Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, and suicidal ideation.

The beggar woman approaches Mrs. Lovett at her pie shop, asking for alms. Mrs. Lovett mocks her and promptly shoos her away. Mrs. Lovett then goes to the apartment, now transformed into Todd’s barbershop. Todd is anxious that the Beadle hasn’t visited him yet, so Mrs. Lovett reassures him, telling him to be patient and preoccupy himself with distractions (“Wait”). She suggests decorating the barbershop with flowers so that it doesn’t seem so bare and gloomy. This placates Todd.

Anthony visits Todd at the barbershop and tells him about Johanna. He adds that after their first encounter, Johanna dropped a key from her window, intending for Anthony to enter after Turpin goes to court. Anthony explains his plan to take Johanna from the judge’s mansion and then asks if he can bring Johanna to the barbershop while he secures safe passage out of London. Mrs. Lovett and Todd consent to his plan, though neither one mentions the truth about Johanna’s identity. When Anthony leaves, Todd expresses dismay over the thought of losing Johanna again. Mrs. Lovett suggests killing Anthony to sate Todd’s bloodlust and then fantasizes about raising Johanna alongside Todd.

Mrs. Lovett attempts to seduce Todd when Pirelli suddenly arrives at the barbershop. Mrs. Lovett brings Tobias down to the pie shop for a meal, leaving the two men alone. Pirelli reveals that he is actually an Irishman named Daniel O’Higgins. He asks for the £5 back from Todd, suggesting that he deliberately threw the contest to attract customers to Todd’s shop. He extorts Todd for half of his profits, blackmailing him with the knowledge of his true identity, Benjamin Barker. O’Higgins explains that he briefly worked for Barker before his incarceration. When O’Higgins threatens to inform the Beadle of Todd’s escape from Australia, Todd strangles him. Tobias remembers that Pirelli has an appointment with his tailor and rushes upstairs to remind him. Todd manages to hide O’Higgins’s body in a chest when Tobias enters. Barely alive, O’Higgins tries to catch Tobias’s attention with one hand sticking out of the chest.

Todd convinces Tobias that his employer left on urgent business. Tobias decides that it is more prudent to wait for him instead of following, so Todd encourages him to return to Mrs. Lovett for more pie and gin. After Tobias leaves, Todd slashes O’Higgins’s throat with his razor. Three company members mark the death of Todd’s first victim, singing that those who thought themselves better than Todd often underestimated him.

The scene changes to Turpin’s court, where he sentences a young boy to death. Turpin closes his court early, complaining to the Beadle afterward that the offensive smell of the day’s defendants compelled him to leave. The Beadle is pleased to finish work early so that he can celebrate his daughter’s birthday. On the way home, Turpin announces his plan to marry Johanna. He had shared his intentions with her but observed that she was reluctant to accept him.

Back at the judge’s mansion, a paranoid Johanna tells Anthony about Turpin’s intentions. Terrified by the prospect of marrying Turpin, she initially plans to die by suicide before her wedding day. Anthony tries to reassure her by asking her to kiss him (“Kiss Me”). He elaborates on his plan to elope before Johanna is married to Turpin. Johanna is nervous about the plan but affirms that she loves Anthony, even if she doesn’t know his name. She always dreamed that a man would come to take her from Turpin but constantly worried that bad fortune kept him from her. She promises to marry Anthony after they escape the judge’s mansion.

The Beadle theorizes that Johanna’s reluctance owed itself to Turpin’s rugged appearance (“Ladies in Their Sensitivities”). He explains that women are sensitive to the appearances of men, preferring those who appeal to their “genteel proclivities.” Turpin agrees that he hasn’t been diligent with his grooming, so the Beadle suggests visiting Todd’s barbershop sometime over the weekend. Turpin asks him to lead the way.

Worried about leaving things to chance, Anthony suggests that he and Johanna should execute their plan soon, possibly over the weekend. Johanna worries about what to pack for their exodus into continental Europe and then decides that she will bring her reticule since it is the only thing she inherited from her mother.

