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. A North American tour started on February 23, 1982, in Wilmington, Delaware, and ended on July 17, 1982, in Toronto, Ontario. June Havoc and Ross Petty starred. [21] Original London production [ edit ] a b c d e Four roles (Todd, Lovett, Johanna, and Turpin) were double-cast or triple-cast in the NYCO production, with the two/three actors in each role singing alternate performances. [16] Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the murderer of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls (1846–1847). In 1979, he was introduced as an antihero in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its 2007 film adaptation of the same name. Claims that Sweeney Todd was a historical person are strongly disputed by scholars, although possible legendary prototypes exist. Sondheim felt that the addition of music would greatly increase the size of the drama, transforming it into a different theatrical experience, saying later:

AusStage – Sweeney Todd". www.ausstage.edu.au. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016 . Retrieved September 21, 2017. More Hot Pies! Sweeney Todd Extends Run at Barrow Street Theatre; New Stars Announced". March 2, 2017.Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008 . Retrieved June 27, 2008. The Ballad of Sweeney Todd: '...Attend The Tale Of Sweeney Todd...' (Reprise 7)" – Company, Todd, Lovett (Full Cast)

A mad crone whose interjections go unheeded, eventually identified as Benjamin Barker's wife, Lucy, who was raped by Judge Turpin. Abesamis, Analette (October 16, 2019). "Sweeney Todd Manila: The dark side of Lea Salonga". Rappler . Retrieved February 21, 2020. What I did to Chris' play is more than enhance it. I had a feeling it would be a new animal. The effect it had at Stratford East in London and the effect it had at the Uris Theater in New York are two entirely different effects, even though it's the same play. It was essentially charming over there because they don't take Sweeney Todd seriously. Our production was larger in scope. Hal Prince gave it an epic sense, a sense that this was a man of some size instead of just a nut case. The music helps to give it that dimension. [4] Sweeney Todd". New Zealand Opera. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018 . Retrieved May 2, 2018.Sweeney Todd, former Benjamin Barker, is a barber who is unjustly convicted by Judge Turpin, a man who wanted to take his family from him. Todd is exiled to Australia and after many years, he is able to return to London, seeking revenge against Turpin. He starts working as a barber again, but hate has invaded his entire soul and killing becomes an obsession. He murders his customers with a razor while his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, bakes their flesh into meat pies. A good costume is really about a great silhouette. So if you can create a great costume through that with colour and shape, people will get the picture” -Colleen Atwood