Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Full Play (Musical)

18.07.2023

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler.

It is based on the 1970 play Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. The character of Sweeney Todd first appeared in a Victorian penny dreadful titled The String of Pearls.

Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and in the West End in 1980. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has been revived in many productions as well as inspired a film adaptation.

The original logo for the musical is a modified version of an advertising image from the 19th century, with the sign replaced by a straight razor. There is also a woman wearing a blood-stained dress and holding a rolling pin next to the man.

Sweeney Todd:

Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial The String of Pearls (1846–1847).

The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Street, Todd murders his customers with a straight razor and gives their corpses to Mrs. Lovett, his partner in crime, who bakes their flesh into meat pies. The tale has been retold many times since in various media.

Some historians claim that Sweeney Todd was a historical person and this very claim has been disputed strongly by scholars, although possible legendary prototypes exist.

Jack The Ripper:

Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was called the Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron.

Attacks ascribed to Jack the Ripper typically involved women working as prostitutes who lived and worked in the slums of the East End of London.

Their throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to speculation that their killer had some anatomical or surgical knowledge.

Rumors that the murders were connected intensified in September and October 1888, and numerous letters were received by media outlets and Scotland Yard from individuals purporting to be the murderer.

Summary:

The citizens of London, who act as a Greek chorus throughout the play, drop a body bag and pour ashes into a shallow grave. Sweeney Todd rises forth ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"), and introduces the drama.

The Play:

Performed in September 2015 by JJ Pearce High School Theater in Richardson, Texas. Directed by Heather Biddle.

Cast:

Sweeney - Sam Snyder 

Lovett - Shelby Griswold 

Anthony - John Adam Jovicich 

Johanna - Claire Greenburg 

Judge - Jack Durham 

Toby - Trevor Norris

Beggar Woman/Lucy - Kenadi Paredes

The Movie:

2007, USA, Drama, Horror, Musical

Director: Tim Burton

Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman

Writers: John LoganHugh, Wheeler, Christopher Bond

Won 1 Oscar, 34 Wins, 77 Nominations total.