Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, the original performers of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, will be replaced by Tony winner Aaron Tveit and two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster. Starting on February 9, 2024, Tveit and Foster will reprise their roles as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, respectively, for a 12-week limited run.
As mentioned earlier, on January 14, 2024, Groban and Ashford will give their last performances.
Tveit won a 2020 Tony Award for his Broadway performance as Christian in Moulin Rouge!. Foster most recently played Marian Paroo in the 2022 revival of The Music Man, for which she was nominated seven times for Tony Awards and won the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award once in her career.
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre hosted performances of the Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical on February 26, 2023, with an official opening on March 26. Directed by Thomas Kail. In addition to winning Best Sound Design of a Musical (Nevin Steinberg) and Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz), the production was nominated for eight 2023 Tony Awards.
Alongside Groban and Ashford, the current cast also includes Tony Award winner and Laurence Olivier Award nominee Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I) as Beggar Woman, Daniel Yearwood (Hamilton) as Anthony, Maria Bilbao (On Your Feet!) as Johanna, Jamie Jackson (The Last Ship) as Judge Turpin, John Rapson (Les Misérables) as Beadle Bamford, and Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton) as Pirelli. The replacement cast will be announced.
For the first time since the 1979 original production, the revival showcases Jonathan Tunick’s complete 26-piece orchestration on Broadway, under the musical direction of three-time Tony winner Lacamoire. In September, a cast CD was made available.
The main character of Sweeney Todd, which is based on the same-titled Christopher Bond play, is a barber who turns to murder in order to exact revenge on a dishonest judge. Mrs. Lovett, his accomplice and neighbor, eventually learns that they can get rid of the evidence by giving Londoners the spookiest meat pies.
Steven Hoggett created the choreography for the show, while Mimi Lien designed the scenery, Emilio Sosa created the costumes, Natasha Katz handled the lighting, Nevin Steinberg handled the sound design, Jeremy Chernick handled the special effects, and J. Jared Janas did the wig, hair, and makeup. The Telsey Office handles casting, and general managers James Hickey and Nick Lugo of Baseline Theatrical are in charge. Stage manager Cody Renard Richard oversees production.
