Mrs. Lovett, the accomplice to murder and enabler of cannibalism in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, is a difficult role to play and not just because of the dark content and challenging score, but because it was originated by Angela Lansbury — keeper of our hearts — and no one can ever hold a candle to her. If anyone could come close, though, it’s probably Emma Thompson.
This Friday, September 26, PBS will air the New York Philharmonic production of Sweeney Todd — starring Thompson and Bryn Terfel (as Todd) — that ran at Lincoln Center last March. So far, they’ve been kind enough to release a few clips, like the one above, via Vulture, that shows Thompson lamenting the hard times that have fallen upon Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop in “Worst Pies in London,” and the one below, featuring Thompson and the company in “God, That’s Good,” a celebration of when her luck starts turning around with a cameo by Audra McDonald.