Soon Will Come, Soon Will Last

Sondheim and the art of patience

Is waiting the most passive form of action, or the most active form of passivity?

As Sweeney Todd paces and fumes about the Beadle’s delayed arrival, a masterpiece of manipulation is unfolding. “What’s your rush?” asks Mrs. Lovett, her words floating on the edge of a grander design. Through “Wait,” one of Sweeney Todd’s most eerily seductive numbers, Son…