Yisho igama elithi Sweeney Todd namuhla futhi imiqondo yabalandeli abaningi besimanjemanje bazophendukela esigabeni sikaStephen Sondheim sokuthakazelisa – futhi kamuva kwesikrini – somculo USweeney Todd: I-Demon Barber yaseFleet Street.

Akunzima ukuqonda ukuthi kungani. Uhlobo lwendaba kaSondheim kungenzeka ukuthi ludume kakhulu kule minyaka engu-175 eyedlule, futhi lwenziwe ezinye zezinkampani ezineshashalazi ezinethalente elikhulu emhlabeni wonke kudala ngaphambi kokuba liphile esikrinini esikhulu ngaphansi kokuqondiswa Tim Burton futhi kudlala uJohnny Depp no-Helena Bonham-Carter.

Umlando kaMnu. Todd ubuyela emuva kakhulu kune-Broadway premiere ka-1979 yomculo kaSondheim, noma kunjalo. Eqinisweni, yaqala ngendlela yokubhala ngo-1846 ochungechungeni olwesabekayo lwedenny olwalunesihloko esithi “The String of Pearls: A Domestic Romance.”

"Uchungechunge Lwamaparele" Amazwibela

Leyo ndaba yoqobo yadweba uSweeney Todd njengomuntu ongekho emthethweni owabulala izisulu zakhe ngokudonsa isigwedlo esihlalweni sakhe sokugunda esabathumela ukuba bashayise umcibisholo bangene egumbini elingaphansi lapho, ngethemba, izintamo zabo zazizophuka khona. Lapho engenanhlanhla kangako, wayehla ngezitebhisi abese esika imiphimbo yabo ngensingo yakhe.

Lapho esethunyelwe, wayezolanda izidumbu ngendlela yomhubhe ongaphansi komhlaba aye esitolo sikaNkk Lovett's Meat Pie lapho ayezobhaka khona ukuze athengisele umphakathi.

Izinto zimhambela kabi uMnu. Todd ngemuva kokuthi itilosi elibizwa ngeThornhill, eligcine ukubonakala lingena esitolo, lidukile. IThornhill yayihloselwe ukuletha uchungechunge lwamapharele kowesifazane ogama lakhe linguJohanna. Kwakuyisipho esivela kuMark, indoda ayeyithanda okwakucatshangwa ukuthi ilahlekile olwandle.

Esola ukubandakanyeka kukaTodd ekunyamalaleni kukaThornhill, uJohanna ugqoka okomfana futhi wayosebenzela isitolo sakhe ngemuva kokuthi owayengumsizi wakhe uTobias Ragg evalelwe endaweni yokukhosela ngesikhathi esola umgundi ngokuba ngumbulali.

Ekugcineni, uTodd udalulwa njengoyisikhohlakali lapho kutholakala inqwaba yezitho zomzimba ngaphansi kwesonto eliseduze nalo elixhunywe esitolo somgundi ngemigudu engaphansi komhlaba. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kutholakala ukuthi uMark oselahlekile uJohanna uboshwe iminyaka eminingi nguMnu Todd futhi waphoqeleka ukupheka ophaya benyama besitolo sikaNkk Lovett.

UMark ukwazile ukubaleka angene esitolo sikaphayi, amemezele kumakhasimende ukuthi empeleni badla abantu. Ngivame ukuzibuza ukuthi ngabe Okuhlaza okwesibhakabhaka ayikweleti okuncane nje okuyimpumelelo kuSweeney wakudala.

Ekuweni okuza ngemuva kokuvezwa kwakhe, uTodd uphoqa uNkk Lovett futhi ekugcineni ubanjwe futhi alengiswe ngamacala akhe.

Ukuguqulwa

Cha, asikasondele ngisho noMnu Sondheim okwamanje!