The scene shifts back to Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop. Tobias insists on waiting for his employer to return. Mrs. Lovett ascends to the barbershop to ask when Pirelli will be back. Todd stoically explains that he killed Pirelli, whose corpse is still in the chest. Mrs. Lovett is relieved when she learns that Pirelli blackmailed Todd, provoking him to commit murder. Mrs. Lovett looks at the corpse and takes £3 and the dead man’s purse. She wonders how to dispose of the corpse and deal with Tobias. Todd suggests killing him as well, but Mrs. Lovett rejects the idea since Todd has killed one person already.

The Beadle brings Turpin to the barbershop. Todd is amazed to see him and immediately sends Mrs. Lovett away. Mrs. Lovett returns to Tobias and draws him into her parlor with the promise of more gin. Todd invites Turpin to sit, offering his services to the judge (“Pretty Women”). The judge explains that he is in love and wants to undergo various services that will give him a “seductive tone.” He wants to start with a shave, which Todd gladly indulges. Turpin observes Todd’s sprightly mood, which Todd attributes to Turpin’s infatuation, driving them to discuss their shared admiration for pretty women.

Todd draws his razor and momentarily speaks to it, urging it to savor revenge. Turpin hurries the distracted Todd, who recovers by inquiring about the judge’s beloved. When Turpin indicates that he means to marry his “pretty” ward, Todd wonders if she is as beautiful as her mother. The question puzzles the judge, so Todd dismisses it by beginning with the shave. Todd once again speaks of his admiration for pretty women, inviting Turpin to do the same. The discussion causes Turpin to let his guard down. Just when Todd is about to slash the judge’s throat, Anthony bursts in, revealing his plan to elope with Johanna.

Turpin immediately recognizes the sailor and declares that he will lock Johanna away to protect her from Anthony. He condemns Todd for associating with Anthony and abruptly leaves the barbershop. Todd angrily sends Anthony away. Mrs. Lovett rushes upstairs when she hears the commotion and finds Todd frustrated by how close he was to getting revenge. Mrs. Lovett tries to reassure him that he needs to be patient, but Todd refuses, believing that Turpin will never return to the barbershop.

Seized by his feelings, Todd soliloquizes over the moral rot of humankind (“Epiphany”). He declares that the world is composed of two kinds of people: people who take their “proper place” in the world and people who stand on the other group’s faces. He believes that death will put an end to the lives of wicked men while granting relief to those who suffer throughout their lives. He briefly falls into grief, saddened that he will never see Johanna again. He returns to his soliloquy, manically inviting audience members for a shave. Determined to obtain vengeance and salvation, he repeats his invitation to all of London, indicating that 100 men will not be enough to satisfy him. He firms his resolve to kill Turpin one day, practicing for his revenge on the throats of “less honorable” men. He grieves his late wife, Lucy, once more before declaring that “the work waits, / [he is] alive at last, / […] and [he is] full of joy!” (95-96)

Once Todd breaks from his soliloquy, Mrs. Lovett reminds him that they still have to deal with Tobias, who passed out from drinking too much gin, and Pirelli’s corpse. Though Todd initially plans to bury Pirelli later that night, Mrs. Lovett insinuates an easier alternative: instead of letting his body go to waste, she will bake Pirelli’s corpse into meat pies (“A Little Priest”). She reminds Todd that her neighbor, Mrs. Mooney, can bake up to seven pies with a single street cat. Meat pies made from a single man’s corpse could boost her shop’s business, which means that she could make a steady revenue stream with the meat from all the customers that Todd kills. The practicality of her suggestion amuses Todd, who indulges her line of thinking.

Todd compares Mrs. Lovett’s plan to the exploitation he sees in the world, suggesting that men already “devour” other men regularly. They fantasize about the sort of meat pies they will soon produce, including priest, poet, marine, grocer, clerk, and piccolo player. Each one comes with its own set of puns and euphemisms, suggesting that the pies will manifest the qualities of different people in their flavor. Todd loves the idea of overturning the exploitative social dynamics of history so much that he refers to Mrs. Lovett as “my sweet” and “my love.” They promise not to discriminate between social classes in their new business scheme, taking meat from and serving both upper- and lower-class people.