SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
The House, Birmingham Rep
Saturday 4 July – Saturday 15 August
Box office: birmingham-rep.co.uk, 0121 236 4455
Press Night: Tuesday 14 July at 7pm
Birmingham Rep has today announced a week-long extension to the run of its new production of Sondheim’s classic musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The production will now run from Saturday 4 July until Saturday 15 August.
To celebrate the extended run, The Rep has released a video of Ramin Karimloo and Meow Meow, who play Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett, singing a snippet from A Little Priest, one of the musical’s most iconic numbers. A Little Priest marks a key turning point in the show, when Todd and Mrs Lovett agree to murder Todd’s customers and bake them into pies.
The video also features Dr John Rigby, the production’s Musical Supervisor, who has adapted the original orchestrations for the Rep; and, at piano, Leo Munby, Musical Director.
The production is directed by The Rep’s Artistic Director, Joe Murphy, who said:
“I am delighted that we are extending the run of Sweeney Todd by another week. The show features one of the greatest scores ever written, and with the release of this video taken from our first few days of rehearsal, I’m pleased to give audiences a taste of what’s to come. The energy and richness of this darkly comic story is as powerful today as it was when it first premiered in 1979. It’s wonderful that excitement and interest in the show is so high, and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
Dr John Rigby, Musical Supervisor, added:
“It’s such a thrill to be able to explore the genius of Sondheim’s score with this amazing company of actors. The level of detail, precision and musicianship that they are bringing to the rehearsal room, to say nothing of their vocal presence, is quite astounding. I can’t wait for us to share it with the audiences here at The Rep.”
Performing alongside Ramin Karimloo (Phantom of The Opera, Les Misérables, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Addams Family), Meow Meow (Emma Rice’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guys and Dolls) and three-time Olivier Award-winning actor David Bedella (& Juliet, In The Heights, Jerry Springer: The Opera) are: Shem Omari James (Jesus Christ Superstar, Dreamgirls) as Anthony Hope, Jo Stephenson (Les Misérables, The Pirate Queen) as Johanna, Julius D’Silva (Educating Rita, What’s New Pussy Cat?, Bridgerton, The Crown) as Beadle, Jack Gibson (Reverberation, Four Play) as Tobias Ragg, Florence Andrews (School of Rock, Wicked) as Beggar Woman, Silas Wyatt-Barke (The Prince of Egypt, Sunny Afternoon) as Adolfo Pirelli, Emily Ivana Hawkins (Alice: Return to Wonderland, Sweet Henry V) as Ensemble, and Hadrian Delacey (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Phantom of the Opera) as Ensemble.
The creative team includes: Joe Murphy (Director), Elin Steele (Designer), Dr John Rigby (Musical Supervisor and Orchestral Reduction), Rory Beaton (Lighting Designer), Kelsh Buckman-Drage (Sound Designer), Tinovimbanashe Sibanda (Movement Director), Maisie Carter for MC_Combat (Fights and Intimacy Director), Abby Galvin CDG (Casting Director), Leo Munby (Musical Director), David Gallagher (Orchestral Management), Robyn Grant (Associate Director), Lucy Baker-Swinburn (Keyboard Programmer) and Andy Pye (Production Manager).