Production Info
Previews:
February 6, 1979
(27 previews)
Opening
March 1, 1979
Closing:
June 29, 1980
Length of Run:
557 perf.
Run Type:
Open-ended
Location Info
Market:
Broadway
Location:
New York, NY
Credits Highlights
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Director
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Dance and Movement
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Cast
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Anthony Hope
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Sweeney Todd
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Beggar Woman
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Mrs. Lovett
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Judge Turpin
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The Beadle
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Johanna
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Tobias Ragg
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Pirelli
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Jonas Fogg
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Musical Numbers
Act One
- [Prelude .... Organ]
- The Ballad of Sweeney Todd .... Company
- No Place Like London .... Anthony, Todd, Beggar Woman
- The Barber and His Wife .... Todd
- The Worst Pies in London .... Mrs. Lovett
- Poor Thing .... Mrs. Lovett
- My Friends .... Todd, Mrs. Lovett
- Green Finch and Linnet Bird .... Johanna
- Ah, Miss .... Anthony, Beggar Woman
- Johanna .... Anthony
- Pirelli's Miracle Elixir .... Tobias, Todd, Mrs. Lovett, Company
- The Contest .... Pirelli
- Wait .... Mrs. Lovett
- Kiss Me .... Johanna, Anthony
- Ladies in Their Sensitivities .... The Beadle
- Quartet .... Johanna, Anthony, The Beadle, Judge Turpin
- Pretty Women .... Todd, Judge Turpin
- Epiphany .... Todd
- A Little Priest .... Todd, Mrs. Lovett
Act Two
- God, That's Good! .... Tobias, Mrs. Lovett, Todd, Beggar Woman, Customers
- Johanna .... Anthony, Todd, Johanna, Beggar Woman
- By the Sea .... Mrs. Lovett
- Not While I'm Around .... Tobias, Mrs. Lovett
- Parlor Songs .... The Beadle, Mrs. Lovett
- City on Fire! .... Lunatics, Johanna, Anthony
- Final Sequence .... Anthony, Beggar Woman, Todd, Judge Turpin, Mrs. Lovett, Johanna, Tobias
- The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (finale) .... Company
Additional Musical Numbers Lists
No additional musical numbers lists yet.
Trivia & History
The song list above is based on the production's playbill listing, but we've added extra identifying information for several numbers — the opening and finale "Ballad"s, the two songs titled "Johanna," and what was listed in the playbill as "Quartet," which many productions don't list as a separate number. In addition, we've listed the organ prelude, which was not listed in the playbill.
Some things that may seem odd — e.g., not listing Todd in "By the Sea," listing the Beggar Woman in "God, That's Good!", listing Johanna next to last in the "Final Sequence" — reflect the listing in the playbill.
Only the opening and the closing "Ballad of Sweeney Todd" were listed but none of the other reprises and variants of the number. "The Letter" was also not listed.
Despite what Sondheim has said in two books — Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions and Finishing the Hat — the tooth-pulling sequence in "The Contest" was in the production for the entire run. One section of "The Contest" was cut during previews; specifically, Pirelli's opening section of the number (the section starting "Now, signorini, signori" and ending "Pull all of 'em out!"). That section was, however, included on the cast recording. This is how that cut worked in the production: After the Beadle said, "The fastest, smoothest shave is the winner," there was a brief musical transition, then Pirelli sang "To shave-a da face" and continued from there with the rest of the number.
The first half of the "Now, signorini, signori" section (with one minor lyric change) was restored for the London production and the national tour, both of which cut the tooth pulling. Many productions since have followed their example.
The cast recording shortened the organ prelude. On opening night, an even longer version was heard, but a cut was soon made that nonetheless left a version that was a good deal longer than what was heard on the cast recording.
Also heard on opening night was a different lyric for the end of the final reprise of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." This lyric, which was heard during previews and through the weekend after the opening, was:
Sweeney: To kill for love is such a thrill
Mrs. Lovett: You don't even notice you lose what you kill
Company: Like Sweeney,
Like Sweeney Todd,
The demon barber of Fleet Street.
Posters & Promo Art
Photos
Audio Clips
Production Info
Previews:
February 6, 1979
(27 previews)
Opening
March 1, 1979
Closing:
June 29, 1980
Length of Run:
557 perf.
Run Type:
Open-ended
Location Info
Market:
Broadway
Location:
New York, NY
Venues
Main Run
Audio Recordings
Commercial Recordings
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Original Broadway Cast (March 12 and 13, 1979)
Victor Garber , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck
Private Recordings
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First Broadway Preview (February 6, 1979)
Victor Garber , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck -
Original Broadway Cast (Opening Night) (March 1, 1979)
Victor Garber , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck -
Original Broadway Cast with replacement Anthony (December 8, 1979)
Cris Groenendaal , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck
Broadcast Recordings
- No broadcast audio listed yet.
Archival Recordings
- No archival audio listed yet.
Video Recordings
Commercial Recordings
- No commercial video listed yet.
Private Recordings
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Broadway Cast w/ Groenendaal (November 1979)
Cris Groenendaal , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck -
Broadway Cast w/ Groenendaal & Joslyn (January 1980)
Cris Groenendaal , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck -
Final Broadway Cast (June 1980)
Cris Groenendaal , George Hearn , Merle Louise , Dorothy Loudon , Edmund Lyndeck
Broadcast Recordings
- No broadcast video listed yet.
Archival Recordings
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Original Broadway Cast (TOFT video) (May 23, 1979)
Victor Garber , Len Cariou , Merle Louise , Angela Lansbury , Edmund Lyndeck