Sweeney Todd Act 1 【VALIDATED】

Sondheim wastes no time. In his first major number, "No Place Like London," we feel the suffocating fog. But it is the song "My Friends" that seals the deal. Todd reunites with his silver razors—not with manic glee, but with a chilling, tender intimacy. He isn't a madman yet; he is a widower hugging a weapon. You cannot discuss Act 1 without talking about the secret weapon: Mrs. Lovett (played iconically by Angela Lansbury and later Patti LuPone). She is the comic relief who isn’t funny. She is the pragmatist.

As they drag the body toward the bakehouse, the orchestra plays a sickly waltz. Mrs. Lovett sings the first verse of "A Little Priest" —a pun-filled romp comparing the tastes of various professions (politician, lawyer, priest).

There is a moment, about halfway through Act 1 of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street , where the audience realizes they aren’t watching a typical revenge story. They are watching a machine get built.