Joe Locke, breakout star of Netflix's Heartstopper, is set to make his Broadway debut in the revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Locke will begin performances as Tobias Ragg January 31, 2024.
Locke made his professional stage debut in the Donmar Warehouse's production of Dawn King's The Trials in 2022. His performance earned him the award for Best Professional Debut at the 2023 What'sOnStage Awards.
Original cast member Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things) ended his run as Tobias November 5, when understudies Felix Torrez-Ponce and Nathan Salstone stepped into the role. Tobias is currently played by Daniel Marconi.
The current revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd began performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre last February. Directed by Thomas Kail, the revival was nominated for eight 2023 Tony Awards, and won Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Nevin Steinberg).
The production currently stars Tony nominee Josh Groban as Sweeney Todd and Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett. Groban and Ashford will be succeeded by Tony winners Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster beginning February 9, 2024.
The company also features Tony Award winner and Laurence Olivier Award nominee Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I) as Beggar Woman, Daniel Yearwood (Hamilton) as Anthony, Maria Bilbao (On Your Feet!) as Johanna, Jamie Jackson (The Last Ship) as Judge Turpin, John Rapson (Les Misérables) as Beadle Bamford, and Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton) as Pirelli.
The production features Jonathan Tunick's full, 26-piece orchestration for the first time on Broadway since the 1979 original production, with music supervision by three-time Tony winner Alex Lacamoire. A cast album was released in September.
Based on the Christopher Bond play of the same name, Sweeney Todd centers on its titular barber who seeks revenge on a corrupt judge and turns to murder, with neighbor and accomplice Mrs. Lovett ultimately discovering they can dispose of the evidence by serving up the most unsettling meat pies to the people of London.
The production features choreography by Steven Hoggett, scenic design by Mimi Lien, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, special effects design by Jeremy Chernick, and wig, hair, and make-up design by J. Jared Janas. Casting is by The Telsey Office, and Baseline Theatrical's Nick Lugo and James Hickey serve as general managers. Cody Renard Richard is production stage manager.