Mrs.

Lovett: There you go

again. You’ve got to start
being practical, believe me, or
you’ll come to a sticky end. I
mean, what about this
Eyetalian in here? What are
you going to do with him?
And what about his lad down-
stairs? Such a cheery soul, he
is. If trade was better I’d take
him on to help me, but….

Todd: (going to the chest)

You’re right! First we’ll dis-
pose of him, then think about
the boy. (He opens the chest
and looks down at the body)

Mrs. Lovett: That’s what I

like to hear. Bit of common
sense. What’ll you do with
him?

Todd: Bury his body in some

BY MARK EDEN HOROWITZ secret place where no one will
ever find it.
A Little Priest Mrs. Lovett: Do we have to?
Seems a shame to bury him.
(Todd looks at her.) With busi-

“A
Little Priest” is quintessential Sondheim. It is a combination of
ness so bad.
song and musicalized scene. It’s a list song and a comic tour de
force, though its subject matter is dark and shocking. The song
Todd: I don’t understand.
borrows aspects of many traditions but puts them together to create some-
He’ll eat no more pies …
thing unique. As a theatre song it serves several dramatic purposes. The
craft is impeccable, and the jokes are to die for — literally.
Mrs. Lovett: No, he couldn’t
In a 1997 interview, Sondheim cited Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It” as an
eat them — but he might help
example of a song “that takes an idea and plays with it for four minutes.”
in the making of ’em — in a
He wryly added: “I like to say Rodgers and Hammerstein spoiled it for all of
manner of speaking.
us, because you can’t write those frivolous songs anymore.”
“Those songs” had to come up with delightful, unexpected rhymes,
Todd: The boy—Tobias Ragg,
images that were funny and clever and, usually, to be increasingly shocking
you mean?
through innuendo and double entendre — without incurring the cut of the
censor. The only structural requirement was for the jokes to build, saving
Mrs. Lovett: Well, he might
the biggest and best for last. “A Little Priest” accedes to that tradition and,
help sell them, perhaps — but xxxxxx
though not frivolous, it plays with its ideas for eight minutes! From the
that gent in there — it would Fearing that his adaptation was becoming
Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition, the song becomes an explosion of the
be a pity to waste him. I overlong, Sondheim decided to collaborate with
characters’ emotions — so fulsome that they can’t be expressed in dialogue
mean, he is nice and plump, a librettist who would edit judiciously. Hugh
alone. Using the lessons he learned from Arthur Laurents (librettist for
isn’t he? (Todd begins to Wheeler was the obvious choice. He had written
Gypsy) on the power of subtext, Sondheim motivates Mrs. Lovett. Yes, she
understand) And with meat the book for A Little Night Music and, more
desires monetary success, but even more she desires Sweeney. When
the price it is these days … recently, had contributed to Pacific Overtures,
Sweeney responds to her proposal so greedily, she turns the song into a
seduction. And for a practical dramatist, this is arguably the most impor- but most importantly, he was a British mystery
Todd: Oh sweet, delectable, writer and well-versed in the Sweeney Todd leg-
tant number in the show, as it must also succeed in seducing the audience
rare and choice. By my assis- end. Who could be a better collaborator for “A
into accepting the most outlandish and distasteful of developments.
tance you shall never want for Musical Thriller”? Among Sondheim’s manu-
meat, Mrs. Lovett. Your pies scripts for “A Little Priest” is this draft of the
BACKGROUND: Dating from at least as early as the 1830s, there have been
shall be the wonder of the scene by Wheeler, dated August 31, 1977
many versions of the story of Sweeney Todd. However, the source for
town. For every customer who (underlines indicate annotations by Sondheim;
Sondheim’s version was brought to life by Christopher Bond, a young actor
comes up here shall serve the in the case of “devour” and “power” they are
who wrote his adaptation of the story in 1968. Sondheim saw a production
ones below. words he has circled — probably to highlight
in London in 1973 and, for the first time in his career, was so taken with a
work as possible source material for a musical that he immediately pursued the unintentional rhyme). That the libretto so
They both start to giggle, then presages the final lyric for the verse is proof of
the rights and persuaded his collaborating director, Harold Prince, to join
fall into each other’s arms the sympathetic collaboration between
forces on the project. His initial plan was to do the adaptation by himself.
laughing helplessly, as — the Sondheim and Wheeler.
