Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting Mrs. Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.

Directors:

Terry Hughes, Harold Prince

Writers:

Hugh Wheeler (book), Christopher Bond (based upon the play by)

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, George Hearn, Cris Groenendaal

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angela Lansbury	...	Nellie Lovett
George Hearn	...	Sweeney Todd
Cris Groenendaal	...	Anthony Hope
Sara Woods	...	Beggar Woman
Edmund Lyndeck	...	Judge Turpin
Calvin Remsberg	...	The Beadle
Betsy Joslyn	...	Johanna
Sal Mistretta	...	Pirelli
Spain Logue	...	Birdseller
Walter Charles	...	Passerby
Michael Kalinyen	...	Jonas Fogg
Roy Gioconda	...	Company
Skip Harris	...	Company
Duane Morris	...	Company
Patricia Parker	...	Company

Storyline

It's 1846. Sweeney Todd and Anthony Hope, greeted only by a crazed beggar woman, sail into London, where Todd implies he has been before but not in quite some time. Todd heads to his old stomping grounds of Fleet Street, where he runs across the pie shop belonging to Mrs. Nellie Lovett, who professes to make the worst meat pies in London due to the high cost of meat. The upstairs of her building has sat empty since no one wants to rent a space that is considered haunted by its long ago tenant, barber Benjamin Barker who was falsely accused and ultimately sentenced by the sadistic Judge Turpin and who was shipped away to prison in Australia, leaving his wife Lucy and infant daughter Johanna alone in the world. Todd comes to an agreement with Mrs. Lovett to rent the upstairs of her building so that he can open his own barber shop. A series of incidents, including one with rival barber Senor Pirelli, make Todd change his focus slightly away from having a choice encounter with Judge ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | sweeney todd character | eight word title | barber | revenge | 

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Genres:

Musical | Drama | Thriller | Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd

Filming Locations:

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles County Music Center - 135 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Pictures, The Nederlander Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Len Cariou won the 1979 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Musical for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" for portraying the title role. However, he did not do the National Tour, so he does not appear.

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Goofs

The Beggar Woman's mouth does not quite move in time with her final verses in "Johanna" (Act II).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man: [singing] Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. His skin was pale and his eye was odd. He shaved the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again. He trod a path that few have trod, Did Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

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Connections

Version of Sweeney Todd (1926)

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Soundtracks

Poor Thing
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Angela Lansbury

User Reviews

Wonderful score and a WONDERFUL cast

First of all, I have watched this show since I was a little toddler, and I have always loved it. Sure, maybe I didn't understand it when I was that young, but I still enjoyed it! And now that I have been able to understand it for several years, I love it even more. The score of this musical is the most wonderfully detailed score I have ever heard! Every note is perfect, I don't even need to hear the singing to enjoy it!

Moving on to this particular production- This is magnificent! Of course no one could play Mrs. Lovett besides Angela Lansbury, and she does it perfectly. And she should, she has been playing this part for several years. George Hearn is absolutely brilliant. The best Sweeney Todd I have ever heard. He has a wonderful voice, yet he can throw his voice so well! His "epiphany" is incredible, as you can tell by the audience's reaction to it. The Judge, Toby, Antony, and Pirelli are also so wonderful in their roles. Everyone is perfect! Well, I still have to fast forward through Johanna's Green finch and linnet bird. She just doesn't sing that song well at all.

This show CAN be appreciated at all ages, but it is not always accepted. I am not your typical middle-aged theater lover, I am only 15 years old, yet Sweeney Todd has given me a greater appreciation for music than I have gotten from any other musical.