The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
A Musical Thriller
Music and Lyrics by
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by
HUGH WHEELER
From an Adaptation by
CHRISTOPHER BOND
Originally Directed on Broadway by HAROLD PRINCE
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr,
Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards
in Association with Dean and Judy Manos
Conducted by Jonathan Darlington | Directed by Kim Collier | Movement by Wendy Gorling
In English with English SURTITLES™
CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE
Anthony Hope
Sweeney Todd / Benjamin Barker
Beggar Woman / Lucy Barker
Mrs. Nellie Lovett
Judge Turpin
Beadle Bamford
Johanna Barker
Tobias Ragg
Adolfo Pirelli / Danny O’Higgins
Bird Seller
Jonas Fogg
Rocco Rupolo *
Greer Grimsley
Karen Ydenberg
Luretta Bybee
Doug MacNaughton
Michael Barrett
Caitlin Wood *
Pascal Charbonneau
David Curry
TBC
Zachary Read *
With the Vancouver Opera Chorus as citizens of London and with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.
Chorus Director/Associate Conductor
Scenic Design
Costume Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design
Wig Designer
Musical Preparation
Stage Manager
Fight Director
Assistant Director
Assistant Lighting Designer
Assistant Stage Managers
English SURTITLES™
Leslie Dala
Robert Gardiner
Nancy Bryant
Alan Brodie
Brian Linds
Stacey Butterworth
Kinza Tyrrell, Tina Chang,
Kimberley-Ann Bartczak
Theresa Tsang
Nicholas Harrison
Brenna Corner *
Julie Martens
Beth Grieve,
Melania Radelicki
Anika Vervecken
* Member of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program
The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. There will be one intermission.
Sweeney Todd Fast Facts
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The story of Sweeney Todd started as a weekly serial in a “penny dreadful” (a magazine sold in London that
cost one penny) in 1846. It was expanded into a book, then a number of different plays.
Barbers in the 19th century were also dentists and surgeons!
The story of Sweeney Todd might have started as an urban legend in London. Despite claims to the contrary,
Sweeney Todd was not based on a real person.
The original production of Sweeney Todd won the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best
Actor and Best Actress in 1979.
SWEENEY TODD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com. The videotaping or audio recording of this
production is strictly prohibited.
SYNOPSIS
ACT 1
London
Anthony, a young sailor, has just arrived home. He is
accompanied by a man he rescued drowning off the
coast of Australia: Sweeney Todd. They are approached
by a woman who alternates between begging for alms
and soliciting sex. She seems to recognize Sweeney.
Anthony is thrilled to return to London but Sweeney is
not. He tells Anthony the story of a barber who was sent
into exile by a powerful man who had designs on the
barber’s beautiful wife. The two part ways.
Sweeney enters a pie shop and is immediately accosted
by the owner, Mrs. Lovett, who bemoans the hard times
and the scarcity of meat. She suspects Sweeney to be
Benjamin Barker, a barber who was falsely accused by
Judge Turpin so that the Judge could get Barker’s wife,
Lucy. The Judge, along with Beadle Bramford, a law-andorder official, lured Lucy to his house where he
tormented and sexually assaulted her. Sweeney’s anger
confirms Mrs. Lovett's suspicions.
Mrs. Lovett tells Sweeney that Lucy has poisoned herself
and that his daughter Johanna now lives as Judge
Turpin’s ward. She presents Sweeney with his set of
silver shaving razors, which she has held on to during
his years of exile, and Sweeney vows to use them to get
his revenge.
Judge Turpin’s house
Johanna sits gazing out of a window longing to be free.
Anthony happens to wander by and immediately falls in
love with the beautiful young woman. The Judge and the
Beadle return, but their warnings to stay away only
strengthen Anthony's resolve to save her.
In town
Barber Signor Pirelli’s assistant Tobias hawks a miracle
elixir that regrows hair. After exposing the elixir as a
hoax, Sweeney challenges Pirelli to a shaving contest,
which Sweeney wins easily. The Beadle, who was
judging the contest, is impressed and Sweeney invites
him to his shop for a complimentary shave, thus
securing his chance at revenge.