The following is the scene in Bond’s script that would become the basis
CURTAIN falls.
of “A Little Priest”: CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

20 The Sondheim Review The Sondheim Review 21

 BIOGRAPHY OF A SONG, FROM PAGE 21
Mrs. Lovett: …The boy’s
drunk and I can fob him off
with some story easy. There’s
no problem there. But … him!
Todd: (Looking down into the
chest) When it’s dark, we’ll
take him to some secret place
and bury him.
xxxxx
22 The Sondheim Review
Mrs. Lovett: Well, we could
do that, dear. And yet … You
know me. Sometimes ideas
just pop into me head and I
keep thinking … (Pause)
Seems a shame.
Todd: A shame?
Mrs. Lovett: Seems such a
waste! I mean, he’s nice and
plump, isn’t he? And there’s
plenty other gentlemen in the
prime of life’ll be popping in
for a quick shave now you’re
set up with your nice new
Parlor. (Pause, watching him)
Seeing as ’ow you feel it your
duty like to put them all out
of their misery – well, waste
not, want not, you know.
(Pause) When you think of
Mrs. Mooney doing such a
roaring trade with her pussy
cats. Now pussy cats couldn’t
compare when it comes to
tastiness, could they? And
even a plump one’s only good
for three/four pies at most.
Get my drift? (We see TODD
gazing at her now as gradual-
ly he begins, in his crazed
mood, to understand) What
about it, Mr. T? (Suddenly
wild excitement wells up in
TODD) (Chuckles, Vamp
change)
Todd: Oh Mrs. Lovett, how
sweet, delectable and rare and
choice.
Mrs. Lovett: Well, it’s an idea.
Todd: What is this life but
man devouring man? In the
markets, in the law courts, in
the corridors of Power? Why
not at the table too? Oh Mrs.
Lovett, your pies shall be the
wonder of the town, for every
customer who comes up here
shall serve the ones below.
(THEY both start to giggle,
then, fall into each other’s
arms, sing: DUET: MRS.
LOVETT AND TODD in which
they extol the good days
ahead. END OF ACT ONE.)
LYRICS: Sondheim has frequently described lyric
writing as a hellish pursuit. In the case of “A
Little Priest” there is an extraordinary amount
of notes and lyric sketches — 40 pages in man-
uscript and an additional 26 pages of annotated
typescripts! Far more than I’ve seen for any
other of his songs I’ve examined. Strange as it
may seem, he has also said that Sweeney Todd
was a comparatively easy show to write. The
“bright ideas” in “A Little Priest” are so wicked-
ly delicious and seem to flow so effortlessly
that one hopes he derived some pleasure from
the process.
The Wheeler script pages obviously provided
rich fodder for the verse, but the only actual
phrase that seems to inspire any part of the
body of the song is “What is this life but man
devouring man?” Lifted from the Bond script
are the phrases: “Oh sweet, delectable, rare and
choice” and “For every customer who comes up
here shall serve the ones below.” There are no
other specific phrases in the text that suggest
directions the song might take — other than
the general sense of delight that Sweeney and
Mrs. Lovett find in the prospect of their joint
venture.
The lyric sketches do not appear to have been
retained in order of creation, making it virtually
impossible to establish their evolution, although
there are several sections that obviously grow
one from the other. My best guess as to the first
page of sketches has the heading “End Act I”.
Unlike most of the sketches, it doesn’t focus on
any one section or topic, but plays with a num-
ber of ideas and directions that the song might
take. Several ideas go nowhere: the line “The
best pies in London” suggests a parallel to Mrs.
Lovett’s opening number, “The Worst Pies in
London”; two sections toy with doggerel verse,
“Hey nonny hey nonny no” and “Black pudding,
black pudding, black pudding pie.” The phrase
“The ones up there serve the ones below” leads
to a path of how one profession feeds on anoth-
er: “The grocer feeds [serves] the butcher/feeds
the lawyer feeds the priest”; and then “The
priest eats the lawyer,/The lawyer (eats) the
chef.”
