Created as part of the 2015 Providence 48 Hour Film Project between July 17-19th.
The characters, with the exception of the character requirement for the 48 Hour Project competition, are all Stephen Sondheim references to him or his characters. Stephen is named after Sondheim himself, Lynette is from "Assassins", Clara from "Passion", George: from "Sunday in the Park with George", Louise is from "Gypsy", Fredrik is from "A Little Night Music", and Mrs Lovett is from "Sweeney Todd".
The book which Van is reading is "The Gift of Fate", which appeared in The Gift of Fate (2015). Debra Leigh Siegel, who plays Lynette, is prominently featured on the cover.
The helmet on Fredrik's head is never referenced or acknowledged, directly or indirectly.