Tickets for the hair-razing revival of Sweeney Todd will be available to holders of an American Express card beginning August 21st at 10 AM. The pre-sale will end on September 4th, the day that tickets go on sale to the general public.Sweeney Todd will open at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 W. 49th St.) on November 3rd after beginning previews on October 3rd. With
music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler (based on the play by Christopher Bond, itself based on a much older melodrama), the show centers on a barber who seeks revenge upon the man
who defiled his wife and stole his daughter. Sweeney hides his crimes
with the help of the crafty Mrs. Lovett, who bakes "the worst pies in
London" . The production will feature Tony Award-winner Michael
Cerveris (Assassins, Titanic) in the title role, Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone (Anything Goes, Evita) as Mrs. Lovett, Ben Magnuson as Anthony, Donna Lynne Champlin (By Jeeves) as Pirelli/Fogg and Mark Jacoby (Show Boat)
as Judge Turpin, among others. As it was at its smash run at London's
Watermill Theatre (and later at the West End's New Ambassador Theatre),
the high-concept production will be helmed by John Doyle, who will have its 10 performers playing instruments, including the trumpet, flute, clarinet and glockenspiel. The show will be produced by
Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh and Richard Frankel, the Ambassador Theatre Group and Adam Kenwright & Tulchin/Bartner Productions.
The original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd opened
at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 with Angela Lansbury, Len Cariou
and Victor Garber as stars. The ingeniously-staged production, which
was the last of director Hal Prince's five great 70's collaborations
with Stephen Sondheim, received 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. A
simplified production starring Bob Gunton and Beth Fowler ran at the
Circle in the Square Theatre in 1989, and was dubbed Teeny Todd. A film version, directed by Sam Mendes, is currently in the works.