The priest shows up in two other sections on
this page; at the top in a note that reads: “Puns
— priests make clerical pie — pious pie etc. —
heavenly” and, toward the bottom in the line,
“We’ll dress up the menu with artist + priest.”
Though a couple of other professions appear on “Sweep — dark meat.” Again, his notes on this xxxxxx
the page, four lines focus on the Beadle, includ- page include the notion of professions feeding
ing “I’ll have a small Beadle/They only come on one another: “We don’t have judge — would
large.” The page ends with the pithy couplet you settle for his employer?/You mean you have
“The wicked + the mighty/Shall be saved, then lawyer” and, a few lines later, “The lawyer’s
served.” (I wonder if the phrase might have employer — the thief.” There are two other
made the final cut had it been “… shaved, then lines that fail to bear fruit in the finished song,
served”). but they’re too much fun not to share: “The
On the following page, titled “GENERAL,” supply will be virtually endless — we only serve
the ideas for the song truly begin to coalesce. meat wot is friendless,” and “Chacun à son
The first lines on this page feel on the verge of goût” (French for “Each to his taste” — reject-
creative discovery: “There are many different ed, perhaps as being too highfalutin’ for Todd or
types./Some are rare, some stringy, etc.” And Mrs. Lovett). The final line on the page seems
along the right margin, Sondheim begins listing to give birth to the title and to narrow the
several types to consider: Bishop, Priest, Earl, song’s focus: “Have you tried the priest?”
Lord, etc., and, in a few instances, paired with What I presume to be the next page is unti-
words and phrases: “Artist — smartest” and
CONTINUES ON PAGE 24
The Sondheim Review 23
Sondheim listed more than 100 BIOGRAPHY OF A SONG, FROM PAGE 23 for inclusion in the song. By my count, there
professions and types to consider are 158! [Editor’s Note: The full list is provided
as “ingredients” in “A Little tled, but immediately takes the final line from on p. 24.] Most never make it as far as a lyric
Priest.” the previous page and runs with it in two, then line, but two that did were joined in this evoca-
three, columns: tive couplet: “Everybody shaves except/Rabbis
Accountant Friar Priest and riffraff.” There are several ideas that
Actor Friendless Quack How about the [Have you tried some] priest Sondheim obviously thinks have potential since
Anglican Gardener Rabbi Have you tried the priest he returns to them again and again. These
Try a little [slice] priest include pairings of grave with gravy, and
Apprenticed Gentlemen Rabble
Try a bit of priest lawyers with torts. Versions of the line, “Or
Artist Gigolo Rector
I can guarantee there’s priest, which is second to nun” appear
Artiste Gondolier Riff Raff I can guarantee on more than one occasion. Several times
Attorney Government ministers Royal marine It’s a C of E at least throughout the sketches he returns to the
Bailiff Greengrocer Royalty Though it’s C of E “pious pie” idea; among the better attempts is:
Baker Grenadier Sailor It’s C of E “I’m sure it’s me bias/But no pie’s more
Banker Grocer Schoolmaster At the very least pious/Than priest.”
Barker Groom Scribe That it’s rather nice The majority of the sketches that relate to
Barrister-at-law Guardsmen Scrivener At least the poet focus on the cliché of “starving,” so
Beadle Hatter Sexton that when Sweeney requests one, Mrs. Lovett
Beggars Hun Shepherd He continues in this fashion for several more can counter that they’re so thin and sickly, she
lines. (I must confess that my anglophile wife doesn’t serve them. Among the adjectives
Bellboy Inspector Sheriff
had to explain that C of E means Church of Sondheim considered to describe the poet are:
Bellows maker Iron merchant Shoeblack
England; I suspect it’s due to fears of parochial leaner, weedy, skinny, scrawny, wizened, peaky,
Bishop Ironmonger Shoemaker audience members — like myself — that the bony and underfed. The ultimate wording of the
Bookmaker Jockey Shyster phrase was abandoned.) In the left margin, poet line grows out of sketches on another page
Brigadier Journalist Singer Sondheim lists more than three dozen addition- that first posit two other versions using entirely
Broker Judge Smith al professions and types to consider. This page different “ingredients” — “No, you see the
Butcher Knaves Solicitor also continues to follow-up with the sweep from trouble with curate is/Can you be sure it’s” or
Butler Lad Squire the previous page. Sondheim isn’t sure how the “No, you see the trouble with prelate is/How
Cabinet maker Laundryman Stableboy phrase should begin, so he leaves a long space can you tell it’s …” (The lines are left unfin-
Candle maker Lawyer Stoker with a single word at the end: “ sweep/If you ished.) Then, “See when it’s scrawny as
Carpenter Locksmith Student want it [you’re feeling] cheap/And you like it poet/You sometimes don’t [don’t always] know
dark.” (The opening is solved on the next page it’s/Deceased.”
