RISE & SHINE BROADWAY FANS! Can you believe we are just 16 DAYS AWAY from Broadway's biggest night of the year, the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. We have more exciting showstopping performances from the past 73 years in our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN.
At # 16 on our countdown , we take you back in time to a dark and gritty part of London in the year 1846. One of it's famous residents is a mad Barber out for a vengeance by having those who put him in hell have their bodies and heads turned into delicious meat pies. This is the legendary chilling and thriller tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Featuring a score by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, it?s based on the dark novel of the same name by Christopher Bond.
From the 2006 telecast, Tony winners Michael Ceveris in the title role, Patti LuPone as "Mrs. Lovett", and the quadruple threat talented cast of actor-musicians from the 2005 ON Broadway revival perform a medley of some the most thrilling songs ever written for the stage including THE BALLAD OF THE SWEENEY TODD, THE WORST PIES IN LONDON, and MY FRIENDS.
SWEENEY TODD?s early origins began in serialized Victorian popular fiction well known as "penny dreadfuls". There was a story that was published in a magazine entitled The String of Pearls back in 1874 and later the famous Christopher Bond novel that inspired Stephen Sondheim to write the musical.
The show officially arrived on Broadway in 1979 at the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin Theatre) for 576 performances. Under the direction of Hal Prince, the cast starred?.
Tony winner Len Cariou (later Tony winner George Hearn) in the title role,
Dame Angela Lansbury (later the late Tony winning Dorothy Louden) as "Mrs. Lovett".
Victor Garber (later Cris Groenendaal) as ?Anthony?,
Ken Jennings as ?Tobias?,
Merle Louise as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Edmund Lyndeck as ?Judge Turpin?,
Joaquin Romaguera as ?Pirelli?,
Jack Eric Williams as ?The Beadle?,
and Sarah Rice (later Betsy Joslyn) as ?Johanna?,
The original production was nominated for 9 Tony Awards that same year winning 8 including Best Musical.
Following its original Broadway run's success, SWEENEY TODD began to haunt audiences around the world.
The musical was later revived ON BROADWAY twice.
The first revival of Sweeney Todd NYC happened in 1989 following a smash hit OFF-OFF Broadway production by the York Theatre Company. It played the Circle in the Square Theatre for 238 performances. Under the direction of Susan H. Schulman, the cast featured?.
Bob Gunton in the title role,
Beth Fowler as "Mrs. Lovett",
Jim Walton as ?Anthony Hope?,
Eddie Korbich as ?Tobias?,
SuEllen Etsy as ?The Beggar Woman?,
David Barron as ?Judge Turbin?,
Bill Nabel as ?Pirelli?,
Michael McCarty as ?The Beadle?,
and Gretchen Kingsley as ?Johanna?.
The 1989 revival was nominated for only 4 Tony Awards that year including Best Revival of a Musical but lost all the categories.
The most recent Broadway revival happened in 2005 based on a production that started in 2004 in London?s West End. It was well known for an intimate staging with the orchestra pit being replaced by the cast playing the entire score live. This production played the Eugene O'Neill Theatre for 384 performances. Under the direction of John Doyle, the cast starred?.
Tony winner Michael Cerveris in the title role,
Tony winner Patti LuPone as ?Mrs. Lovett?,
Benjamin Magnuson as ?Anthony Hope,
Tony nominee Manoel Felciano as ?Tobias?,
Diana DiMarzio as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Mark Jacoby as ?Judge Turbin?,
Donna Lynne Champlin as ?Pirelli?,
Tony nominee Alexander Gemignani as ?The Beadle?,
and Lauren Molina as ?Johanna?.
That last revival was nominated for 6 Tonys Awards in 2006 winning 2 including Best Director (for John Doyle).
Most recently, SWEENEY TODD just played the New York stage again OFF Broadway. Based on another production that happened in London, it transformed an entire theater into a working pie shop where they actually served real meat pies. This production played Off Broadway?s Barrow Street Theatre in 2017 for a year and a half. Under the direction of Bill Buckhurst, the cast featured?
Jerry Secomb (later Norm Lewis, Hugh Panaro, David Michael Garry, and Thom Sesma) in the title role,
Siobh?n McCarthy (later Carolee Carmello and Sally Ann Triplett) as "Mrs. Lovett",
Matt Doyle (later Billy Harrigan Tighe and Jake Boyd) as ?Anthony Hope?,
Joseph Taylor (later Zachary Noah Piser and John-Michael Lyles) as ?Tobias?,
Stacie Bono (later Betsy Morgan) in the dual roles of ?The Beggar Woman? and ?Pirelli?,
Duncan Smith (later Michael James Leslie and Jamie Jackson) as ?Judge Turbin?,
Tony nominee Brad Oscar (later John Rapson and Matt Leisy) as ?The Beadle?,
and Alex Finke (later DeLaney Westfall and Eryn LeCroy) as ?Johanna?.
In addition to its success on stage, SWEENEY TODD has also been a big hit from being captured on film 4 times.
In 1981, a performance of the original production's 1st National Tour stop in Los Angeles was filmed and aired on PBS that very next year. With the original creative team on board, the cast featured?
Tony winner George Hearn reprising the role of the title character,
Dame Angela Lansbury reprising her original performance as "Mrs. Lovett".
Cris Groenendaal reprising the role of ?Anthony?,
Ken Jennings reprising his original performance as ?Tobias?,
Sara Woods as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Edmund Lyndeck reprising his original performance as ?Judge Turpin?,
Sal Mistretta as ?Pirelli?,
Calvin Remsberg as ?The Beadle?,
and Betsy Joslyn reprising the role of ?Johanna?,
The 2nd time that the musical was captured on film was in 2001. This version was a performance of a concert adaptation (that originally started out with the New York Philharmonic). Filmed at Davis Symphony Hall, it aired on PBS that same year. Under the direction of Lonny Price and accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony, the cast featured?
George Hearn once again reprising the role of the title character,
Patti LuPone (who later went to the 2005 revival) as ?Mrs. Lovett),
Davis Gaines as ?Anthony Hope?,
Future Award winner Neil Patrick Harris as ?Tobias?,
Future Tony winner Victoria Clark as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Timothy Nolen as ?Judge Turpin?,
Stanford Olsen as ?Pirelli?,
and Lisa Vroman as ?Johanna?.
In 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures released the acclaimed film version that was seen worldwide. Under the direction of Tim Burton, the cast featured?.
Johnny Depp as the title role,
Helena Bonham Carter as ?Mrs. Lovett?,
Jamie Campbell Bower as ?Anthony Hope?,
Ed Sanders as ?Tobias?,
Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Alan Rickman as ?Judge Turpin?,
Sacha Baron Cohen as ?Pirelli?,
Timothy Spall as ?The Beadle?,
and Jayne Wisener as ?Johanna?.
The 2007 film was nominated for 4 Golden Globes winning 2 for Best Picture and Best Actor (for Johnny Depp).
Most recently, a performance of a revamped concert production again with the New York Philharmonic was filmed at David Geffen Hall and aired on PBS. Under the direction once again by Lonny Price, this cast starred?.
The Metropolitan Opera's acclaimed Baritone star Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role,
Emma Thompson as "Mrs. Lovett".
Jay Armstrong Johnson as ?Anthony Hope?,
Kyle Brenn as ?Tobias?,
Tony winner Audra McDonald as ?The Beggar Woman?,
Phillip Quast as ?Judge Turpin?,
Tony winner Christian Borle as ?Pirelli?,
Jeff Blumenkrantz as ?The Beadle?
and Erin Mackey as ?Johanna?.
Doesn't this musical give you a great scare?!!
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