Starring
Norman Large
(Broadway's Woman in White,
MTW's Meet Me In St. Louis, La Cage Aux Folles)
as Sweeney Todd
Debbie Prutsman
(Cats, Ragtime, Les Miserables, Triumph of Love)
as Mrs. Lovett
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Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 Tony Award–winning musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond, which is in turn based on the legend that came to life via The String of Pearls an 1846 British penny dreadful serial.
Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin, where Wicked currently plays) on March 1, 1979 and ran for 557 performances. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller. It starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett.
The musical tells the story of Benjamin Barker, alias Sweeney Todd, who returns to London after spending fifteen years in prison on false charges. When Mrs. Lovett, his former landlady, recounts the fate that befell his wife and daughter, he vows revenge.
The show won eight Tony-Awards (it was nominated for nine), including Best Musical and Angela Lansbury for Best Actress. The national tour again starred Lansbury, joined by George Hearn as Sweeney (it featured Calvin Remsberg, the director of MTW's production as Beadle Bamford), and was filmed for Great Performances on PBS.
In 2007, famed director Tim Burton teamed with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to give Sweeney life on the silver screen. While the cinematic version differs from the stage adaptation, it no doubt ensures that the legend of Sweeney Todd will continue to thrill audiences for generations to come. |