Cashier Lord Sweep
where he comes up with three alternatives, In its final version, Sondheim sets up the joke
Chef Lummox Tailor
including “Special on the sweep.”) The page by first having Sweeney comment about the
Civil Engineer Majordomo Taxidermist ends with an eight-line segment that has a frus- priest, “Awful lot of fat,” so when he requests
Clergy Marine Teacher trating combination of nifty images but skewed poet, it’s based on his assumption that it would
Clergyman Mason Teller logic: be a leaner alternative. (When George Hearn
Cleric Merchant Thief performed the line “or something like that,” he
Clerk Mighty Tinker If you like it lean, gestured with his hands to indicate someone
Cobbler Minister Truant How about a Dean? narrow or skinny.) It’s been my experience that
Coffin maker Moneylender Turf-accountant Never can be carved audiences tend not to get the subtleties of this
Constable MPs Tutor Haven’t you got painter sequence; for them the humor derives entirely
Cook Oafish Underlings Or something that’s starved? from the “poet … know it” rhyme, and the
Though it makes a wonderful fillet unexpected capper, “Stick to priest.” Similarly,
Costermonger Page Undertaker
The minute you kill it, one difficulty (not flaw): Those who only hear
Counsel Painter Unemployed
It’s spoiled the song don’t always understand the geogra-
Counselor-at-law Pastry Cook/Chef Urchin
phy, whereby “those above” are Sweeney’s cus-
Cricketeer Peasants Valet But it has the right rhythm and feel, and it tomers/victims in his second floor tonsorial par- At this point, more pages are given headings xxxxxx
Crier Peddler Vendor seems like a structural model for much that will lor, while “those below” are Mrs. Lovett’s cus- — Mrs. L Verse, Todd’s Verse, Refrain, IA, IB,
Curate Peer Verger follow. tomers. IIB, Ad Libs and Interludes. What Sondheim
Dean Performer Vicar From here on out, most sketch pages focus on As the lyric sketches evolve, lines and sec- refers to as the “Refrain” are the sections that
Dentist Physician Violinist developing and refining specific sections of the tions are polished; however, Sondheim gradually refer to the world (as in “the sound of,” “the
Doctor Piccolo player Waiter song. In some cases, two or three pages may be works out how the sections will be put together history of” and “have charity toward”). The IA
Drinker Pilate Weaver devoted to working out a single quatrain or sec- and in what order. For instance, before settling and IIB, etc., are sections that focus on the vari-
Drummer Pious Wicked tion. Among the more fascinating aspects of the on the politician being “so oily,” he also consid- ous professions — priest, lawyer, clerk, fop (in
lyric sketches are the ideas that were pursued ers the fop or the actor. And even when he gets discussing the music, I’ll refer to these sections
Duke Pirate Wop
over several pages before being abandoned, the the exquisite couplet “Or we have some shep- as the “chorus”). The music which accompanies
Dyer Plumber Wrestler
large variants of subtleties in language that herd’s pie peppered/With actual shepherd,” the the two types of sections strikes me as being of
Earl Poet Young were considered for individual phrases, and the section goes through several variations before equal importance and prominence; I’d be hard
Employer Police way the various parts were assembled into the he figures out that by preceding it with the “… pressed to call one the main tune over the
Engraver Polite whole. Fop/Finest in the shop,” he can neatly end the other. After the two verses, the structure of the
Flute player Politician Throughout the sketches, frequently lining phrase with “On top.” (Based on one sketch, it song is ABBABABA. Between these verses are
Footman Porter the margins, are lists of dozens of professions might have been Wop that was “finest in the
Fop Prelate and “types” of people that Sondheim considered shop.”) CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

24 The Sondheim Review The Sondheim Review 25

 BIOGRAPHY OF A SONG, FROM PAGE 25
seven musical interludes — vamps — in six
instances, with dialogue spoken on top and, in
one instance, they merely “roar with laughter.”