Inganekwane kaSweeney Todd nethi “The String of Pearls” yayidume kakhulu kangangokuba yaguqulelwa esiteji ngaphambi kokuba isiphetho sendaba yoqobo ivezwe ngendlela eyindilinga, futhi kungekudala wonke umuntu bebenza eyabo inganekwane besuka emahholo amakhulu eseshashalazi ase-Europe beya eMelika futhi bebuyela eLondon ngezinguqulo ezintsha ezenza uSweeney Todd abe negama lasekhaya e-Victorian England.

Kwathi ngo-1970, umbhali wemidlalo uChristopher Bond wayithatha le ndaba wayinika eyakhe i-spin.

Kuhlobo lukaBond lwendaba, uSweeney Todd waba ngumlingiswa onozwela kancane. Wayengeyena umbulali zisuka nje. Esikhundleni salokho, wayengumgundi onkosikazi wakhe omuhle waba yinto ehluphayo ngejaji elibi eladlwengula lo wesifazane wabe esethutha uTodd wayiswa e-Australia ngamacala angamanga.

Ekubuyeleni kwakhe eLondon, uqala umzamo wakhe wokuziphindisela, wawela noNkk Lovett futhi waqamba itulo lokukhulisa ukuthengiswa kwakhe kophayi ngenkathi efuna ukuphela kwempilo yejaji elibi.

Kwakungu-1973 lapho uStephen Sondheim abona khona umdlalo weBond. Kutshalwe imbewu yokuzivumelanisa nesimo sakhe, osekuyiyona nguqulo eyaziwa kakhulu yezinganekwane emashumini amane edlule.

Ukucula uSweeney Todd

USondheim uthathe lolu lwazi walusebenzisa kumuntu obesebenze naye isikhathi eside uHarold Prince kanti yize umqondisi ekuqaleni wayengakhulumi, wawinwa yimicabango kaSondheim yokuhlanganisa nemibono yakhe yokwenza isitatimende ngempilo kwi-Industrial Revolution - amasethi kaPrince ekugcineni woza ubukeke futhi uzizwe njengesisekelo esidala sensimbi esinezicucu ezisuswayo abadlali ababengaziphendukela kuzo ukusetha izigcawu ezahlukahlukene.

Yize kwathatha kancane ukuqiniseka ngaye, uSondheim wathola intokazi yakhe ehamba phambili kuMnuz Lovett oyisikhohlakali e-Angela Lansbury nangenxa yendima eyayiqokiwe, waletha umlingisi uLen Cariou.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uSondheim waguqula izindima ezincane nokungeziwe kumculo weqembu waba yiChorus yamaGrikhi yangempela owayezongena esiteji ngobuningi alandise amavesi athile ngengoma, abolekise ukuzwa okucishe kube yi-opera kulo mdlalo.

Ngobusuku bokuvula, izethameli zazishaqekile ngendaba yokuchitheka kwegazi, ukudla kwabantu, nokuziphindiselela, futhi yize ukwamukelwa ngabagxeki kwakungathi kusivivi, kuzoqhubeka kudlalwe imidlalo engama-557 ku-Broadway ngaphambi kokuthi iqale ukuvakasha neLansbury isanamathele indima kaLovett.

UCariou ungene esikhundleni sikaGeorge Hearn kulolu hambo, nasemlenzeni wokugcina ka- Sweeney Todd emgwaqeni, umkhiqizo uqoshelwe ukusakazwa kuthelevishini. Usengawuthenga lowo mkhiqizo kwi-DVD, futhi angikwazi ukukutshela ukuthi ngiwuncoma kangakanani.

 

Kusukela yaqala ukusebenza e-Uris Theatre eNew York, USweeney Todd: I-Demon Barber yaseFleet Street yenziwe emhlabeni wonke futhi ibone ukuvuselelwa okuningi ku-Broadway nase-West End yaseLondon.

Ngombono wami, Sweeney Todd iqukethe eminye imisebenzi eqamba phambili yomqambi nomculo wezingoma. I- “A Priest Little” ne- “By the Sea” ezihlekisa kakhulu zisuse kahle ama-ballads and izingcezu ezibucayi njenge- “Johanna” ne- “Epiphany.”

