The playwright Christopher Bond, whose 1973 work was adapted by Sondheim for the musical, began his tale by telling readers: “ Sweeney Todd is pure fiction ... ... Later, there grew the story of Jack the Ripper – a villain whose existence and identity is contested even more fiercely than Todd's.
Is Sweeney Todd based on fact?
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the Victorian penny dreadful serial The String of Pearls (1846–47). ... Claims that Sweeney Todd was a historical person are strongly disputed by scholars , although possible legendary prototypes exist.
Where did the story of Sweeney Todd come from?
The character of Sweeney Todd originated in The String of Pearls, a penny dreadful by an unknown author , first published in England in 1846–47. The basic plot will be familiar to fans of the musical and movie: a barber and a baker collude to murder people and bake their remains into pies.
What was the reason Sweeney Todd started killing people?
Enraged, Todd vows to kill as many people as he can while waiting for another chance to kill Turpin , reasoning that he would be punishing the wicked and putting everyone else out of their misery. ... He offers Turpin a free shave, reveals his true identity, and stabs Turpin to death, finally getting his revenge.
What is the musical Sweeney Todd based on?
| Sweeney Todd | Music Stephen Sondheim | Lyrics Stephen Sondheim | Book Hugh Wheeler | Basis Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond |
|---|
When did Jack the Ripper start killing?
Between August and November 1888 ,the Whitechapel area of London was the scene of five brutal murders. The killer was dubbed ‘Jack the Ripper'. All the women murdered were prostitutes, and all except for one – Elizabeth Stride – were horribly mutilated. The first murder, of Mary Ann Nicholls, took place on 31 August.
Did Sweeney Todd Love Mrs Lovett?
In every version of the story in which she appears, Mrs. Lovett is the business partner and accomplice of barber/serial killer Sweeney Todd; in some versions, she is also his lover .
Is Johnny Depp really singing in Sweeney Todd?
The actor has starred in six of Burton's films, been on the receiving end of gallons of gore , and, he says, the director is like a delighted child when he is around it. Yes, Johnny Depp did his own singing in the film Sweeney Todd .
Is Sweeney Todd all singing?
Oh, yes, sings . Sweeney Todd is an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical, and for all but about 10 minutes of the two-hour movie, the actors express their often disturbing emotions in song.
Do they know who Jack the Ripper was?
Five of the cases, between August and November 1888, show such marked similarities that they are generally agreed to be the work of a single serial killer, known as “Jack the Ripper”. Despite an extensive police investigation, the Ripper was never identified and the crimes remained unsolved .
Is Mrs Lovett a villain?
Nellie Lovett (also known as Mrs. Lovett) is the secondary antagonist of the 1846 -1847 story The String of Pearls, and the deuteragonist of the 1979 musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the 2007 live-action film of the same name.
What is the meaning of Sweeney Todd?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ˌSweeney ˈTodd → Todd, Sweeney Todd, Sweeney /tɒd $ tɑːd/ a character in a 19th-century British play whose job is to cut men's hair, but who murders his customers and has them made into meat pie s. He is known as ‘the demon barber of Fleet Street'. Quizzes.
What does Judge Turpin do to Lucy?
She is the faithful and loving wife of Benjamin Barker and mother of Johanna Barker, whose life is destroyed by the evil Judge Turpin, who exiles her husband in order to have her all to himself. Soon afterward, Turpin rapes her, so she then poisons herself with arsenic .
Why is Sweeney Todd so popular?
But it is Sondheim's Sweeney Todd that tops the lot simply because it never fails to thrill and excite while leaving one in awe of its artistry . It might seem perverse to choose as a love-object a musical about a serial killer. ... The big difference is that Sondheim's Sweeney eventually turns his rage on the whole world.
What happens to Anthony in Sweeney Todd?
Though the ending of Anthony's story is never revealed in the play, it is implied that he and Johanna left London, got married in France and are now living happily ever after .
Is Johanna Sweeney Todd's daughter?
Johanna is Sweeney Todd and his wife Lucy's daughter , who was stolen from the barber many years ago by Judge Turpin who has taken her in as his ward. Up in her room, Johanna is locked away from the world.
