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 story has been retold many times since in various media.
The 2007 film adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street retells the melodramatic Victorian tale of Sweeney Todd, an English barber and serial killer who, while seeking revenge on Judge Turpin who wrongfully convicted and exiled him to steal his wife, murders his customers and, with the help of his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, processes their corpses into meat pies.
The musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is one of the darkest musicals ever written. It is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after 15 years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. With the help of his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, Todd begins to murder his customers and use their bodies as the filling for his meat pies.
The recent Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd features Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, a cast of 25 and an orchestra of 26. Since its premiere 44 years ago, Sweeney Todd has returned to New York in various guises – small off-Broadway productions, operatic and concert versions, and a Broadway revival, where the actors performed their own accompaniment.
