sweeney todd: intro to theatre

Sweeney Todd

all of these productions share a common thread of telling a story in an entertaining and modern way. These musicals all redefine what you see when you think of the word “opera”.

SOURCES:

: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeney_Todd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Haining_(author)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porgy_and_Bess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ_Superstar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_(musical)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1986_musical)

SWEENEY TODD IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER THAT EMERGED AS THE ANTAGONIST IN THE PENNY DREADFUL TITLED "THE STRING OF PEARLS: A ROMANCE" (1846)

A PENNY DREADFUL, ALSO KNOWN AS A PENNY HORRIBLE OR PENNY BLOOD, WAS A TYPE OF BRITISH FICTION PUBLICATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY THAT USUALLY CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF STORIES THAT SPANNED THE COURSE OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS, EACH COSTING A PENNY TO VIEW.

Pamela R. Upshaw

Intro to Theatre

“Evita” a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, and eventual death.

“Phantom of the Opera” a musical also by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. It is considered by many to be the most successful musical of all time and is also the longest running show in Broadway history

The String of Pearls: A Romance was published in eighteen weekly parts, in Edward Lloyd's The People's Periodical and Family Library, issues 7-24, November 21, 1846 to March 20, 1847. It was probably written by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest, alternating between each part released.

on another note, Ms. Todd also wanted me to mention a few other plays, including:

“Jesus Christ Superstar” which is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical is based very loosely on the Gospels' account of the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem, and ending with the crucifixion.

“Porgy and Bess” an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin. Originally conceived by George Gershwin as an "American folk opera", Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers, a daring artistic choice at the time.

In February/March 1847, before the serial was even completed, The String of Pearls was adapted as a melodrama by George Dibden Pitt for the Britannia Theatre in Hoxton. It was in this alternative version of the tale, rather than the original, that Todd acquired his catchphrase: "I'll polish him off". Neil Gaiman, in a promotional "penny dreadful", identified a number of earlier texts that feed into the Todd story, some dating back to at least the late 17th century

In later years there were many different literary, stage and eventually film adaptations which renamed, and often drastically changed the original story.

The film adaptation was directed by Tim Burton (my favorite) starring Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd, based on the 1979 musical.

Claims that Sweeney Todd was a real person were first made in the introduction to the 1850 (expanded) edition of The String of Pearls and have persisted to the present day. In two books, Peter Haining, a British journalist, author, and anthologist argued that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800. Nevertheless, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims