SWEENEY TODD (MUSICAL)

'''Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street''' is a Tony Award-winning 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 specifically upon the 1973 play by Christopher Bond.
''Sweeney Todd'' opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1 1979. The musical played for 576 performances. The story centers on the character of Sweeney Todd, formerly known as Benjamin Barker, who returns from the penal colonies in Australia, where he has spent fifteen years on false charges. When he learns from Mrs. Lovett, whose meat pies are the worst in London, that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin, and his daughter is the ward of Judge Turpin, who imprisoned him, he vows revenge. The two become conspirators in a dark plot that results in mass murder, booming business for Lovett's shop, and ultimately tragedy.

Contents

Synopsis

List of musical numbers

Productions

Film

Musical analysis

Awards and nominations

Recordings and broadcasts

References

External links

Synopsis

;Act I
Anthony Hope and Sweeney Todd arrive in London with opposite feelings about their return to the city. Hope is happy to be back in the city, while Todd is grim and uneasy ("No Place like London"). They are accosted by a crazy Beggar Woman who thinks that she recognizes Todd, but Todd chases her away. Hope offers to help Todd get on his feet with some financial assistance, but Todd declines and, trance-like, tells a tragic story ("The Barber and his Wife"). There was once a barber who had a beautiful wife, but she was coveted by a rich judge who exiled the barber so that he could have the barber's wife. Todd leaves Hope, indicating that he will be staying near Fleet Street.
Todd enters Mrs. Lovett's pie shop and sees her preparing pies and flicking flies away. She serves him a meat pie and describes her pies ("The Worst Pies in London"). Todd inquires about the room upstairs, which prompts Mrs. Lovett to tell the story of the barber who used to live there ("Poor Thing"). She tells him that the barber was named Benjamin Barker, who lived with his wife and his daughter, but a Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford arrested Barker unjustly and had him sent to Australia; afterwards, Turpin raped Barker's wife. It becomes clear to Mrs Lovett that Todd is Benjamin Barker, returned from exile after 15 years, and Todd demands to learn what became of his family. Mrs. Lovett tells him that Barker's wife took arsenic, and Judge Turpin has adopted Barker's daughter Johanna. Todd vows to take revenge on the Judge and his Beadle. Mrs. Lovett brings him the razors that she has saved since he went away. He sings about using them to help exact his revenge ("My Friends").
Meanwhile, at Judge Turpin's mansion, Johanna is singing to a caged bird, representing her own confined situation ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"). Hope appears on the street below and they fall in love ("Ah, Miss"). The Beggar Woman appears to warn Hope that he is at Judge Turpin's house and to beware. Hope runs off, buys a bird for Johanna, and presents it to her ("Johanna"). Judge Turpin catches the two of them in their lover's gaze and furiously orders Johanna into the house.
In the marketplace, a mountebank's caravan has rolled into town touting a cure-all for hair loss ("Pirelli's Miracle Elixir"). Todd, who has concluded that the "elixir" is nothing but urine and ink, vows to reveal that Pirelli is a fraud and challenges him to a shave contest. Todd wins ("The Contest"), impressing the Beadle, who asks for his shop address. At the shop, Todd is eager for revenge, and Mrs. Lovett cautions him not to be too hasty ("Wait"). Hope visits Todd and asks if he can use the shop as a hiding place for Johanna. Todd agrees, and Hope leaves the shop. Pirelli and his helper, Tobias, then appear. Mrs. Lovett takes Tobias downstairs for a pie, and Pirelli and Todd have a discussion. Pirelli reveals that he was Benjamin Barker's apprentice and threatens to blackmail Todd. They struggle, and Todd renders Pirelli unconscious and stuffs him in a chest. After Tobias leaves, Todd takes Pirelli out of the chest and slits his throat.
Meanwhile, Judge Turpin struggles with his lust for the adopted Johanna, concluding he should marry her ("Johanna"). He informs Johanna of his intentions, and she is appalled. Later, Hope proposes to Johanna, who is distressed over Turpin's desire to marry her ("Kiss Me"). At the same time, the Beadle suggests that Judge Turpin pay a little more attention to his physical appearance to help win Johanna over ("Ladies in their Sensitivities"). He suggests that Turpin should visit Sweeney Todd, and Turpin agrees.