Before thoroughly examining the song, had
someone asked, I would have guessed that these
sections of dialogue occurred once or twice. I
was shocked at its frequency. Sondheim has said
that he likes the combination of the spoken and
the sung and, indeed, it does add to the variety
of colors and textures in this long number.
These spoken breaks are also very much in the
vaudeville and British music hall traditions that
inform the number’s style.
In one typescript of the song “(DIALOGUE)”
is typed eight different places in the lyric;
Sondheim has penciled a number next to each
of them. There are subsequent typed pages (one
marked “per Hugh Wheeler” and dated
“10/19/78,” and another “November 1st,”
which also includes annotations in both
Sondheim’s and Wheeler’s hands) with notes
and ideas about how to fill in the patter. Several
suggestions are groan-inducing: “Fried bride”;
“That one’s rather yellow. Chinese fellow.”
Wheeler appears to forget that it’s only men
who would be getting haircuts and shaves, when
he suggests “how about a nice piece of niece?”
and “What’s that in your tummy? Mummy.”
There are several suggested puns, such as:
“Coiner — with mint?” “Watchmaker with
thyme?” (Sondheim adds in the margin “artist
— palatable?”) The big surprise is that
Sondheim and Wheeler were contemplating
ending the song with patter. This eighth slot is
marked “FINAL DIALOGUE leading to helpless
laughter.” A few drafts conclude with this ver-
sion: “Speaking of stuffed, our special today is
taxidermist …” Thankfully, this approach was
rejected.
Another series of annotations leads to far
more successful developments — the use of, for
lack of better terminology, reactionary com-
ments. Sondheim obviously wants the song to
have a back-and-forth, conversational quality,
including spoken repartee, sung dialogue and
some unison sections, but also places where one
character responds, or comments, in counter-
point. This occurs even amongst the earliest
sketches, such as this one for Todd: “Yes, Mrs.
Lovett, yes ML, yes ML, yes.” But even after the
song approaches its final form, in typescript,
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26 The Sondheim Review
Sondheim pencils in several additional sections
for Mrs. Lovett (to join the one instance already
there — “What, Mister Todd,/What, Mister
Todd,/What is that sound?” and “Yes, Mr.
Todd,/Yes, Mr. Todd,/Yes, all around”): “Oh, Mr.
Todd,/Ooh, Mr. Todd, what Does it tell? … And,
Mr. Todd,/Too, Mr. Todd./Who gets to sell” and
“Yes, Yes, I know, my love … High-born and low,
my love.”
There’s no sketch, note or outline that indi-
cates Sondheim’s plan for the larger structure
of the song, or how various sections will be
ordered and put together. It appears that after
most of the various sections have been complet-
ed, they are assembled so as to achieve maxi-
mum impact. The first half of the song is the
basic seduction — Mrs. Lovett suggesting the
idea to Sweeney and the audience — and the
initial playful enthusiasm where they take the
idea and run with it. In the second half (after
the rhyming contest), three aspects begin to
change. First, Sondheim saves his cleverest
moments for this section, so the thrill to the
audience is a constant build — the “sweep,”
“everybody goes down well with beer” and the
“shepherd’s pie.” Second, Todd and Mrs.
Lovett’s relationship is changed and cemented
here. Finally, he appreciates her, and their ban-
ter becomes increasingly sexual — “Then blow
on it first”, “With or without his privates.”
Third, Todd’s passion for revenge returns, first
with “Have you any beadle” and then, at the
most focused moment in the song, “I’ll come
again when you/Have Judge on the menu.”
