My two younger sisters and I take a trip together every year,usually in early September when there are fewer tourists to contend with andsummer is drifting into fall. This year we went to New York City. Since I hadlived and worked there when I was in my 30’s and 40’s, I was charged withorganizing our activities.

We were in Manhattan only five full days plus two half-days.All three of us wanted to see a Broadway show, and, in fact, we saw two. Onewas A Beautiful Noise, the story of Neil Diamond’s life, told throughthe songs he wrote. We loved every nostalgic minute.

The decision to buy tickets for a second show happened whenwe learned Josh Groban was the lead actor/singer in a revival of SweeneyTodd. I hadn’t made the effort to see this show in the past, either onBroadway or on tour. Somehow, watching a barber kill his patients just didn’tsound like a fun way to spend an evening. This September, however, I thoughtthe opportunity to hear Josh Groban sing was worth the price of a ticket. JoshGroban definitely met my expectations. So did my negative presumptions about themusical’s plot.

After watching Sweeney Todd, I figured the story hadto be an adaptation. I couldn’t imagine a noted songwriter like Steven Sondheimdeciding one day to write a musical about a barber who killed his patients andturned them into mince meat pies. When I returned home, I looked up SweeneyTodd, and, according to Wikipedia, I was correct. The musical’s grimstory first appeared as a piece of pulp fiction titled “String of Pearls.” Thestory was serialized by The People's Periodical and Family Library in London in 1846,1847. There is some evidence “The mad barber of Fleet Street” was a real person.

I have a feeling Sondheim, who wrote lyrics for West SideStory, Gypsy and 16 other musicals was the main draw before Josh Grobanaccepted the lead role. But, for me, the music in Sweeney Todd wastotally unforgettable. There was no “I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” no “Sendin the Clowns.” I did not leave the performance with a single line from asingle song playing in my brain.