The worst pies in the Big Apple will be found off-Broadway next year! Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is coming to NYC following sold-out runs in London, where the show debuted in Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop, the oldest continuously operating pie shop in Britain.
Directed by Bill Buckhurst and designed by Simon Kenny, the working pie-shop environment will be re-created at the Barrow Street Theatre, where performances will begin on February 14, 2017. Opening night is scheduled for March 1.
With music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, Sweeney Todd follows a wronged barber who takes to slitting throats while seeking revenge on the corrupt judge who destroyed his life and family. Traditional pie and mash will be served prior to each performance of Tooting Arts Club’s acclaimed revival, which is set to feature music supervision by Benjamin Cox. Full production details, including casting, will be announced later.
Sweeney Todd was last seen on Broadway in 2005 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. The tuner debuted on Broadway in 1979 at the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin), winning eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. In 2007, Tim Burton directed the movie adaptation. The film received two Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Award nominations.