i finally get hold of a dvd copy of this production and be agog with curiosity and since i have read so many people praise it to the sky and particularly angela lansbury portrayal of mrs. lovett . i saw the tim burton movie a few month ago and think it over the top and overly bloody while thankfully this version be not so horrifying gory but it suffer dramatically in too many other way for it to be in the least satisfying to me . to begin with and the casting . george hearn be adequate and at least show some expression ( a oppose to johnny depp unending wooden face in the movie ) . angela lansbury be and quite simply and annoy . at least she have enough power in her voice to get the point across a oppose to helena bonham carter piping and expressionless little girl voice and but subtlety seem to be only a word in the dictionary to ms. lansbury . one can not be draw into the story when one of the main character spend her entire time mugging and winking in a look and ma and i be act . fashion and be far too aware of the audience . this be not something that be typical of stage production and heaven know i have be a regular attendee of many production at the stratford festial for many year and stage actor do not behave in that fashion a a rule ( at least those who want to continue to find regular employment do not . ) . betsy joslyn . oh dear and oh dear and oh dear . do anybody besides me notice that she can not sing this role even vaguely appropriately . and her playing george hearn daughter be just creepy and consider that she be marry to him at the time . isn not she suppose to be a sweet little sixteen year old . yes and i realize that this be what act be all about and but not once do she convince me that she be any young than about thirty five and and the phrase mutton dress a lamb seem to have be coin just for her . her butchering of green finch and linnet bird have me gnash my teeth and ready to turn off the dvd player at once . that song be do so well in tim burton movie and and this be a sad shock . the song require the vocal range of julie andrew in the 1960 and a purity of voice that be only comparable to that of a boy soprano . any vibrato at all kill it dead and and ms. joslyn spend the entire time warble so hard that i think she be about to fall off of her ladder because she be tremble so much from the effort at sustain coloratura note with a voice that be a mezzo at best . let u pass over the spectacle of her vibrating at least a quarter tone flat on at least three of the high note . this be quite simply not a coloratura role and perhaps a discern director should have tell her that but the fact that she be marry to the star might possibly have tie the director hand . cris groenendaal be adequate and but again obviously far too old for the role and there be zero chemistry between him and ms. joslyn and which make the whole subplot fall completely flat . i be remind a little of past stage production of wagner ring cycle where and due to the vocal power require for the singer to bellow over the sound of a full wagnerian orchestra they would have to cast base upon ability to penetrate vocally a oppose to any appearance or act ability or even a good voice and which be why you have the caricature of the massive mountainous viking horn brunehilde with a triple chin and a beard and when the libretto call for an ethereal beauty who be eternally young and bewitching . the casting of the juvenile lead be exactly like that if you close your eye you can almost believe in mr. groenendaal anthony and but as soon a you look at the screen the illusion be shatter . ( and at no time can you ever believe in ms. joslyn johanna . ) for me and the rest of the production be completely lose because of three out of the four major character be so obviously miscast . i can not give a proper review of anything else because they be so distract that they spoil the rest of the production . i really can not understand why people rave about this badly shot and self conscious filming of a stage play . surely there more to camera work in the theatre than just plunk a camera down in the front row . if i want that and i will go to a decent play and preferably at the stratford festival and where at least they work together for the production and aren not constantly mug for the camera . i give it three star only because the quality of the production apart from the antic of lansbury and joslyn seem adequate if not spectacular . probably the best thing one can do be buy the soundtrack of the film and a cast recording of this play and and then combine the two to make a bearable whole . that what i be go to do and and try to forget that i ever bother to rent this wholly unremarkable production .