However, I believe the most brilliant and dra-
matically important aspect of the song is the
opening verse. At the time of its New York pre-
miere, the Sweeney Todd legend was unknown
to most Americans, and the sheer bloodiness of
the show had the potential to shock and dismay
audiences unused to such gruesome fare in
their Broadway musicals. The turn from revenge
to cannibalism is an even more outré concept
for audiences (forgive me) to swallow. The song
starts with the “light bulb-going-on” chime as
Mrs. Lovett begins to get the idea, but it’s not
articulated. While the accompaniment begins
an odd, chromatic, unresolving descent, Mrs.
Lovett’s hints become increasingly obvious, as
Sweeney, seemingly either impossibly thick or
merely distracted, remains stubbornly unaware.
The song goes on for 25 measures before his
Aha! moment. By that time, the audience has
long ago figured it out and is on the verge of
screaming it out to him. As a result, before the
song proper even starts, they (the audience) are
guilty and complicit — and delighted to be so.
They can’t express shock or mock horror; they
become willing accomplices before Sweeney
does. It’s a masterful manipulation.
Although technically not part of the lyrics
proper, Sondheim’s manuscripts are full of
stage directions, most of which do not make it
into the final text, but nevertheless are artfully
rendered: “Mistaking his blankness for resist-
ance”; “drawn in”; “snorts with glee”; “feels it.”
And finally, a fuller example in context: “Butler.
(Looks) Something — (long pause, looking +
thinking hard, then triumphantly) Subtler”
MUSIC: Virtually all of Sondheim’s scores inhab-
it musical universes that are unique, but
Sweeney Todd is probably the richest — full of
dense harmonies, surprising chromaticisms and
frequently changing meters. There is a specific
chord that is wed through the score (a minor
chord with a major 7th, usually in an inversion
so that the 7th is in the bass), as is a theme
based on the Dies Irae section of the Catholic
mass for the dead (the “Day of Wrath” so appro-
priate for Sweeney). Inspired by the film com-
poser, Bernard Herrmann, the score is full of
nervous rumbles, shrieks, skitterings and tolling
bells. There is even a musical clue to one char-
acter’s secret identity. In fact, all of the major
characters have one or more musical themes
associated with them. This technique of leitmotif
is associated with opera and is probably one of
the reasons why there has been much discus-
sion and argument about whether Sweeney
Todd is an opera. It certainly comes closer than
any other work to fulfilling the promise of
Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess as an ambitious,
engrossing, tuneful, mostly through-sung, dra-
matic musical work.
For “A Little Priest” there are nine pages of
musical sketches, followed by a 25-page fair
copy of the completed song and seven pages of
inserts. The front page of sketches has no title
but refers to the number as “End Act I (Todd,
Lovett).” Initial ideas are numerous and varied.
The first page alone has sections in five differ-
ent keys and various meters, mostly focusing on
vamps and accompaniments, although a couple
of melodic phrases are indicated.
What leaps out are the variations Sondheim
considers for the oft-repeated five-note phrase
that is the setting for “Have a little priest.” It’s
clear that he believes whatever motive he
selects will be key to the song, but there are
many possibilities to consider. The rhythm is
usually the same — four eighth notes followed
by a quarter note — but the melodies include
subtle, and some not so subtle, variations. Most
have the same noodling shape and appoggiatu-
ra-like chromaticisms, but the actual intervals
differ, and initially most jump up a final interval
CONTINUES ON PAGE 28
1/2 page ad
The Sondheim Review 27
 BIOGRAPHY OF A SONG, FROM PAGE 27
of a sixth — as opposed to the fifth of the final
version. On a couple of pages he even contem-
plates versions in which the first four notes are
repeated. Finally, the phrase we know is found.
As I examined the finished song, I realized that
Mrs. Lovett’s verse is built from the very same
phrase, and includes some of the variations I
xxxxxx
thought had been abandoned in the sketches.
