Annaleigh Ashford (‘Sweeney Todd’) on learning from Stephen Sondheim: ‘Every clown is crying underneath the laughter’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“Steve would always say this as a comedy, and I find Mrs. Lovett to surely and truly be the clown as she was written to be,” says Annaleigh Ashford of her character in the Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd.” “But every clown is crying underneath the laughter.” She is one of the lucky actors who can call the late, revered composer Stephen Sondheim by his first name, having previously worked with him on a revival of “Sunday in the Park With George.” That production did not submit for Tony Awards consideration, but her antics as Mrs. Lovett this season has landed her a Lead Actress in a Musical nomination. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Ashford both feels at home in a comedy and relishes its challenges. “I think it’s the hardest,” she admits, “you have to be more honest than anything else to get a laugh.” Wringing laughter from an audience requires the improvisation and presence one might expect in a jazz musician. “There’s a science to it,” explains Ashford, who notes that she has to pay close attention to the audience each night, as they provide the missing ingredient in the equation. Figuring out what makes a particular audience respond is a thrill, and satisfies a long-held belief. “I think ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been aware that laughter is medicine to our souls and to our spirits,” she reveals. “And even in this dark, gruesome piece that I really think is a cautionary tale about revenge and how it is poison, we need some laughter and light to carry us through the evening.”
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This approach to comedy is quite apparent in “A Little Priest,” the pun-heavy tour de force she performs alongside Josh Groban where Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd commit to turning people into meat pies. “Josh and I are living the joys of ‘The Odd Couple,’ which is always a fun game to play,” says Ashford excitedly. Their musical phrasing of each gruesome line may feel different each night based on the response in the auditorium. “I think we just say ‘Yes, And’ every night and see what’s going to happen,” explains Ashford. “There’s definitely a framework there, but we are able, within the piece, to play with whatever the audience is giving us.”
Of course, there is a grisly nature inherent to any person who would happily submit to slaughtering innocent people for a financial gain, and Ashford is intent on shining a light on Mrs. Lovett’s complexities. She admits that she had an “Ah-ha” moment while working on the scene where Tobias (Gaten Matarazzo) lets on that he knows foul play is afoot. As he sings “Not While I’m Around,” Mrs. Lovett has a choice. “She has a choice to keep surviving and figuring out a way of how to kill him basically, or she has a choice to fight Sweeny Todd,” explains Ashford. But as the scene goes on, the actress admits that she couldn’t bring her version of Lovett to try and kill the young Tobias. In a rare glimpse of her humanity, she attempts to spare the boy by locking him in the cellar. “When you play characters like this, you have to find a space in place for their empathy,” states the actress. “And this, to me, was sort of the window in. If the audience knows that she doesn’t want to kill Toby, then we have empathy for her.”
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The idea to ground Mrs. Lovett’s zaniness comes from the originator of the role and one of Ashford’s heroes, Angela Lansbury. Ashford met the legendary actress three times, but she could never actually find the nerve to talk to the star. Instead she would become overwhelmed and start crying. “She is truly who I want to be when I grow up,” admits Ashford. So she has placed a couple subtle nods to Lansbury in her performance. “While I navigate this show every day, I say thank you to her for what she gave me, as such a beautiful blueprint,” says Ashford. “And just like Shakespeare, I know that the text is there to guide me, and whatever my spirit has to offer for this moment in time is what my spirit will offer. But it certainly feels like getting a vintage pair of shoes that were handed down to me that somebody else crafted and made their feet, and now I’m just getting to wear them. And the lever leather is warming and molding to my feet now.”
Ashford won a Tony Award for “You Can’t Take it With You” and has an additional nomination for “Kinky Boots.” Her performance of Mrs. Lovett in this current revival of “Sweeney Todd” earned her the Drama League’s coveted Distinguished Performance Award.
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