All this talk of Sweeney Todd reminded me that the complete 1979 Broadway cast recording (as opposed to the Highlights version) was supposed to have been re-released this year, and yay, it was! I've stilll got a few days left on my extra discount week at my bookstore job, so I can get it at 30% off on Sunday.

Sacha Barron Cohen is pitch perfect as Pirelli.

1. Ali G does musicals??

2. Borat can actually SING?? (When he's himself, he's got a lovely speaking voice, and should do all books on tape evar.)

3. How on earth did he manage not to mug for the camera?

3. How on earth did he manage not to mug for the camera?

The role is one of the less subtle in the show. I've been hearing he's good, though.

(Sweeney Todd likes carrots.)

All this talk of Sweeney Todd reminded me that the complete 1979 Broadway cast recording (as opposed to the Highlights version) was supposed to have been re-released this year, and yay, it was!

And this, I think, resolves my issue of "which recording should I get?"

How on earth did he manage not to mug for the camera?

He's playing Pirelli. Mugging for the camera is exactly what he should be doing.

All this talk of Sweeney Todd reminded me that the complete 1979 Broadway cast recording (as opposed to the Highlights version) was supposed to have been re-released this year, and yay, it was!

AWESOME. I only have it on cassette tape (and no longer have a tape player...)

My parents had a copy of the full soundtrack album, which almost certainly got drowned in Katrina. I wonder if they want a replacement.

I bought a copy earlier this year off eBay. (Oooh, the Into the Woods soundtrack is back in print too!)

Bonus information about the Original Broadway Cast: Victor Garber! As the callow youth Anthony.

All this talk of who should and should not do musicals reminds me of seeing Sting the the Three Penny Opera at the National Theatre. The good news was that I was on a very. important. first date, so I was distracted. The bad news was that Sting, while good at his day job, should never have been talked into doing a 'big show'. He made everyone in the audience feel as if THEY could have done a better job.

I fear I'll have to wait for the dvd of Sweeney Todd.

And I sure hope Tim Burton reads the quite kindly delivered open letters to him up thread. I love the notion of the auteur's stable, but he needs to make a choice between the actors and the roles. Pick great things for them, or pick great things and populate them with the right people.

One of the funniest things I ever heard on television:

"We now return to Dune, starring Sting."

Speaking of Victor Garber, also on my stack o' stuff to buy on Sunday is the DVD of Godspell, with an extremely young Garber as Jesus (also with Lynne Thigpen, the only other "name" in the cast). I have it on tape but am trying to replace most of my tapes with discs instead.

with an extremely young Garber as Jesus

And a Canadian white man's 'fro.