Sweeney Todd Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared in issue 7 of a Penny Dreadful called The Peoples' Periodical, published on the 21st of November 1846. The story in which he appeared was called "The String of Pearls: A Romance" and was probably written by Thomas Prest who created a number of other gruesome villans. He tended to base his horror stories on grains of truth, sometimes gaining inspiration from real crime reports in The Times"The String of Pearls" was made into a play in 1847 by George Dibdin Pitt and opened at the Hoxton Theatre, taking on the subtitle "The Fiend of Fleet Street" and billed as being 'founded on fact'. It was something of a success, and the story spread by word of mouth and took on the quality of a legend, often told as if it were true.
Peter Haining, a horror and crime story writer, wrote a book in 1993 entitled , in which he argues that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure, citing a number of sources. However, his claims were not widely accepted, and other investigators were unable to locate some of the sources he cites.
Based on the legend is the play Sweeney Todd, subtitled The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Hugh Wheeler.
It tells the story of Benjamin Barker, a London barber who in the story's past was sent as a prisoner to Australia by the unscrupulous Judge Turpin, who desired and subsequently raped Barker's wife. Years later, Barker returns to London calling himself Sweeney Todd and craving revenge against the Judge. He moves into a flat above a pie shop run by Mrs. Lovett, who becomes his partner in crime. After being foiled in his attempt to kill the Judge, he goes mad and begins cutting throats indiscriminately; their bodies are then ground up to make the meat pies sold by Mrs. Lovett. Though Todd initially thinks he can have both his revenge and personal happiness with Mrs. Lovett, he is still deeply scarred by the loss of his wife and daughter, an emotional trauma exacerbated by the shocking revelation of his wife's true fate. In the end, Sweeney Todd has become so completely consumed by revenge that he is, in turn, destroyed by it.
Sweeney Todd was immediately based on a 1973 play, also called Sweeney Todd, by the British playwright Christopher Bond, though the story has been told in plays and stories since the mid-19th century. The Sondheim work contains the notable songs "A Little Priest," "Pretty Women," "No Place Like London," and "Not While I'm Around."
Opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 and starred Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical of 1979. It also starred Victor Garber as Anthony Hope, Sarah Rice as Johanna and Ken Jennings as Tobias Ragg.
Early in the 2000s, Sweeney Todd gained acceptance in opera companies throughout the United States and England. Bryn Terfel, the popular Welsh bass-baritone performed the title role at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2002. It was performed at the Royal Opera House in London during the 2003-2004 season. There will be performances at the Komische Oper in Berlin during the 2004-2005 season, in German language, directed by Christopher Bond himself.
Nota Bene: In the British Army during World War II, all Sweeneys were nicknamed "Todd," and all Todds were known as "Sweeney," after this famous fictional barber.