Sweeney Todd Comes to Prague: Musical Theatre’s Darkest Barber
What do you get when you combine a Victorian barber, a pie shop, a razor and Stephen Sondheim? One of musical theatre’s darkest and most fascinating thrillers: Sweeney Todd, often described as operatic in scale.
A musical about a murderous barber, a pie shop and revenge might not sound like the obvious choice for a night at the theatre. Yet Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has become one of the most celebrated and unusual works in musical theatre.
And this September, Prague audiences will have the chance to experience it at the State Opera, performed in Czech with Czech and English surtitles.
Who is Sweeney Todd?
The character appeared in Victorian popular fiction, most famously in the 1840s penny dreadful The String of Pearls, which told the gruesome tale of a barber who murders his customers.
The story was later transformed by playwright Christopher Bond in his 1973 play. A few years later, Stephen Sondheim and book writer Hugh Wheeler turned it into the musical we know today.
Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979, directed by Harold Prince, with Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett.
It was an unusual musical for its time: dark, violent and psychologically complex. But Sondheim’s combination of horror, dark comedy and beautiful, sophisticated music turned it into a classic.
So, who is the best Sweeney Todd?
Ask musical-theatre fans this question and you may get very different responses.
Len Cariou was the original Broadway Sweeney, while George Hearn delivered another legendary interpretation of the role, particularly in the filmed 1982 production with Angela Lansbury.
Over the years, performers including Michael Cerveris, Bryn Terfel, Michael Ball and Josh Groban have all brought their own interpretations to the role.
And then there is Johnny Depp.
For many people outside the musical-theatre world, Depp is their Sweeney Todd. Tim Burton’s 2007 film, starring Depp alongside Helena Bonham Carter, introduced the story to an entirely new global audience.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, while Depp received a Golden Globe for his performance. But for theatre fans, the debate continues: is the definitive Sweeney Len Cariou, George Hearn, one of the many other great stage interpreters, or Depp’s haunting cinematic version?
My personal choice is Ramin Karimloo.
More than a story about murder
What makes Sweeney Todd so compelling is that Sweeney is not a simple villain.
He is a man whose life has been destroyed by injustice. He returns to London seeking revenge and gradually becomes consumed by it.
His story explores obsession, loneliness, corruption and the terrible consequences of allowing revenge to consume everything else in a person’s life.
And then there is Mrs. Lovett, one of musical theatre’s most fascinating characters. Funny, energetic and sometimes outrageous, she is also deeply lonely and desperately in love with a man who barely notices her.
Their relationship is one of the reasons Sweeney Todd can be both hilarious and deeply disturbing within the space of a few minutes.
Sweeney Todd comes to Prague
Now, Prague gets its own Sweeney Todd.
Prague’s State Opera, part of the National Theatre, will present a new production directed by Martin Čičvák, with sets by Hans Hoffer and costumes by Georges Vafias.
The production premieres on 24 September 2026 and will be performed in Czech, with Czech and English surtitles. The Czech production uses Hana Nováková’s translation.
The principal roles will be shared by several performers, including Adam Plachetka, Aleš Jenis and Jiří Hájek as Sweeney Todd, and Barbora Perná, Tamara Morozová and Lucie Hájková as Mrs. Lovett.
With the State Opera Orchestra, the State Opera Chorus and the National Theatre Opera Ballet involved, the production is clearly conceived on a large scale and promises to be fascinating to see.
You should definitely go and meet the Demon Barber of Fleet Street for yourself.
Production information
- Venue: State Opera, Prague
- Premiere: 24 September 2026
- Language: Performed in Czech
- Surtitles: Czech and English
- Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Book: Hugh Wheeler
- Based on: Christopher Bond’s play
- Broadway premiere: 1979
- Film adaptation: 2007, directed by Tim Burton