When Judge Turpin enters Todd's shop, Todd sees a perfect opportunity to exact his revenge. Judge Turpin announces his impending nuptials to his ward, and Todd shaves his face, reflecting on beautiful women ("Pretty Women"). Before Todd can kill the judge, however, Anthony Hope rushes in to announce that Johanna has agreed to marry him. The Judge leaves in a fury, indicating that he will lock Johanna away. Todd, furious, becomes utterly unhinged and broadens the target of his vengeance to all of society ("Epiphany"). Mrs. Lovett suggests that they use the meat of his victims in her pies for monetary gain, and Todd finds the idea inspiringly poetic and practical ("A Little Priest").
;Act II
Business is booming in the pie shop, and Mrs. Lovett is finally experiencing some prosperity. There are customers lined up around the corner to savour her meat pies ("God, That's Good"). Todd and Mrs. Lovett have devised a new system for the meat delivery; when Todd kills someone, he sends the body parts down a chute to the bake house.
Todd thinks upon the loss of his daughter, ultimately becoming more and more deadened to it as he loses himself in his bloody vengeance on all of London ("Johanna"). Meanwhile, the Beggar Woman is suspicious of the pie shop and attempts to warn the people. Hope searches for Johanna and discovers that Judge Turpin has locked her away in an insane asylum. He attempts to rescue her but is barely able to escape the police.
Mrs. Lovett daydreams about married life with Todd ("By the Sea"). Hope bursts in, telling of Johanna's imprisonment. Todd sends Hope back to the asylum disguised as a wigmaker (the owner of the asylum sells the inmates' hair). Todd gives him a gun and instructs him to bring Johanna back to the shop. Tobias is becoming suspicious of Todd ("Not While I'm Around"), but Mrs. Lovett calms him down by sending him downstairs to grind some meat. The Beadle shows up to respond to some complaints of a foul smell coming from the shop. Todd takes the Beadle upstairs for a free shave before he inspects the ovens. Tobias is still in the basement grinding and begins to suspect that the meat is human, just as the Beadle comes down the chute. He tries to escape but realizes that he is locked in.
At the Asylum, Hope has rescued Johanna, but they are caught by the owner. He is unable to shoot, but Johanna grabs the gun and shoots the owner. They flee the asylum and return to the shop. At the shop Hope leaves Johanna behind to hire a coach for their escape. The Beggar Woman appears, and Johanna hides in the trunk. Todd discovers the Beggar Woman in his parlor, and she frantically tries to warn him about Mrs. Lovett. As Judge Turpin arrives, Todd frantically slits the Beggar Woman's throat and sends her down the chute before Turpin can see her. Judge Turpin enters the shop looking for Johanna. Todd convinces him that she is safe with Mrs. Lovett and ready to be reunited with him. Excited, the judge asks for a shave ("Pretty Women Reprise"). Once again overjoyed to have Turpin in his clutches, Todd reveals his identity to the judge and slits his throat. As Todd leaves the parlor to kill Tobias, Johanna emerges from the trunk and escapes.
In the bake house, Mrs. Lovett struggles with the still-living Judge and notices the body of the Beggar Woman and becomes distraught. Todd bursts in, sees the Beggar Woman in the light, and realizes that she is his wife Lucy. Todd furiously accuses Mrs. Lovett of deceiving him. She attempts at first to explain her rationale: she had told him Lucy did take arsenic, but it didn't kill her - it drove her insane. But she finally admits her lie, only to resort to proclaiming her devotion and undying love. Todd shockingly calms down, taking Mrs. Lovett in a dance, proclaiming his love for her. However, it is only a ploy. Todd waltzes Mrs. Lovett to the oven and traps her in a fiery grave.
Distraught at the cost of his vengeance, Todd sinks to the floor and cradles his beloved wife Lucy in his arms. Tobias enters and stumbles towards the barber, killing the compliant Todd with his own razor. Tobias has lost his mind; he is unable to stop grinding the meat grinder.

List of musical numbers

;Act I ★ Organ Prelude ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - Company ★ No Place Like London - Sweeney Todd, Anthony Hope ★ The Barber and His Wife - Beggar Woman ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (incidental) ★ The Worst Pies in London - Mrs. Lovett ★ Poor Thing - Mrs. Lovett ★ My Friends - Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (reprise) ★ Green Finch and Linnet Bird - Johanna ★ Ah, Miss - Anthony Hope and Beggar Woman ★ Johanna - Anthony Hope ★ Pirelli's Miracle Elixir - Tobias Ragg, Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Lovett and Company ★ The Contest - Pirelli ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (reprise) ★ Johanna - Judge Turpin ★ Wait - Mrs. Lovett ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Three Tenors) ★ Kiss Me - Johanna and Anthony Hope ★ Ladies in Their Sensitivities - The Beadle ★ Kiss Me (Quartet) - Johanna, Anthony Hope, The Beadle and Judge Turpin ★ Pretty Women - Sweeney Todd and Judge Turpin ★ Epiphany - Sweeney Todd ★ A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett

;Act II ★ God, That's Good! - Tobias Ragg, Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd, Beggar Woman and Customers ★ Johanna (Quartet) - Anthony Hope, Sweeney Todd, Johanna and Beggar Woman ★ By the Sea - Mrs. Lovett ★ Wigmaker Sequence; The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (reprise) ★ The Letter ★ Not While I'm Around - Tobias Ragg and Mrs. Lovett ★ Parlor Songs - The Beadle and Mrs. Lovett ★ The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (reprise) ★ Fogg's Assylum; Fogg's Passacaglia ★ City On Fire - Lunatics, Johanna and Anthony Hope ★ Ah, Miss (reprise) ★ The Beggar Woman's Lullabye ★ The Judge's Return ★ Final Scene - Anthony Hope, Beggar Woman, Sweeney Todd, Judge Turpin, Mrs. Lovett, Johanna and Tobias Ragg ★ Epilogue: The Ballad of Sweeney Todd

Productions

;Original Broadway production
After nineteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Hal Prince and choreographed by Larry Fuller, opened on March 1, 1979 at the Uris Theatre. Despite initial poor audience reaction -- on opening night, half the audience is said to have left in disgust at intermission -- the show ran for 557 performances, closing on June 29, 1980. The cast included Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Lovett), Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd), Victor Garber (Anthony Hope), Sarah Rice (Johanna), Merle Louise (Beggar Woman), Ken Jennings (Tobias Ragg), Edmund Lyndeck (Judge Turpin) and Craig Lucas (member of the Company). Lansbury won her fourth Tony award for her performance.
;Original West End production
The musical opened in London's West End
on July 2 1980 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Denis Quilley and Sheila Hancock and ran for 157 performances.
;U.S. national tour
The first U.S. national tour started on October 24, 1980 in Washington DC and ended in August 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Lansbury was joined by George Hearn, who had replaced Len Cariou in the Broadway production. A second tour started on February 23, 1982 in Wilmington, Delaware and ended on July 17, 1982 in Toronto, Canada. June Havoc and Ross Petty starred.
;1989 Broadway revial
The first Broadway revival opened on September 14 1989 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 188 performances after 47 previews. It was produced by Theodore Mann and directed by Susan H. Schulman; the cast included Bob Gunton and Beth Fowler.

;1994 Los Angeles production
In 1994, East West Players in Los Angeles staged a revival directed by Tim Dang, featuring a largely Asian Pacific American cast. It was also the first time the show had been presented in an intimate house (Equity 99-seat). The production received 5 Ovation Awards including the Franklin Levy Award for Best Musical (Smaller Theatre) and Best Director (Musical) for Dang.
;Opera house performances
In the early 2000s, ''Sweeney Todd'' gained acceptance with opera companies throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Israel, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia. Bryn Terfel, the popular Welsh bass-baritone, performed the title role at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2002. It was performed at the Royal Opera House in London as part of the Royal Opera season (December 2003-January 2004). The Israeli National Opera has performed ''Sweeney Todd'' twice.
;Concert productions

The show also had major concert productions with George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Neil Patrick Harris, and Audra McDonald joining the New York Philharmonic in May 2000; Hearn, LuPone, and Harris reuniting with the San Francisco Symphony in July 2001; and at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago on August 24, 2001 with most of the cast from the preceding concerts. London's Royal Festival Hall is hosting a four-day concert production in July 2007 starring Bryn Terfel, Maria Friedman, Daniel Boys, Steve Elias and Philip Quast.^[1]
;Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration
As part of the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration, a production of ''Sweeney Todd'' ran from May 10, 2002 until June 30, 2002, starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Baranski. ^[2]
;2004-05 West End and Broadway revivals and 2007 tour
In 2004 John Doyle directed a revival of the musical at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, England, which subsequently transferred to the West End's Trafalgar Studios and then the New Ambassadors Theatre. The production was notable for having no orchestra, with the actors themselves playing the score. This marked the first time in nearly ten years that a Sondheim show had been presented in the commercial West End. This production transferred to Broadway, with a new cast which starred Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone. It opened on November 3 2005 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it ran for 384 performances. The cast, as in London, accompanied themselves on the instruments.
A tour of this production starring Judy Kaye (who temporarily replaced Patti Lupone in the Broadway run) as Mrs. Lovett and David Hess as Sweeney Todd began its pre-tour performances on August 30, 2007 at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. This production is currently scheduled to tour the United States through June 2008. ^[3]

Film

A feature film adaptation of Sondheim's ''Sweeney Todd'' began principal production on February 5, 2007. Tim Burton directs from a screenplay by John Logan. It stars Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd, Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, Sacha Baron Cohen as Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Laura Michelle Kelly as the Beggar Woman, and Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford. The Dreamworks/Warner Bros. production is slated for release on December 21, 2007.

