International NewsAnthony Warlow and Gina Riley Will Star in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd in JuneThe Tony-winning musical will play limited runs in Sydney and Melbourne.
By
Andrew Gans
February 12, 2019
Australian actors Anthony Warlow, who made his Broadway debut in the 2012 revival of Annie, and Gina Riley will star in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in June in Sydney and Melbourne.
Directed by Theresa Borg with musical direction by Vanessa Scammell, performances are scheduled for June 13–16 at Sydney’s Darling Harbour Theatre and June 20–23 at Melbourne's Her Majesty’s Theatre.
Warlow (Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden) will star as the unjustly exiled barber with Riley (Kath & Kim, Nice Work If You Can Get It) as Mrs. Lovett, the resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop.
Sondheim and Wheeler's Sweeney Todd originally opened on Broadway in 1979 starring Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury—both earned Tony Awards for their performances. Harold Prince directed the production, which took home the 1979 Tony for Best Musical. Subsequent Broadway revivals have starred Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton (1989) and Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris (2005).
The score includes such tunes as “The Worst Pies in London,” “Johanna,” “Pretty Women,” “A Little Priest,” “By the Sea,” and “Not While I'm Around.”
The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success.