Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford to Lead Broadway Revival of Sweeney Todd

A new revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has set its sights on Broadway with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford taking on the role of murderous barber Sweeney Todd and devious pie maker Mrs. Lovett, respectively. Helmed by Tony-winning Hamilton director Thomas Kail, the production will play the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre beginning February 26, 2023, with opening night set for March 26.

Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

And no "teeny Todd" here; the revival will feature Jonathan Tunick's full, 26-piece orchestration for the first time on Broadway since the original production, under the baton of three-time Tony winner Alex Lacamoire.

The production will also feature choreography by Steven Hoggett, scenic design by Tony winner Mimi Lien, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by seven-time Tony winner Natasha Katz, and sound design by Tony winner Nevin Steinberg. Casting is by The Telsey Office, and Baseline Theatrical will serve as general manager. Jeffrey Seller is producing.

The production will be a homecoming for both of its stars, with multi-platinum recording artist Groban back on Broadway for the first time since his Tony nominated turn in 2016's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; and Ashford since starring in the 2017 revival of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George. A Tony winner for her performance in You Can't Take it With You, Ashford's Broadway credits also include performances in Wicked, Legally Blonde, Hair, Kinky Boots, and Sylvia.

Sweeney Todd, based on the Christopher Bond play of the same name, centers on its titular barber who seeks revenge on a corrupt judge and turns to murder, with neighbor and accomplice Mrs. Lovett ultimately discovering they can dispose of the evidence by serving up the most unsettling meat pies to the people of London.

The original production, which debuted on Broadway in 1979, won eight 1980 Tony Awards including Best Musical, along with Best Actor and Actress nods for original stars Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. The work has gone on to be regarded by many as one of Sondheim's masterpieces, with its epic, operatic scale letting it be equally at home on the musical theatre stage as it is at the opera house. The musical was revived on Broadway in 1989 and 2005, and Off-Broadway in 2017, all presenting the work on a smaller scale with dramatically smaller orchestrations. A film adaptation, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, was released in 2007.

Tickets for the upcoming production will go on sale for American Express cardholders beginning September 6, with an Audience Rewards pre-sale beginning September 16. General on-sale begins September 19.

Visit SweeneyToddBroadway.com.