About[]
Sweeney Todd, formerly known as Benjamin Barker, is the main protagonist and titular character of the Broadway musical and its film adaptation. Barker is married to Lucy Barker and together they have a daughter, Johanna. Barker served 15 years of a life sentence in a labor camp in Australia, which he called "a living hell". After he escapes Incarceration, he returns home to London on a ship with a young sailor named Anthony. Anthony only knows Benjamin by his new name, Sweeney Todd.
Flashbacks in the 2007 film show that Barker was once a kind, mild mannered family man, but returns from prison traumatized and bent on revenge, describing the "ghosts" he feels in the "once familiar" streets of London. Vowing revenge on the wealthy aristocrats who ruined his life, he joins forces with baker Mrs. Lovett, and together they start a business built on killing Barker's wealthy clientele and serving their remains to the public as meat pies.
Appearance/portrayal[]
1979 Broadway Production/1980 Tour[]
In the original Broadway production, Sweeney Todd has light brown, straight hair parted down the middle, and wears dark blue trousers, a white shirt, and suspenders. George Hearn's portrayal of the character is nearly identical aesthetically. He is melodramatic, angry, and intimidating, and plays into the darkly comedic elements of the script.
2005 Revival[]
The 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd completely redesigns the original production, giving it a vaguely 1940s, monochrome aesthetic. In the revival, Todd is bald and wears a white shirt, black trousers, and a black tie.
2007 Film[]
In Tim Burton's 2007 adaptation, Todd has dark, curly hair with a white streak in it. He wears high-waisted pinstripe pants, a white shirt, suspenders, and a vest. In some scenes he wears knit fingerless gloves, a knit ascot-like scarf, and a jacket. He appears in two scenes with a leather jacket. In the 2007 film, Todd is much more soft-spoken and self-contained, with spontaneous outbursts of rage. Costume designer Colleen Atwood designed Todd to be reminiscent of an insect.[1]
2023 Revival[]
The 2023 Broadway revival combines elements of the film and previous stage adaptations, with Todd wearing high-waisted black pants, suspenders, and a white shirt. He has curly brown hair and a beard. Groban's portrayal of Todd has been praised for its nuance and complexity. [2] A New York Times review compares him to "an impassive suburban husband whose job happens to be murder" and notes him "squinting throughout, as if he needs glasses". [3]