The intervals that underlie the song’s very first
line, “Seems a downright shame” are identical
to “Have a little priest,” although the rhythm is
slightly different. As the verse continues, the
phrases “Nor it can’t be traced,” and “Bus’ness
needs a lift” each use subtly different intervals
— motives that had been considered and reject-
ed for the chorus. Later, during Sweeney’s
verse, Mrs. Lovett’s counterpoint line, “Also
undetectable,” offers yet another version.
While most of the musical material for “A
Little Priest” is unique to that song, at least a
28 The Sondheim Review
few aspects resonate with other sections of the
score. The second half of Mrs. Lovett’s verse
recalls her opening number, “The Worst Pies in
London.” Her later interjections, “Yes, Mister
Todd, Yes, Mister Todd …,” are similar to her
interjections during “My Friends”—“If you only
knew, Mister Todd. Ooh, Mister Todd …” If
nothing else, the rhythmic setting of “Mister
Todd” is identical. The musical interludes
include those stinging major 7ths we associate
with Sweeney. And the “Final Scene” ends with
a reprise of Sweeney’s verse and the refrain as
he deceptively waltzes Mrs. Lovett into the
oven.
Interspersed among the lyric sketches are var-
ious notes that reflect on the music. Some of
these are rhythmic notations above lyrics and,
in one instance, a melodic idea. But most are
suggestions to consider various styles of music:
clog, waltz (hesitation?), 3/4 rhythms, 4/4 soft
shoe, tango or stroll. Sondheim obviously want-
ed an identifiable musical style that would
ingratiate an audience. He chose a waltz. With
A Little Night Music, he certainly proved his
facility with triple meters, but not many of his
songs, even those in 3/4, are immediately rec-
ognizable as true waltzes — “A Little Priest” is.
This kind of waltz, which can be conducted in
one — a single sweeping downbeat per measure
— has a lift and vitality that serves the song
well on several levels. For a long number, it pro-
vides a motor and energy; the waltz is musically
seductive — once begun, it must be succumbed
to. As noted in the section on lyrics, there are
actually two main sections to the song proper,
the “refrain” and the “chorus.” As a composer,
Sondheim’s strong suit is not always his
melodies; often they are either conversational in
nature or are architecturally structured using
motivic material as building blocks. Particularly
in his earlier work, even his most beautiful
melodies were often prevented from truly soar-
ing by accompaniments and counterpoint that,
while providing richness and emotional depth,
seemed to keep the tunes grounded — for
example, “I Remember,” “Being Alive” and “Too
Many Mornings.” Something about Sweeney
Todd seems to have freed him. In Meryle
Secrest’s biography, she writes: “Sondheim said
that as a piece of music, Sweeney Todd leapt
into his mind almost fully formed. ‘All I wanted
to do was sing it.’” Perhaps that’s the reason,
but whatever the cause, almost all of the num-
bers have the best kind of melodies — ones that
seem inevitable — found, not created. “A Little
Priest” has two of them.
What seems to tie the tunes together is the
steady bass accompaniment that mostly alter-
nates measure to measure between the tonic
and the dominant. In the case of the refrain,
the rest of the accompaniment is characterized
by chord clusters that are mostly periodicized
every two beats. These chords change subtly,
often include little dissonances and sometimes
thicken and/or shift into different ranges.
They’re a large part of what provides the chug
for the song’s motor. The accompaniment for
the chorus is characterized by an “oompah-
pah.” These tend to alternate between straight,
on-the-beat versions and ones that start, almost
like a grace note on the “and of one.” What
characterizes these accompaniments are (in the
key of B major — five sharps) the G-naturals
that resolve up to a G-sharp in alternating sets
of “pahs.” I’m not positive, but based on a note
Sondheim made among his sketches, I think he
intended these to confuse the harmony slightly,
so that they might register to the listener as E-
flat chords in second inversion, superimposed
on the F-sharp in the bass. However it functions,
the music, despite a lot of melodic repetition,
succeeds in sustaining interest and energy over
several minutes.
RECORDINGS: There are seven commercial
recordings of “A Little Priest,” one oddity wor-
thy of note and two video recordings of live per-
formances. The original cast recording (1979)
with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou is (to
adapt Cole Porter) delightful, delicious and
definitive. A video recording was made for tele-
vision in 1982 in Los Angeles, during the show’s
national tour. Lansbury was still in the show,
but Cariou had been replaced by George Hearn.
