Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Workshop: June 9, 3:00-4:30 PM

Watch Ahead: Amazon Prime (rent or buy)

Cast and Crew: Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim | Book: Hugh Wheeler | Director: Harold Prince | Starring: Angela Lansbury, George Hearn

Run time: 2 ¼ hours

Critical Thinking Prompts

1. Usually songs slow down a narrative but, in this case, they propel the action and support the characters. Which ones did you find most successful?

2. How many clues did you pick up in the course of the mystery?

3. Sondheim wrote “to seek revenge may lead to hell but everyone does it, and seldom as well.” If the lesson to be learned from Sweeney Todd & Tosca is that revenge isn’t the answer, why do we find these stories so satisfying?

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Supplemental Resources

• INTERVIEW with Lonny Price

• The Real Sweeney Todd? From Penny Dreadful to Broadway Musical

• Masterworks Broadway VEVO Interview: Angela Lansbury on Sweeney Todd

• NYT Arts: Musical Motifs in Sondheim – Anthony Thommasini

• A clip of the NY Philharmonic concert version with Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson, staged by Lonny Price