Sweeney esikrinini

Vele, ekugcineni iHollywood yafika yabiza uSondheim, kwathi ngo-2007 ukuguquguquka okuhle kukaTim Burton kohlelo kwashaya isikrini sesiliva.

Manje ungangilandeli, kodwa kuzo zonke izinhlobo zalo mbukiso engizibonile, ezikaBurton zibuthakathaka kakhulu. Bavele basika izinto eziningi kakhulu ekuzijwayezeni futhi bahamba nethalente elithi “igama” ngaphezu kwabalingisi bangempela abaculayo. Yize ngithokozela okuningi abakwenzile kunguqulo yefilimu yendaba, awukaboni ngempela lo mbukiso kuze kube yilapho usuwubone ngokuphelele nangabalingisi abangamaciko asebenze kakhulu kunoDepp noBonham-Carter.

Uhlobo lwefilimu lomculo lwalungeyona neze inguquko yokuqala yesikrini sendaba ye- Sweeney Todd, noma kunjalo. Ngalokho, kufanele ubuyele emuva ngo-1926. Ngeshwa ifilimu, ebiqondiswa nguGeorge Dewhurst futhi edlala indawo kaGaughan endimeni yokulingisa, ilahlekile.

Indaba yashintshelwa esikrinini futhi ngo-1928 futhi futhi ngo-1936, kulokhu kuqondiswa uGeorge King. Uhlobo lukaKing empeleni lukhethwe njengelinye lamafilimu okuqala angama-200 elizosakazwa kuthelevishini futhi laqala ukubonakala ku-WNBT Channel 1 eNew York City.

Selokhu yaguqulwa yi-BBC izikhathi ezingaphezu kwesisodwa, futhi ibamba izithameli isikhathi ngasinye.

Kepha kungani uSweeney?

Manje kungani le ndaba ithathe umcabango wababhali, ababhali bokudlala, nabenzi bamafilimu? Kuyini endabeni kaSweeney Todd okudonsela izethameli kuyo kaninginingi?

Vele, kunesimo esididayo senganekwane. Ukubulala kungcoliswe kakhulu nokusonteka okungalindelekile kokondla inyama yomuntu kubathengi abangalindelekile kungumqondo ovusa amadlingozi!

Kodwa ingabe yilokho kuphela? Ngokuqinisekile kuyisizathu sokuthi kungani ngiyithanda, futhi ngiye ngicabange kaningi ukuthi ngizokwenzenjani uma ngithola ukuthi ngingahlanganyeli ngihlanganyele nokudla abantu. Vele, ngixakile ngakho-ke mhlawumbe kuphela nginayo leyo micabango.

Yize ngineqiniso lokuthi izifundiswa zingakunika futhi zinikeze izizathu eziningi, ngicabanga ukuthi kwehlela esimweni esiyisisekelo somuntu.

USweeney Todd kungenzeka noma ubani. Angaba ngumgundi wendawo yakini noma ngisho nakakhulu umakhelwane wakho.

Kukhona kokubili ukunengeka kanye nokuthakazelisa okuncane okuzelwe kubantu lapho bebathola bexhumene nezimo ezinjalo. Umuntu kufanele afunde noma abuke izindaba kuphela ngemuva kokubanjwa kombulali osabekayo noma umbulali obulalayo ukuze azibone. Abangani, omakhelwane, nabajwayelene balayini bezinhlolokhono ukuze bakhulume ngendlela ababengasoli ngayo umbulali ngokwenza izinto ezimbi kangaka.

Noma ngabe iyiphi ingxenye yobuchopho bethu eyenza umuntu akuthokozele lokho kuxhumana nezimo ezesabekayo kangaka, bengingabeka imali ngayo kube yingxenye efanayo egcine indaba kaSweeney Todd iphila.