Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on the 19th century legend of Sweeney Todd and is similar to the 1973 play The String of Pearls, by Christopher Bond. A movie based off the play was made in 2007, starring Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller, and starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett. The musical played 557 times. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Sweeney Todd | A barber who has just arrived back in London after 15 years in a penal colony. |
| Mrs. Nellie Lovett | A shopkeeper who sells 'the worst pies in London'. She falls in love with Sweeney Todd. |
| Anthony Hope | A young man who makes friends with Todd. |
| Johanna | A beautiful girl, Todd's daughter. |
| Tobias Ragg | A servant boy. He works first for Pirelli, then for Mrs. Lovett, but never trusts Todd. |
| Judge Turpin | An evil judge, who uses his power just to get what he wants. |
| Beadle Bamford | Turpin's helper in his crimes. |
| Beggar Woman | A mad old woman. |
| Adolfo Pirelli | An Italian barber. |
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The story is about Sweeney Todd, who was first named Benjamin Barker. Todd comes back from the prison camps in Australia, where he was sent for fifteen years on false charges by a judge named Turpin. He then learns from a lonely pie-maker known as Mrs. Lovett that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin. He also finds out that the Judge is keeping his daughter. Todd decides to take revenge. Sweeney and Mrs Lovett become partners in a plan that ends in murder, and increasing business for Lovett's pie shop,
Original Broadway production
1989 Broadway revival
2005 Broadway revival
2007 Film
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ain't Misbehavin' |
Tony Award for Best Musical 1979 |
Succeeded by Evita |
| Preceded by On the Twentieth Century by Cy Coleman |
Tony Award for Best Original Score 1979 by Stephen Sondheim |
Succeeded by Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice |
| Preceded by On the Twentieth Century by Betty Comden and Adolph Green |
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 1979 by Hugh Wheeler |
Succeeded by Evita by Tim Rice |