Sweeney Todd

About the show

The ballet Sweeney Todd, Op. 68 by Malcolm Arnold was completed in 1959. It is a one-act ballet based on the legend of Sweeney Todd, a villain in The String of Pearls serial. The scenario and original choreography were by John Cranko and the scenery and costumes by Alix Stone in the style of Victorian toy theatres. It was first performed by the Royal Ballet touring company on 10 December 1959, at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, with the Royal Opera House Orchestra conducted by John Lanchbery. The dancers who created the roles in the first production were Donald Britton (Sweeney Todd), Johaar Mosaval (Tobias), Elizabeth Anderton (Johanna), Desmond Doyle (Mark Ingestre), Ian Hamilton (Colonel Jeffrey). Paul R.W Jackson noted the ingenious interweaving and development of the themes or motifs used for each of the main characters. "The grisly opening prelude turned into Todd's theme, while Johanna's music became an ingratiating waltz for a pas de deux". The first complete recording was issued in 2025, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Martin Yates.