Certainly the easiest way to film this sort of by turns boisterous and pensive revue style musical – I’m not sure translating this into more cinematic terms would work, and the filming is always going to take away the visceral “live” sting this material needs, but by any standards this is an impressive mounting, with an unknown cast (to me) providing moment after moment of revelation, especially Esparza who manages the shift from passive observer to full-blown galvanizing lead brilliantly.

If someone like Hal Hartley (or hell, Jamie Travis, it's not like he's doing much) ever got around to making a proper movie of this i'm pretty sure it would be the greatest thing ever (but please not Sam Mendes or god forbid Neil Labute which almost happened). Of course, it's not like that's ever going to happen, and Sondheim will forever be trapped in Tim Burton/Rob Marshall cinematic purgatory. (For what it's worth i like this version way more than the more over-the-top star-studded 2011 one).