Customer Reviews

Wonderful and Surprising History of Sweeney Todd: The Life and Times of an Urban Legend

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a Devotee of the legend/story/history/you-name-it of Sweeney Todd you should devour this book. Notice the capital "D". At times Mack gives us just a bit too much info, but then again it's all interesting. Of course, discourses on the general subject of cannibalism are a necessary part of the story. What's nice is that although it was published just before Johnny Depp added his interpretation for the benefit of the public at large, Mack touches on the story behind this latest film production...quoting Sondheim and Depp among others. A must-read starts on page 108 when the classic original story "The String of Pearls" is summarized.

First, the good part: this book is an excellent review of the sources of the urban legend of Sweeney Todd. While Mack doesn't state it so baldly in so many words, it is evident that there was no "Sweeney Todd" historical real person. However, Mack also acknowledges implicitly that the legend will probably still persist among Britishers that there *really* was a Sweeney Todd, but at least the book is on record to indicate otherwise. Mack does a splendid job of tracing the roots of the legend through Sweeney-like criminal stories in France, as well as the metaphysical aspects of the story in the development of London and the Industrial Revolution. His book stops just as the Tim Burton film of Sondheim's musical, with Johnny Depp in the title role, was about to go into production. It will be interesting if Mack produces a revised edition down the line to incorporate discussion of the film, and any new research.

Now, the more nit-picky part: if there is to be a second edition, several errors need to be fixed, such as misspellings of noted artists such as these:

1. The actor Ronald Colman's last name is misspelled as "Coleman" (p. 222).

2. The character of Alfred Doolittle from "My Fair Lady" is misspelled as "Dolittle" (p. 219)

3. The conductor Charles Mackerras' last name is misspelled as "Mackarras" (p. 255).

In addition, there is a major factual howler about the director of the 1966 film of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", where Mack states the director as Melvin Frank on p. 304. In fact, the film's director was Richard Lester.

One inconsistency between the text and the (very useful) Appendix on the "Genealogy, History and Chronology" of Sweeney Todd is that with respect to the 1928 film, the actress Zoe Palmer is indicated as having portrayed Mrs. Lovett in the main text, but in the appendix, is listed as having played Johanna. This inconsistency needs to be corrected.

But quibbles aside, once past these (and the occasionally heavy academic-ish tone), this book again makes a very informative introduction to this fictional urban legend.