The New York Times chief classical music critic, Anthony Tommasini, has kind words indeed for Johnny Depp's vocal performance in Sweeney Todd, going so far as to say that many opera singers could learn a thing or two from the "expression, nuance, intention, and controlled intensity" that comes through Depp's "verbally dynamic" performance. Says Tommasini: Depp's "performance as captured on screen is stunning in every dimension: dramatically, psychologically, physically and, yes, vocally."

In a video interview aired last month on the Nonesuch Journal, Stephen Sondheim stated his preference for actors who can sing over singers who can act, a sentiment Tommasini clearly appreciates. With Depp, though, it was hardly a compromise:

His ear is obviously excellent, because his pitch is dead-on accurate. ... [H]e brings such breadth of statement and lyrical integrity to his phrasing ... Beyond his good pitch and phrasing, the expressive colorings of his singing are crucial to the portrayal.

Tommasini also praises Depp's co-stars in the film, describing Helena Bonham Carter's singing as Mrs. Lovett "lyrical and seductive" and Alan Rickman's portrayal of Judge Turpin as "harrowingly understated ... which comes through in his literate, dry and menacing singing."

Supporting all of the actors is, of course, the music itself, with adaptation to the orchestration by the play's original orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick. With his "inventive" reworkings, says Tommasini, Tunick "has created a soundtrack that has old-fashioned Hollywood film plushness. Yet there is still so much color and detail in his scoring that the orchestra sounds like a pit band for a classic Sondheim show."

In the end, for Tommasini, "the film rests on Mr. Depp’s performance," and if Sweeney turns out to be the actor's only foray into film musicals, he concludes, "what a way to go out."

To read the complete article, visit nytimes.com.