Musical analysis

Sondheim's score is one of his most complex to date. It relies heavily on counterpoint and rich, angular harmonies in the show. Its compositional style has been compared to those of Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, and Bernard Herrmann (scores for horror films). Sondheim also quotes the ancient Dies Irae Gregorian chant, both as part of the eponymous ballad that runs throughout the score, in a musical inversion later on, and in the accompaniment to "Epiphany". He also relies heavily on leitmotif - at least twenty distinct ones can be identified throughout the score. Depending on how and where the show is presented, it is sometimes considered an opera. ^[4]
In his essay for the 2005 cast album, Jeremy Sams finds it most relevant to compare Sondheim's work with operas that similarly explore the psyche of a mad murderer or social outcast, such as Georg Buchner's ''Wozzeck'' (1925) and Benjamin Britten's ''Peter Grimes'' (1945). On the other hand, it can be seen as a precursor to the later trend of musicals based on horror themes, ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1986) and ''Dance of the Vampires'' (1997), which used the description of the trend, "grusical", as its commercial label.

Awards and nominations

'Original Broadway production'

★ Tony Award for Best Musical (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Original Score (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Cariou, winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Lansbury, winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Costume Design (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)

★ Theatre World Award (Ken Jennings and Sarah Rice, winners)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Cariou, winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Lansbury, winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Jennings, winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Merle Louise, winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (nominee)
'1989 Broadway revival'

★ Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Gunton, nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Fowler, nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Revival (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Gunton, nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Fowler, nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival (nominee)
'2005 Broadway revival'

★ Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Cerveris, nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (LuPone, nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Manoel Felciano, nominee)

★ Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (winner)

★ Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Cerveris, nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (LuPone, nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Alexander Gemignani, nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (winner)

★ Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design (nominee)

Recordings and broadcasts

An original Broadway cast recording was released in 1979. It included the Judge's "Johanna" from Act 1, which had been cut in previews. [1]
A performance of the 1980 touring company was taped before an audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles during the first national tour, with additional taping done in an empty theatre. It was televised on September 12, 1982 on The Entertainment Channel and broadcast on PBS. (http://www.sondheimguide.com/sweeney.html#TV )It was later released on both VHS and DVD. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JL6V/imdb-adbox/]
In July 1994, the Royal National Theatre revival production starring Denis Quilley and Julia McKenzie was broadcast by the BBC.^[5] Opera North's production was also broadcast by the BBC on March 30, 1998 as was the Royal Opera House production in 2003.
In 1995, the Barcelona cast recorded a cast album sung in Catalan. This production was also broadcast on Spanish television.
The 2000 New York City Concert was recorded and released in a deluxe 2-CD set. [2]
In 2001, the same concert was held in San Francisco with the same leads and minor cast changes. It was also videotaped and broadcast on PBS, and then was released to VHS and DVD in 2001. [3]
The 2005 Broadway revival also was recorded [4]. The producers originally planned only a single-disk "highlights" version; however, they soon realized that they had recorded more music than what could be fit on one disk and it was not financially feasible to bring the performers back in to re-record. The followings songs were cut: Wigmaker Sequence, The Letter, Parlour Songs, City On Fire, and half of the final sequence (which includes The Judge's Return).^[6]

References

1.
2. http://www.sondheimguide.com/concerts3.html#Kennedy
3. http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=21225 broadwayworld.com article, 9/08/07
4. ''New York Times'', Richard Eder, March 2, 1979, pg. C3
5. Hutchins, Michael H. Sweeney Todd at the Sondheim Guide. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
6. Fanning, Frank. Sweeney Todd at the Cast Album Database. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.

External links

★ ''Sweeney Todd'' at The Internet Broadway Database

★

★ The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide page for Sweeney Todd

★ Sweeney Todd at Sondheim.com

★ MTI shows detailed plot and production information

★ Opening Night: 'Sweeney Todd', interviews and footage from the 2005 production (6 minutes, Flash video)
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