Demon barber Sweeney Todd is a cut above the rest

The University of Adelaide’s delightfully gory production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street stars students from the Elder Conservatorium of Music, with guest director James Millar – an award-winning Australian actor, writer and singer – at the helm.

A gruesome tale of shocking revenge and spiralling madness, Sweeney Todd will delight Adelaide audiences with its famously blood-splattered capers and iconic songs. Performances start 22 June.

“Sweeney Todd is a dark, funny, mature, scary, sweet, sour, silly, sensitive, macabre and juicy masterpiece, and it has been a true joy to bake this wicked pie with this wonderful company,” said James.

The guest director is fresh off successful national tours playing Miss Trunchbull in the Australian premiere season of Matilda the Musical and staring as Alan Bennett opposite Miriam Margolyes in the Melbourne Theatre Company’s The Lady in the Van.

“It’s a thrill working on this production with the incredibly resourceful and gifted students at the Elder Con. The level of preparation, dedication and expertise of the cast has truly been above and beyond,” he said.

Elder Conservatorium Music Theatre student Matthew Geaney stars as the demon barber Sweeney Todd.

“Sweeney Todd is one of the most demanding and all-consuming roles in musical theatre, so to have the privilege to play him in a full-scale production is remarkable. I feel exceedingly fortunate to sing Sondheim’s music and envelop myself in a role so flawed yet so undeniably human,” he said.

“Sweeney Todd is a dark, funny, mature, scary, sweet, sour, silly, sensitive, macabre and juicy masterpiece, and it has been a true joy to bake this wicked pie with this wonderful company.”Guest director James Millar, award-winning Australian actor, writer and singer

Playing the equally iconic Mrs Lovett is fellow student Millicent Sarre.

“It's been a delicious challenge to sink my teeth into this incredible Sondheim work. The level of detail, intricacy, beauty, and power in the score and text is such a joy to explore, and I am especially loving working with our wonderful guest director, James,” she said.

“I have the honour of performing as the notorious Mrs Lovett. It's an exciting challenge as an actor to truthfully portray a character who does such wicked things while still imbuing her with heart and humanity.”

Complete with meat grinders, human pies, and an unhinged barber out for delicious revenge, the tale of Sweeney Todd originated in the real-life grimy alleyways of 1840s London, with the demon barber terrorizing readers via serial literature known as ‘penny dreadfuls’.

The Tony award-winning musical version by Stephen Sondheim took the world by storm and is so immensely popular it has been adapted into a film.

The musical follows the character of Sweeney Todd as he seeks vengeance against the lecherous judge who wronged him, opens a barber shop above the resourceful Mrs Lovett’s failing pie shop, and offers her baked goods new life through the introduction of a grisly new ingredient to her meat pies.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opens Thursday 22 June until Sunday 25 June 2023, with tickets available for purchase at: https://able.adelaide.edu.au/music/sweeney-todd