Josh Groban has been cast in the leading role of a new Broadway production of "Sweeney Todd."
The pop icon will star alongside Tony-winning actor Annaleigh Ashford, who portrays Mrs. Lovett in the deliriously gruesome musical scored by Stephen Sondheim, The New York Times has reported.
For three years there have been discussions about the revival, which was encouraged by Sondheim, who died in November. Now it has been confirmed that the production will go ahead, with performances starting on Feb. 26, 2023, at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and an official opening night set for March 26, 2023.
"This show is full of such great scary fun," Groban said in an interview with the Times. "It is Grand Guignol, it is Penny Dreadful."
Groban described the production's plot as "absurd and monstrous" but, he added, "there is also an incredible backstory to this character that makes the role even more terrifying, because for all intents and purposes this was a civilized, good man that was driven to this."
Groban said he believed that the role of Sweeney Todd fit his strengths.
"I was not ever a song-and-dance man, so for me to have roles that were cerebral and were gritty and interesting — and baritone — these were roles I felt I could really sink my teeth into," he said. "We all have these roles that we think to ourselves, If this were ever to happen, I would give it everything that I've got, and this is certainly one of those roles for me."
Ashford told the Times that she had wanted to play the role of Mrs. Lovett since she was in her early teens.
"This role is one of the finest ladies of the American musical theater canon," she said. "She does a terrible thing, and she is a monster, but I've always seen her as a woman who is trying to find love and trying to be loved."
"Sweeney Todd" will be helmed by "Hamilton" director Thomas Kail and produced by Jeffrey Seller. Like the original production, the revival will feature an original 26-player orchestration, with Alex Lacamoire serving as music supervisor and Steven Hoggett as choreographer, according to Deadline. Set design will be by Mimi Lien, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Nevin Steinberg.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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