In Sweeney's shop
Anthony, not knowing that Johanna is Sweeney’s
daughter, bursts in and asks the barber for help: he
intends to rescue Johanna and wants to use the shop as
a safe house. Pirelli arrives to pay Sweeney a visit. Mrs.
Lovett takes Toby downstairs for a pie. Pirelli drops his
Italian accent and reveals that he knows Sweeney is
Benjamin and demands a share of his earnings. Instead
of giving in to blackmail, Sweeney kills Pirelli. Mrs.
Lovett seizes the opportunity and relieves the now-dead
Pirelli of his wallet.
Judge Turpin’s house
Johanna is terrified: the Judge intends to marry her on
Monday. The Beadle suggests that the Judge clean up a
bit and sends him to Sweeney Todd. As the Judge tells
Sweeney about his impending marriage, Sweeney
shaves him, enjoying the anticipation of revenge. Before
he can slit the Judge’s throat, Anthony bursts in and
blurts out his plan to save Johanna. Sweeney loses his
chance at revenge as the Judge storms out, declaring
that he will lock Johanna up and never come to the
barber shop again. Sweeney, furious, swears to kill as
many people as possible, punishing the rich and corrupt
and freeing the poor from their saddened state. Mrs.
Lovett sees an opportunity—they can dispose of the
bodies by using the meat for her pies—and so a new
enterprise is born.
ACT 2
Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop is now bustling. Sweeney has a
brand new chair with some special modifications. When
Anthony discovers that the Judge has locked Johanna up
in an asylum, he gets Sweeney to help him plan an
escape: Anthony will go to the asylum pretending to be
a wigmaker looking for hair from the inmates. Seeing an
opportunity to lure the Judge back to his shop, Sweeney
writes a letter, warning him of Anthony’s plan, and
suggests that Anthony and Johanna could be captured
at the barber shop.
Tobias has begun to suspect that there is something
awry at the pie shop and tries to warn Mrs. Lovett. Mrs.
Lovett distracts him and sends him down into the
bakehouse where she locks him in. She returns upstairs
to find the Beadle waiting—he has been sent to
investigate the strange smells and smoke coming from
her chimneys. Sweeney comes in and offers the Beadle
his free shave. Tobias is still in the basement when the
Beadle’s body tumbles down and he suddenly realizes
exactly what is going on.
Asylum owner Fogg tries to stop Anthony from rescuing
Johanna. Anthony pulls a gun but is unable to fire as
Fogg advances. Johanna shoots Fogg and they escape,
leaving the rest of the inmates to wander through the
streets of London.
Meanwhile, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett search for Tobias,
who has run off and is now a risk to their operation.
Anthony has left Johanna back at the barber shop and
has gone looking for Sweeney. The beggar woman
comes into the shop, forcing Johanna to hide. Sweeney
arrives to find the beggar woman in his parlour and
quickly slits her throat when he realizes the Judge is
coming. The Judge arrives and Sweeney lures him into
the chair before revealing his true identity and killing
him. Sweeney then realizes that he has been seen by
Johanna, who has come out of hiding. She barely
escapes Sweeney’s knife.
Mrs. Lovett struggles with the bodies in the basement.
Sweeney arrives and in the oven’s light finally
recognizes the beggar woman—it is his wife Lucy. As he
weeps over killing his own wife, Mrs. Lovett admits she
lied about Lucy because she is in love with Sweeney.
Sweeney takes Mrs. Lovett in his arms for a dance but
then shoves her into the oven.
Sweeney kneels on the floor, holding Lucy. From behind
him, Tobias, deeply troubled by what he has seen,
approaches and slits Sweeney’s throat just as Johanna,
Anthony, and the police enter.
Spotlight on Anika Vervecken Surtitler for Sweeney Todd
What is a surtitler?
I oversee every aspect of the titles that are projected above
the stage
What is your favourite part of your job?
The rehearsal process, watching how everything evolves.
How one small comment by the conductor or director
complete changes and shapes the performance.
How did you become a surtitler?
I studied theatre and afterwards translation and combined
them into my research on Surtitles. While writing my thesis
on Surtitles I worked with a French director who gave me
my first opportunity.
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