Chichester Sweeney Confirms West End Transfer, 20 Mar

Please note: This story has been updated to include the press night date of 20 March 2012.

As previously tipped, the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, starring Michael Ball in the title role alongside Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett, will transfer to the West End’s Adelphi Theatre in March next year.

The production, which is directed by Jonathan Kent, finishes its Chichester run tomorrow (5 November 2011) and will transfer to the Adelphi from 20 March (previews from 10 March 2012), following the run of the National Theatre’s One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Corden.

Sondheim’s 1979 Broadway musical, which has a
book by Hugh Wheeler, was last seen in London in 2005 in John Doyle’s
actor-musician Watermill Theatre revival, which had an extended season
at Trafalgar Studios and then at the New Ambassadors, won two
Whatsonstage.com Awards and later transferred to Broadway where it won
two Tony Awards.

The Chichester revival also features Lucy May Barker as Johanna, Peter Polycarpou as Beadle
Bamford, John Bowe as Judge Turpin, Luke Brady as Anthony, Robert
Burt as Pirelli, Gillian Kirkpatrick as the Beggar Woman and James McConville as Tobias.

The production is designed by Anthony Ward, with choreography by Denni
Sayers, lighting by Mark Henderson, musical direction by Nicholas
Skilbeck and sound by Paul Groothuis.

It will mark the first return to the West End for Michael Ball since his multi award-winning turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.

He has changed his image considerably to tackle the Demon Barber, slimming down and growing a goatee. He told the Daily Mail‘s Baz Bamigboye his new look has raised a few eyebrows. “They’ve been shocked and surprised,” he said, “but the response has been good because I wanted to shake up what I do.”