Attend the Tale of SWEENEY TODD (Friday on PBS)

When the New York Philharmonic produced an all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Company, they filmed it to show in movie theaters across the country to widen the audience and share the joy. Last March they did Sondheim's Sweeney Todd as a starry concert, and once again, we're in luck. This time they're bringing it to PBS and Live from Lincoln Center -- Friday the 26th at 8 pm Central time on WTVP or WILL -- to let the rest of us see what it was like when opera star Bryn Terfel and movie star Emma Thompson took on the roles of Mr. Todd, the murderous barber out for revenge on those who wronged him, and Mrs. Lovett, his lovestruck cohort in meat-pie crime.

If you have a taste for Sweeney Todd, you won't want to miss this one. If you saw the classic George Hearn/Angela Lansbury Broadway production on stage or as a Great Performance in 1982, you'll want to see this one to see the difference between a concert and a complete staging and to compare fabulous British actresses of different generations.

If you saw the Johnny Depp/Helena Bonham-Carter movie version, you need to see this one to hear what an actual singer can do with Sweeney's songs and what an actress who can sing (as opposed to HB-C) can do with Mrs. Lovett.

Others in this cast include Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher, Smash, the recent Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood and the upcoming Peter Pan), Jay Armstrong, Jeff Blumencrantz, Kyle Brenn and Erin Mackey, with a surprise, unbilled appearance by a performer who has more Tonys on her mantel than Angela Lansbury.

The PBS website has an interview and some tantalizing hints of Terfel's performance, while Jezebel is of the opinion that Emma Thompson can do no wrong and they're offering video clips to prove it. There's also a nice video about Sondheim visiting the performers and some excellent program notes about the history of the piece.

The Terfel/Thompson Sweeney airs at 8 pm and again at 1 am in case you missed it the first time.

And very soon, Live from Lincoln Center will return to Broadway fare, with a broadcast of The Nance with Nathan Lane. Watch for that one October 10.

Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd (Coming to PBS)

When opera star Bryn Terfel and Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson signed on to play the murderous Sweeney Todd and his accomplice Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, it was a given that the performances would be few and the tickets would be scarce.

The concert version of Sweeney Todd -- on stage for five performances in early March -- was an all-star event, much like the Company the New York Philharmonic did in 2011. In addition to Thompson and Terfel, Sweeney featured Jeff Blumenkrantz as the Beadle, Christian Borle as Pirelli, Jay Armstrong Johnson as Anthony, Erin Mackey as Johanna and Philip Quast as Judge Turpin. And there's a very special mystery guest who showed up to sing the role of the Beggar Woman. Let's just say she has won a ton of Tony Awards and leave it at that.

And like Company, the show will live on even though the live performances are over. Company was filmed in concert and then released throughout the country in movie theaters. Sweeney Todd is going for the small screen instead. Look for it as part of PBS's Live from Lincoln Center sometime in the future.

For a backstage interview with Thompson and director Lonny Price as well as pictures and more video, check out Charles Isherwood's New York Times review of the concert. Broadway World offers video highlights as well as a review round-up. Let's just say the reaction to Terfel and Thompson as well as Price's staging choices was very positive, and you're gonna wanna see this concert by hook or by crook, by video or by Live from Lincoln Center.

A Refreshing Kind of Princess in "Brave"

There's a long tradition of animated Disney princesses enchanting young girls, all the way back to Snow White (1937) and Cinderella (1950). These days, Belle and Jasmine and Ariel and Tiana, even Mulan and Pocahontas, get trotted out at the Magic Kingdom, have tea parties with young visitors, dance and sing on video, sell costumes and hats and clothing and the entire Disney Princess concept.

The newest princess is a bit of a departure, however. She's Merida, the feisty Scottish redhead at the center of "Brave." Actress Kelly Mcdonald provides her voice, making her as appealing as she is rambunctious.

Like Mulan, Merida knows how to wield a weapon. (Note the bow and arrow in the poster at right, which is a copyrighted image taken from the Wikipedia article on "Brave" and is reprinted here as part of my own commentary on the film. You can also tell how beautiful the animation and artwork are in "Brave." Her hair alone is stunning.)

Like Belle, she is smart and devoted to her family. But unlike any other Disney princess, Merida doesn't have a Prince Charming. And, in fact, the whole hook for the plot is that she doesn't want one. Yet, anyway. She'd rather run and climb and ride than settle down to any kind of domesticity.

The action begins when Merida's well-meaning mom, given vocal warmth and grace by Emma Thompson, gathers together the three main suitors for Merida's hand. There are scions of the Clan MacGuffin (the old and young MacGuffins are voiced by Kevin McKidd), Macintosh (the head Macintosh is Craig Ferguson) and Dingwall (the big Dingwall is Robbie Coltrane), but none of these boys is anyone Merida is interested in. When they take bows in hand to battle for her hand, Merida jumps in, outdoes them all on the archery field, proclaiming she had just won her own hand.

That sets everybody fighting with everybody, including Merida's dad, the formidable Fergus (brought to life by Billy Connolly), and puts Merida and her mum at loggerheads. So Merida runs off on her trusty steed, hurtling past some of the most gorgeous scenery Pixar's artists have ever created, into a scary world of standing stones, lochs, brochs and crumbled towers. She also runs into a witch. And a variety of bears.

Because Merida is impetuous and headstrong, because she insists on being master of her own fate even though she's way too young, she makes a bad decision, which results in danger and devastation for her mother. Their attempt to restore the mother-daughter bond and mend the family makes up the rest of the plot.

There are small bits of humor in "Brave," although the main mood is dark and wild. Pixar has gotten so good at making things look real that some sections of the movie were too scary for me, let alone a young child. But then, the death of Bambi's mom still haunts me, so... You can draw your own conclusions.

All in all, I found "Brave" a vehicle for a refreshing kind of princess, one who didn't have to give up her hoydenish ways. I also appreciated that Merida's happy ending didn't include a boy, although maybe she can have a sequel later. She may be too early for Oxford, which dates back to the 11th Century, but I could totally get into Merida sent off to civilization for schooling, too uncultivated for the other students and teachers, who don't think a girl needs an education, anyway. And then she takes a boy she fancies back to DunBroch, where he is completely at sea...

Or maybe Merida doesn't need a romantic sequel. Maybe she can be her own Warrior Queen without a king at her side. Why not?