Auditions
Alma Show
Synopsis
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Act I
The company - citizens of London - assembles to perform a no-frills burial, dumping a body in a sack into a shallow grave. They sing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, " introducing the tale of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
A young sailor named Anthony Hope rides a ship into London in 1846. Despite Anthony's enthusiasm, his friend and shipmate Sweeney Todd is grim and uneasy. A half-mad Beggar Woman, who begs and solicits from them, worsens their mood. She appears to recognize Todd, who runs her off. As they prepare to part, Todd tells Anthony a tragic story about a young and naïve barber, his beautiful wife, and the lustful judge who exiled him to covet her.
Todd goes to a meat-pie shop on Fleet Street where he encounters the shop's proprietress, Mrs. Nellie Lovett. She complains about her competition, her own pitiful pies and the difficult economic times. When Todd inquires about the upstairs apartment, she tells him the sad tale of the previous tenant, a barber named Benjamin Barker. Barker had been falsely sentenced by the lecherous Judge Turpin and his corrupt cohort Beadle Bamford because of the Judge's lust for Barker's wife Lucy. Mrs. Lovett reveals how, once Barker had been sent to Australia, the Judge had lured Lucy to his house and took advantage of her. Todd cries out in agony, confirming Mrs. Lovett's suspicions that he is Benjamin Barker, back from Australia. She tells him that his wife poisoned herself and that his infant daughter, Johanna, became a ward of the Judge. Todd swears revenge on the Judge, who ruined his life. Mrs. Lovett is more concerned with how Todd will make a living and shows him his collection of sterling silver razors, which she has kept hidden for years, telling him he can become a barber again.
Walking through Kearny's Lane, Anthony notices a girl singing at a window admiring a bird seller's wares. The passing Beggar Woman tells Anthony that the girl is Johanna, Judge Turpin's ward. Anthony is immediately smitten and pledges to woo her but the Judge and the Beadle threaten him off. He swears to rescue her. Meanwhile in the crowded marketplace, renowned "Italian" barber Adolfo Pirelli and his simple-minded assistant Tobias Ragg pitch a cure-all for hair loss. After exposing the elixir as fraudulent, Todd challenges Pirelli to a shaving and tooth-pulling competition, and invites the Beadle to act as the judge of the competition. Pirelli puts on a grand show, but Todd wins easily. Todd invites the Beadle to visit his parlor for a complimentary shave.
Several days later as Todd impatiently waits for the Beadle's arrival, Anthony bursts into the shop. He tells Todd of his sudden romance with Johanna and requests to bring the girl to the barbershop. No sooner has he left than Pirelli and Tobias visit the shop. Mrs. Lovett takes Tobias downstairs for a meat pie, leaving Todd alone with Pirelli. Pirelli drops his Italian accent to reveal an Irish one and confesses his real name is Danny O'Higgins, who served as Barker's assistant in the barbershop 15 years ago. O'Higgins has recognized Todd and attempts to blackmail him. Rather than pay O'Higgins off, Todd attacks and strangles him, dumping his body into an empty trunk just before Tobias enters looking for his master. Todd sends Tobias back down to Mrs. Lovett, tempting him with the offer of another pie.
Across town, Judge Turpin is tormented by his lust for his ward Johanna and announces to her that he intends to marry her. Disgusted by the prospect, Johanna and Anthony plan to elope. At the same time, the Beadle suggests the Judge visit Todd's barbershop to improve his appearance and better win Johanna's affections. They both set off.
Back at Todd's shop, the ever-practical Mrs. Lovett extracts O'Higgins' gaudy coin purse from his corpse when the Judge arrives. Mrs. Lovett returns downstairs to distract Tobias where an eager Todd bides his time and slowly proceeds to exact his revenge, lulling the Judge into a sense of security. Before he can kill Turpin, Anthony barges in announcing his and Johanna's plans, accidentally informing the outraged Judge, who curses Todd for conspiring against him and vows never to return. In his fury, Todd descends into utter madness and broadens the target of his vengeance to all of society.
Act II
Mrs. Lovett's pie shop has become a thriving business with its new menu. The only fly in the ointment is the Beggar Woman, who keeps hanging around, telling anyone who'll listen that Mrs. Lovett is a witch. Anthony's fortunes are not so bright as Johanna has disappeared. Over the weeks he searches for her while Todd accustoms himself to the idea that he may never see Johanna again. And Mrs. Lovett dreams of a future life with Todd although he remains uninterested.
Anthony discovers the Judge has committed Johanna to Fogg's Asylum for the mentally deranged and, with Todd's help, infiltrates the asylum, posing as a wigmaker intent on purchasing inmates' hair. Unknown to Anthony, Todd sends a letter to the Judge notifying him of Anthony's intent to kidnap Johanna, hoping to lure the Judge to his shop.
Meanwhile in the pie shop, Tobias begins to suspect Todd is up to no good and, unaware she is in on Todd's activities, expresses his desire to protect Mrs. Lovett, whom he has come to view as a mother figure. When he recognizes Mrs. Lovett's purse as the one that had belonged to Pirelli, she locks him in the bake house under the pretext of teaching him how to grind meat. As she leaves, she encounters Beadle Bamford, who was commissioned by the neighbors to investigate the thick black smoke and strange smells coming from the pie shop's chimney. Together, he and Mrs. Lovett wait for Todd, who arrives and offers the Beadle the promised free shave while Mrs. Lovett plays the harmonium to cover the screams of Beadle's demise. After being informed by Mrs. Lovett that Tobias has figured them out, Todd and Mrs. Lovett head downstairs to dispose of him.
While Todd and Mrs. Lovett search the cellars for Tobias, who has vanished into the catacombs, Anthony infiltrates the asylum. He draws a pistol on Jonas Fogg, the owner of the asylum, but can't bring himself to shoot and drops the gun. Johanna grabs the gun and shoots Fogg dead. They both flee to Todd's parlor with Johanna disguised in sailor's clothing.
After Anthony leaves Johanna in Todd's barbershop to hire transportation to leave London, the Beggar Woman appears and Johanna hides in the trunk that once held Pirelli's body. Todd discovers the Beggar Woman in his parlor as she desperately tries to warn him about Mrs. Lovett. As Judge Turpin arrives, Todd frantically kills the Beggar Woman and quickly disposes of her body before Turpin can see her. When Todd assures him that Johanna is totally repentant, in lecherous expectation the Judge asks for a shave. Todd reveals his identity to the Judge and kills him. Johanna emerges from her hiding place and Todd catches her, thinking the intruder is a man. As he prepares to kill her, Todd is distracted by Mrs. Lovett's screams from the bake house below. Johanna escapes.
In the bake house, Mrs. Lovett struggles with the dying Judge before she realizes that Todd has killed the Beggar Woman. Todd bursts into the bake house, clearly sees the Beggar Woman's face and is horrified upon realizing who she is. He furiously accuses Mrs. Lovett of deceiving him. Mrs. Lovett confesses the truth and reveals she withheld it from him in order to spare him because she loves him. Anthony, Johanna and constables burst into the bake house. The company assembles one last time to sing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," concluding that the capability for revenge is within all of us.
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