John Doyle, who staged the London run, directs the new staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical to begin previews Oct. 3 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre toward a Nov. 3 opening night.
The unique staging casts actor-musicians to retell the story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and company. A cast of ten (with no ensemble) perform on various instruments ranging from flute, trumpet and clarinet to cello, accordion and bass in addition to their acting and singing duties.
The instrument assignment is as follows: The Beadle - keyboard/trumpet, Beggar Woman - clarinet, Anthony - cello/ keyboard, Johanna - cello/penny whistle, Jonas Fogg - bass, Tobias - violin/clarinet/keyboard, Pirelli - accordion/keyboard/flute, Judge Turpin - trumpet/orchestra bells/ percussion, Mrs. Lovett- tuba/orchestra bells/ percussion and Sweeney Todd - guitar/orchestra bells/percussion.
Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris (Assassins) will star in the title role opposite Tony Award winner Patti LuPone (Evita) as the lovable meatpie-maker Mrs. Lovett — her first Broadway musical role in 17 years — for the upcoming Broadway revival.
Cerveris and LuPone will be joined in the ten-member ensemble by John Arbo (musician on Good Vibrations) as Jonas Fogg, Donna Lynne Champlin (Hollywood Arms, James Joyce's The Dead) as Pirelli, Manoel Felciano (Shockheaded Peter, Brooklyn) as Tobias Ragg, Alexander Gemignani (Assassins) as The Beadle, Mark Jacoby ( Man of La Mancha, Show Boat) as Judge Turpin and Broadway newcomers Diana DiMarzio (as Beggar Woman), Benjamin Magnuson (as Anthony Hope) and Lauren Molina (as Johanna). Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh and Richard Frankel will present Sweeney Todd with the Ambassador Theatre Group (which recently co-produced a run with The Watermill Theatre at the West End's New Ambassador Theatre), Adam Kenwright & Tulchin/Bartner Productions for the production on Broadway.
Sweeney Todd features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, drawing from the play by Christopher Bond (itself based on characters created by British journalist George Dibden-Pitt, who adapted his 1830s penny dreadful tale into a popular stage melodrama). The story follows a vengeful barber (Sweeney) in Victorian England and his neighbor (Lovett) who owns a pie shop that becomes popular due to a surplus of fresh meat.
Nonesuch — the company that has previously released Sondheim's Saturday Night, The Frogs/Evening Primrose, Into The Woods and Bounce — will put forth the new cast recording for the productoin. Details and dates are forthcoming.
Tickets for the upcoming Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd are currently on sale by calling (212) 239-6200 or click below. For more information, visit www.sweeneytoddonbroadway.com.
