young lovers on the other hand are wretched. The actress who plays Johanna makes this DVD nearly impossible for me to watch.Of course those are personal problems; your mileage may vary. The transfer is decent, preserving the quality of the '82 video. I'm glad to own this for archival purposes. It's nice to see the original set and some of the original performances. Those make this DVD worth picking up.
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