Listen to Josh Groban have an 'Epiphany' as Sweeney Todd
Josh Groban's vocals as Sweeney Todd are sheer bliss.
The recording artist and theater performer is currently starring as the title character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in a much buzzed about Broadway revival. Groban layers his dulcet baritone sound with altogether more menace to deliver a remarkable vocal performance, and EW has your exclusive first listen to one of the tracks of the forthcoming cast recording.
Take a listen to "Epiphany," a song from the climax of Act One as Sweeney loses his chance to cut the throat of the evil Judge Turpin (Jamie Jackson), when he is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony (Jordan Fisher).
His chance at vengeance stolen from him, Sweeney launches into a musical monologue about his sense that he'll never see his daughter Johanna (Maria Bilbao) again. Instead, he realizes that "we all deserve to die" and resolves to cut as many throats as possible in pursuit of his revenge.
The revival, which opened on Broadway on March 26, will release a new cast recording via Arts Music and Reprise Records. The record will feature the production's 26-piece orchestra, a scale rarely seen on Broadway nowadays and a return to the orchestrations that accompanied the original production. The date of release is still to be announced, but fans can pre-save the album on Spotify.
The production has already released a few tracks from the album, including the opening number, the "Johanna" quartet, Sweeney's "My Friends," and Mrs. Lovett's "By the Sea."
"Groban brings marvelous method to the madman, imbuing his performance with a slow-simmering evil that steadily bubbles throughout the first act until it's uncontrollably boiling and pouring out of him as he snarls, undulates, and lunges across the stage," EW said in our review. "By act two, he successfully strikes terror each time an unsuspecting visitor steps into his barbershop only to be shipped down a chute to become tomorrow's fodder moments later."
Directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton), the production also features Annaleigh Ashford, Ruthie Ann Miles, Gaten Matarazzo, and Fisher.
Sweeney Todd is currently slated to play the Lunt-Fontanne Theater through Jan. 14, 2024.
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