History Theatre / SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The judge's sentencing of a young boy to hanging, though he is a four-time offender. The musical obviously wants to criticize [[MoralEventHorizon atrocities committed]] in the name of the law that were acceptable back then, as children were treated the same way as adults. This is noticeably shortened to one previous offense in the film to make it ''even worse''.

* BlackmailBackfire: When [[spoiler:Pirelli]] recognizes Sweeney from the old days when he was Benjamin Barker, he tries to blackmail him, threatening to tell Beadle Bamford about him if he doesn't hand over half his earnings to him every week. This proves to be his biggest mistake.

* TheOphelia: Johanna in many productions. She's sometimes wearing FlowersInHerHair when she's in the asylum.

** (a little of both) The characters of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett come from a Victorian "shilling shocker" titled ''The String of Pearls''. It is only in Christopher Bond's modern version, which Sondheim's musical adapts, that Sweeney has a revenge motivation, and Mrs. Lovett has a crush on him.

* SettingUpdate: Of "''The String of Pearls''", which stated that the story of Sweeney Todd took place in 1785. Instead, the musical takes place in 1846, the year the story was first published.

* VoiceTypes: Every voice type is represented:
** Johanna – soprano
** Beggar Woman – mezzo-soprano
** Mrs. Lovett – mezzo-belter
** Beadle Bamford – tenor/counter-tenor
** Pirelli – Operatic tenor/counter-tenor ( this role is sometimes played by [[CrosscastRole a soprano in drag,]] because of its high range (two, sometimes 3 high Cs!) for example in the 2005 revival version.)
** Tobias – tenor
** Anthony – lyric baritone or tenor
** Sweeney Todd – bass-baritone
** Judge Turpin – bass

[[caption-width-right:332:The original Broadway poster. Looks like they’re having a bloody good time!]]

** "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is addressed directly to the audience and contains the following lines:

-->No one can help, nothing can hide you!\\

* CagedBirdMetaphor: Johannah is associated with her birds. She sings [[IWantSong a song]] wondering why are inspired to sing even in captivity, eventually making it clear that she is not just talking about them--she has spent nearly her entire life as a prisoner in Judge Turpin's mansion:

** The bird seller tanswers the question of how they make the birds sing: "We blinds 'em. That's what we always does. We blinds 'em and, not knowing night from day, they sing and they sing without stopping. Pretty creatures." This is later [[MeaningfulEcho echoed]] by Fogg, talking about Johanna. "She needs so much correction! She sings day and night and leaves the other inmates sleepless!"

* ChekhovsGun: Signor Pirelli's coin purse. [[spoiler:After Mrs. Lovett pilfers it off his body she pulls it out several more times. When Toby finally sees it and recognizes it, it starts unraveling everything for her and Sweeney.]]

* CycleOfRevenge: Turpin and Bamford were responsible for the imprisonment of Sweeney, so he went on a quest to hunt them down. Then immediately after [[spoiler: he finally achieved his vengeance, Sweeney finds out about Lovett's lies about his wife, whom he killed earlier, so he throws her in the oven, and then he himself is killed by Toby in the end for his own murder of Pirelli]].

** Played straighter in the film, in which neither Anthony nor Johanna shoots the asylum keeper--[[spoiler:they leave him to be torn apart by the abused inmates]].
* DanceOfDespair: When Todd realizes that the Beggar Woman [[spoiler:he has killed is his wife Lucy, he is utterly shocked and accuses Mrs. Lovett of lying to him. She explains that technically she didn't lie: Lucy did poison herself, but she lived, only she lost her mental health.]] Todd pretends to forgive her and he starts dancing manically with Mrs. Lovett. [[spoiler:Then he suddenly pushes her into the oven and she burns alive. Full of despair, Todd cradles his dead wife Lucy in his arms.]]

* DeathBySex: Played straight, subverted, and double subverted. Lucy swallows poison after being raped, and Sweeney wants to kill Turpin for raping her. However [[spoiler:neither of them dies immediately]]. And when all's said and done and [[KillEmAll Everyone Has Died]], it would seem that only the assumed virgins are left alive. Double points for Mrs. Lovett, easy to interpret as a lusty widow, for getting the most gruesome death in the play.
* DeathSong: [[spoiler: "Pirelli's Death" for, naturally, Pirelli]], [[spoiler:"The Judge's Return" for Judge Turpin]], [[spoiler:"Final Scene" for Mrs. Lovett]], and the reprise of [[spoiler:"A Barber and His Wife" for Sweeney]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The judge's sentencing of a young boy to hanging, though he is a four-time offender. The musical obviously wants to criticise [[MoralEventHorizon atrocities committed]] in the name of the law that were acceptable back then, as children were treated the same way as adults. This is noticeably shortened to one previous offense in the film to make it ''even worse''.
* DespairEventHorizon: Sweeney definitely crosses it when he kills [[spoiler:his wife Lucy]] and later finds out what he's done and [[spoiler: [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone feels heavy regret]] about it]]. This implies that he's shown heavy regret for his actions and the end [[spoiler: reveals [[MindRape how much suffering he has felt]] throughout the musical]].

* DontExplainTheJoke: "And I'm telling you them pussycats is quick!"

* OrphanedReference: Most productions cut out the tooth-pulling part of ''The Contest'', but neglect to write out references to tooth-pulling during the song. The movie, which also cuts the tooth-pulling, adjusts the lyrics accordingly.

* ThatManIsDead: "It's Todd now. Sweeney Todd. And he will have his revenge."

* OpeningChorus

* DangerouslyCloseShave: 'Nuff said.

* ShortTitleLongElaborateSubtitle: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

-->My cage has many rooms\\
Damask and dark\\
Nothing there sings\\
Not even my lark

** The bird seller talking about how they make the birds sing. "We blinds 'em. That's what we always does. We blinds 'em and, not knowing night from day, they sing and they sing without stopping. Pretty creatures." This was later echoed by Fogg, talking about Johanna. "She needs so much correction! She sings day and night and leaves the other inmates sleepless!"

[[caption-width-right:332:The original Broadway poster. [[Looks like they’re having a bloody good time!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:332:The original Broadway poster. [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies They’ll serve anyone, and to anyone, at all!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:332:The original Broadway poster. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Did you think it was for kids or something?]]]]

* DoorClosesEnding: Ends with Sweeney slamming a door after he has walked through it.

* ShoutOut: Pirelli's appearance and behavior might be one to Figaro in Music/GioachinoRossini's Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Pirelli,]] Judge Turpin, and Beadle Bamford. [[spoiler: And by the end of the show Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney himself fit the bill pretty well.]]