There is a disjointed quality to the whole, prob-
ably because some portions were filmed before
an audience and some were not, but it is still a
magnificent document of the production and
performances.
The Sondheim (Book-of-the-Month Club) box
set (1985) captures Joyce Castle and Timothy
Nolen, who performed the show at New York
City Opera. Nolen is an excellent singer, but on
the recording, he doesn’t always maintain char-
acter (whereas in my memory he was exception-
al in performance). Castle’s voice suffers from
several dropouts. On the CD of orchestral
arrangements, Symphonic Sondheim (1990), “A
Little Priest” is part of a large Sweeney Todd
medley that features several songs from the
score. The “Little Priest” segment is lighter and
more playful than one might expect and
reminds me of the Prokofiev of Peter and the
Wolf.
The aforementioned oddity is from the cast
album of Putting It Together (1993), in which
the music becomes the basis for the brief
“Game Sequence #2” featuring Christopher
Durang. Arguably, the highlight of this section
(with new lyrics by Sondheim) is the perverse
pleasure of hearing Julie Andrews sing “Oh,
fuck it, let’s do it” (to the tune of “Have Judge
on the menu”).
Two unusual recordings were made in 1995:
Sweeney Todd … in Jazz by the Trotter Trio,
and the Catalonian-language recording of
Sweeney Todd featuring Vicky Peña and
Constantino Romero. The jazz recording is fast,
upbeat and mostly unrecognizable. The
Catalonian version (though probably difficult to
track down) is terrific. The performances are
joyous and raucous; it’s fascinating to hear the
well-known song in another (colorful) language,
and the music has a real drive and vitality.
Sweeney Todd Live in Concert, with the New
York Philharmonic (2000), gives us Patti LuPone
and George Hearn. Hearn is even better here than
he was replacing Cariou in the original produc-
tion. His voice is as powerful as ever, but there
seems to be greater depth and subtlety in his act-
ing. LuPone has a mannered quality — odd
moments of timing, pronunciation and slurring
— but her conviction and talent are so strong
that she usually ends up making them work.
Hearing the audience is frequently a distraction
throughout this recording, but they receive this
song so rapturously, that it adds to the excite-
ment and pleasure. A year later, accompanied by
the San Francisco Symphony, a reprise of this
concert was filmed for television and DVD release.
The most recent recording is from the current
Broadway revival directed by John Doyle, starring
Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone, and seeming-
ly inspired by Marat/Sade. The small cast, dou-
bling as musicians, perform the show as though
it were being put on by inmates at an asylum.
This recording is actually similar in tone and
style to the Catalonian one, particularly in the
earthiness of the arrangements. LuPone seems to
benefit from the hand of a strong director who
moderates and centers her performance.
FINALE: “A Little Priest” follows immediately on
the heels of the number in Sweeney Todd that
Sondheim says was the most difficult to write,
“Epiphany” — or, as it’s referred to in the draft
script, “Todd’s Aria.” “Epiphany” is a gut-
wrenching rant in which Sweeney turns from
seeking revenge on the judge who destroyed
him and his family to a man bent on revenge on
mankind in general. Still, “A Little Priest” is the
more important number in the show. It accom-
plishes many things. It diffuses the horror of the
“Epiphany.” It makes clear and palatable to the
audience that it’s not much of a stretch from
murder to cannibalism. It cements the relation-
ship between Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett — both
professionally and sexually. And, as the Act I
finale, it provides much-needed comic relief. At
the same time it brilliantly engages the audi-
ence so that they are fully vested and identifies
with Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and their scheme.
Of course, what most people remember is the
wicked wit and joyous wordplay, which are
unsurpassed. |TSR|
MARK EDEN HOROWITZ is a senior music specialist
at the Library of Congress. This column reflects his
personal, not professional, observations. Horowitz
is the author of Sondheim on Music and has
taught courses at Georgetown University about
the history of musical theatre and specifically
about Sondheim. “Biography of a Song” is a regu-
lar feature of TSR.
The Sondheim Review 29