Birmingham Rep has found its Sweeney Todd and today reveals Iranian-Canadian born musical theatre star Ramin Karimloo will play the lead role, when Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece comes to the venue this summer.
Directed by The Rep’s Artistic Director Joe Murphy, and designed by award-winning designer Elin Steele, The Rep’s production of the razor-sharp musical thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Streetcomes to Birmingham from Saturday 4 July – Sunday 9 August.
Having starred in some of the biggest musical productions in the UK, West End, Broadway and across the world, Ramin Karimloo will now add Sweeney Todd to his extensive theatre credits as he takes on the iconic title role.
Stage credits include: Pirate King in Pirates! The Penzance Musical (Todd Haimes Theater, Broadway), Yoska in Roam (Shaftesbury Theatre, London), Guido Contini in Nine the Musical (Lowry Theatre, Manchester). Freddie Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (London Palladium & Theater Orb, Tokyo), Lonesome Rhodes in A Face In The Crowd (Young Vic), Piquillo in Songbird (Washington National Opera), Gomez Addams in The Addams Family (London Palladium), Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl (August Wilson Theatre, NYC), Shams in Rumi: The Musical (London Coliseum), Anatoly in Chess (Umeda Arts Theatre, Osaka & Tokyo International Forum), Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar (Theatre Orb, Tokyo), Che in Evita (Theatre Orb, Tokyo & Vancouver Opera), Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia (Broadway, NYC), Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden (Lincoln Centre), Jean Valjean in Les Miserables (Toronto, London & NYC, Tony Award Nominee), The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (London, Italy & Monte Carlo) & The Phantom in Love Never Dies (London, Olivier Award Nominee).
On joining the cast, Ramin said: “I’ve long known there would be a time and a place to step into the world of Stephen Sondheim and to explore the complexity of Benjamin Barker. After meeting with Joe Murphy and the team at Birmingham Rep, it was immediately clear this was the right moment and the right company to take that journey with.”
The Rep’s Artistic Director and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Director, Joe Murphy added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ramin to Birmingham Rep as Sweeney Todd. He is a world-class performer that has graced some of the world’s biggest stages, playing some of musical theatre’s most iconic characters, and now that will include The Rep.
“Ramin has immense vocal power, authority and dramatic strength this iconic role demands, and his casting sets the tone for a bold, electrifying production that we can’t wait to share with our audiences.”
Further casting and full creative team will be announced in the coming weeks.
First performed on Broadway in 1979, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler‘s
12-time Tony Award-winning masterpiece is considered one of the greatest musicals ever written.
Wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years, Benjamin Barker returns to Victorian London as the mysterious barber, Sweeney Todd.
Upon finding out he’s lost everything he ever loved, Sweeney swears revenge and so begins a chilling tale of murder, macabre and Mrs Lovett’s pies!
Watch the teaser trailer here: https://bit.ly/4rex6vX
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street comes to The Rep from Saturday 4 July – Sunday 9 August and tickets are on-sale now.
To book simply visit Birmingham Rep at birmingham-rep.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0121 236 4455 (Monday to Friday from 12pm to 6pm. Saturdays 12pm to 6pm, or 4pm if there is no evening performance scheduled).