For me, Stephen Sondheim serves as the quintessential peak of musical theatre composition. His poetry speaks volumes. His scores are the mark of creativity and study.

Sweeney Todd happens to be my favorite of Sondheim’s shows, so as soon as I received Rick Pender’s piece, I flew through it.

Pender did a great job of covering the decades and iterations of this show, detailing the stark differences between the various revivals, as well as Tim Burton’s movie adaptation.

While the book doesn’t necessarily cover new ground or offer nuanced novel analyses, I enjoyed following the arc of the show and the way it consistently impacts new audiences, year after year.

Fans of Sondheim and musical theatre will find this a highly enjoyable read.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was entertaining and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This book is written for those die-hard fans of this musical or are working in the theater community. While I found parts of this book interesting, I felt the descriptions of every production of "Sweeney Todd" to be too much.

This book is a fascinating look into the world of Sweeney Todd, perfect for fans and newcomers alike. It explores how the show was conceived, developed, and transformed through various productions worldwide, while offering insightful analysis of its characters and music. The sections on Tim Burton’s film adaptation are especially interesting, revealing the creative choices behind bringing the story to the screen.
Having performed in several Sondheim shows myself—including A Little Night Music, Into The Woods, and Passion—I deeply appreciate the complexities of Sondheim’s scores. This book captures that intricacy well, highlighting the genius behind his music and lyrics and the challenges performers face interpreting his work.
Although the narrative can sometimes feel dense with names and historical details, it is accessible and engaging. It’s thoughtfully written and provides a deeper understanding of how Sweeney Todd became one of the most unique and compelling musicals in theatre history.
Overall, it’s a rewarding read for anyone eager to learn more about Sondheim’s artistry and the enduring appeal of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

As a long-time fan of Sweeney Todd, I was naturally excited to read a book dedicated to it, and Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd certainly has a lot to offer fans of the show, including a discussion of the original conception of the musical, a look at major productions, and an overview of all the songs. At first I wondered why foreign productions were being ignored; however, there was an appendix at the end that outlined some of the major productions across the world. Overall, the book provided interesting reading, and the various aspects of the show and its creation had clearly been well researched.The book will appeal to fans of musicals who like to know how shows were developed, and to fans of Sondheim and Sweeney Todd in particular. I am giving it four stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


***I am not including this note in my published review, but I wish to draw your attention to a factual inaccuracy in the text. The author states that Victor Garber played Sydney Bristow in Alias. He actually played Jack Bristow; Sydney Bristow was the female lead played by Jennifer Garner. I wanted to alert you to this so you can correct it before the book goes to print.***

After seeing one of my friends in a local production of Sweeney Todd, I became interested in learning more about the musical and this book was the perfect way to do it! Very thoughtfully written but still digestible, a great read for musical fans!

Oh, “Sweeney Todd”!
The first time I saw Tim Burton’s film, it instantly became one of my favorite movies of all time. At this point, I’ve watched it enough times to have every song memorized.
So, of course, I was very interested when I came across this book, especially since I didn't know much about the musical’s history. It was fascinating to learn how Sweeney Todd evolved into the production we know today, and how many changes it went through over the years.
There are a lot of names and numbers mentioned, which can get a little confusing. But seeing the photos from various performances was a real highlight. I wish there was more of them!
There was so much information about all the characters, the thoughts behind their actions, the different ways they were portrayed by different people. I loved reading the behind-the-scenes chapter about Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd”, how the cast was chosen and the reasoning behind each decision!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-copy!

What a beautiful book about the history of one of my favourite musicals. I am obsessed with this story and always secretly hoped that the demon barber story was true even though I know it isn’t. The music in this show just sweep you along and I have enjoyed many productions over the years including some local ones but the Michael Ball version was one of my favourites along with the Tim Burton movie. My only negative with this book is I would have liked more photos and maybe more around the songs from the show but that is a minor complaint.