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Sweeney Todd
Tickets
Theatre Details
Adelphi Theatre
View Seating Plan
409-412 Strand ,
London ,
WC2R 0NS
Adelphi Theatre
409-412 Strand , London , WC2R 0NS
Travel
Tube
Nearest Tube
Charing Cross
Tube Lines
Bakerloo, Northern
Directions to theatre
(3mins) Head out onto the main road Strand. Cross the street where possible and go right (approx. 150 metres). The theatre is on your left.
Bus
Buses: (Strand) 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 87, 91, 139, 176
Night Buses: (Strand) 23, 139, 176, N6, N9, N11, N13, N15, N21, N26, N44, N47, N87, N89, N91, N155, N343, N551
Rail
Charing Cross
Parking
St Martin's Lane Hotel (4mins)
Next Available Dates
Performance Times
- Mon
- -7.30pm
- Tue
- -7.30pm
- Wed
- 2.30pm7.30pm
- Thu
- -7.30pm
- Fri
- -7.30pm
- Sat
- 2.30pm7.30pm
- Sun
- --
Booking Period
- Show Opened
- 10th Mar 2012
- Booking Until
- 22nd Sep 2012
Running Time
Age Restrictions
Ages 12 and over only. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
What's it all about?
Audiences have been eating up this revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical about the wronged barber who wreaks his horrible revenge on London.
But whether you’re a current inhabitant of the capital or just visiting, have no fear – this meaty production is as dazzling for its razor-sharp wit as it is for its guts and gore.
And with Michael Ball (Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera) and Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, Harry Potter) as the deliciously demonic double act, this show really is a cut above the rest.
Who's in it?
You may have seen Tim Burton’s darkly comic Sweeney Todd film and thought Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter couldn’t be outdone – but you’d be wrong.
Michael Ball, better known for lighter roles in shows such as Hairspray and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is utterly transformed as the malevolent Sweeney, while Imelda Staunton (winner of an Olivier Award for another Sondheim show, Into The Woods) plays his partner in crime with relish.
Both give their all to Sondheim’s gloriously gutsy (if sometimes gut-churning) songs, from ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’ to ‘The Worst Pies in London’ and ‘A Little Priest’ – and if you listen carefully you’ll hear some of the music was inspired by Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Also, from 2-27 July only, comedian and former One Show presenter Jason Manford will join the cast as Pirelli, Todd's Italian rival, in his stage debut.
Suitable for
If bright and breezy musicals don’t do it for you, this macabre morsel might be a more appetising prospect. Like The Woman in Black it is genuinely scary, so it’s probably not one for the very young – although teens will love the black humour and grisly shocks.
That said, this show isn’t about cheap scares. It has a tragic hero to rival any of Shakespeare’s, and with Jonathan Kent (Don Giovanni, The Country Wife) in the director’s chair, opera buffs as well as musicals fans will find it as moreish as one of Mrs L’s popular (and populated) pies.
What's the story?
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street probably needs no introduction. But just in case his cut-throat approach to the coiffeur business has passed you by, here are the gory details.
Benjamin Barker (aka Sweeney) returns to London from exile with a plan to avenge his wife’s death. Teaming up with wily pie shop owner Mrs Lovett, he starts dispatching customers who won’t be missed down from his blood-red barber’s chair to her oven below.
But Mrs L has a secret and the days of their people-filled pastries are numbered.
Staff Reviews
The staging, music and performances were flawless! Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball were fantastic and added just the right element of comedy which is quite often lost in productions of this piece. This is perfect for any Sondheim fans and people who like to experience good quality, clever musical theatre without kick lines and jazz hands.
Completely stunning in every department. Brilliantly performed, eerily lit and the sound design was immaculate! I could hear every detail in the terrifying orchestrations and the singers barely sounded miked. Award-worthy sound design, in my view. And a definitive production of a masterwork. Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball were the perfect mix of unsettling malice and dark humour.
Sweeney Todd on its own is a really exquisitely composed musical. But when a show like that is staged with the talent, creativity and professionalism that ooze out of this revival, it elevates it to a spectacular show. Michael Ball is so absorbed in his role as the demon barber that he's pretty much unrecognisable! Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett is devilishly wicked yet sharply funny, and the entire cast deliver their difficult songs with impeccable timing and pitch. A seriously excellent production.
Sweeney Todd is a great British musical and it was so nice to see a large scale production of the show, which showcases the contrast between dark subject matter and comic characters perfecly. Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball are brilliant on stage, a real treat for any theatre lover.
What the critics say
Triumphant pairing and performances of Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton
Dark, wild and truthful... Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett is fabulously funny
Leaves me grasping for superlatives...a superb achievement
Michael Ball...couldn't be better as this insatiable serial killer...Imelda Staunton is in show-stopping form
Michael Ball, best known for cosy campery, is now tremendous in the title role
Staged and sung and acted with verve. Professionalism at every turn. A top band
Customer Reviews
This was a really good show. Great ensemble piece, funny and gruesome very well put together and imelda Staunton's performance is just brilliant. Definitely worth going to see.
I have seen many productions of Sweeney Todd over the years, each had its own merit, but this one surpasses them all. Imelda Staunton brought a new dimension to Mrs Lovett especially in the closing scenes. Michael Ball is unrecognizable as Sweeney Todd, doubtless to the dismay of his many concert going fans, but proved once again that he is among the leading actor/singers in the West End.
Overall the show was quite good although very dark. Imelda Staunton was excellent, her timing when delivering some of the best lines in the show was perfect. Michael Ball is very believable even though the character of Sweeney is so far removed from anything else he has done. He also was perfect. This interpretation of the Sweeney Todd story is well told although the show lacked really memourable songs/tunes. The seats were very tight & uncomfortable and the ticket prices very high but I'm glad I saw the show.
Brilliant, in particular the 2 leads. One of my favourite Sondheim's. The staging was excellent.
My partner and I thought the show was absolutely wonderful (the humour just to our taste) it was well worth trekking through the driving rain that day to get there. Star of the show was Imelda Staunton
Totally brilliant! It is one of my favourite shows, but this surpassed any previous production - all the performances were wonderful, the set was atmospheric, the sound superb (I wear two hearing aids, but had no problems at all). Every bit as good as the reviews - if you haven't seen it, get tickets now!!
