This page lists adaptations and derivative works based off Sweeney Todd, aka "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", a Public Domain Character originating from The String of Pearls, a book that was first published in 1846.
Original Work
- The String of Pearls (novel, 1846-1847), serialized in The People's Periodical and Family Library. Anonymous, but thought to have been written by James Malcolm Rymer (the author of Varney the Vampire) and Thomas Peckett Prest (thought to be that author at first).
Adaptations & Derivative Works
Films
- Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936). A film adaptation of the 1865 Victorian melodrama, starring Tod Slaughter as the demon barber and Stella Rho as "Mrs. Lovatt."
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
- The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997). An American TV film starring Ben Kingsley.
- Sweeney Todd (2006). A BBC drama that attempts to stay closer to the original version of the story, taking place in the 18th century.
- Live from Lincoln Center: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street S40E1 (2014): A PBS broadcast of the play.
Theatre
- The String of Pearls (1847). The first stage adaptation, a melodrama by George Dibden Pitt.
- Sweeney Todd, the Barber of Fleet Street: or the String of Pearls (c. 1865). A Victorian melodrama based on The String of Pearls, written by Frederick Hazelton.
- Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1973). A play by Christopher Bond, which gave Todd a tragic backstory and a revenge motivation.
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979). The musical by Stephen Sondheim, based on Christopher Bond's play.
Theme Parks & Attractions
- The London Dungeon features Sweeney Todd.
Video Games
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate: The "Dreadful Crimes" DLC contains an Expy of Sweeney Todd who is a leatherworker that uses the remains of his victims to create meat pies. He's also the main boss of the side mission "The Fiend of Fleet Street"
- Penny Dreadfuls: Sweeney Todd, a musical Hidden Object Game based on the original penny dreadful, where you help investigate the mystery.
Tropes common to multiple versions of the story include:
- Adaptational Sympathy: The titular character is motivated entirely by greed and cruelty in the original penny dreadful The String of Pearls and is pretty monstrous in most other adaptations. The play by Christopher Bond, which was later adapted into the Steven Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (itself adapted into the Tim Burton film), gave him a tragic backstory and a revenge motivation.
- Based on a Great Big Lie: The preface of The String of Pearls claimed that Sweeney Todd was a real person, although all proof of his existence was conveniently lost when his barbershop was demolished and a chapel was built in its place. The claim has remained attached to the story on and off ever since. However, the idea of a barber killing his clients and having an accomplice bake them into pies is itself Very Loosely Based on a True Story: that of French serial killers Barnabé Cabard and Pierre Miquelon
in 15th century Paris. - Dangerously Close Shave: Instead of shaving his customers, Sweeney murders them. Ironically absent from the original penny dreadful, in which his barber's chair is a deadly booby-trap that flips his customers into a pit, although he does threaten to do this to Tobias if his shop-boy speaks a word about his doings.
- Men Are the Expendable Gender: Sweeney murders dozens or even hundreds of men, but typically only one or two women. Justified because it's men who patronize his barber shop.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Mrs. Lovett has often been portrayed as Todd's love interest since the 1970's.
- Public Domain Character: Sweeney Todd and other characters from The String of Pearls are under no copyright due to being created in the 19th century.
- Related in the Adaptation: In "The String Of Pearls", Johanna has no personal connection to Sweeney, only becoming involved because she fears her boyfriend has fallen victim to the villainous barber. In the Bond play, its musical adaptation and that play's film adaptation, she is depicted as his long-lost daughter.
- The Secret of Long Pork Pies: Mrs. Lovett disposes of Sweeney's victims by baking them into pies. In most tellings this improves her pies and enriches her business.
- Serial Killer: Sweeney Todd is one of the earliest examples in English literature.
- Setting Update: "The String of Pearls" was set in 1785. The most well known adaptations (the musical and 2007 film) have the setting as Victorian London, but the 1936 film has the setting as 1836, modern book-ends excluded, making it still Georgian albeit extremely late Georgian, while Bloodthirsty Butchers goes for a then contemporary setting. The 1998 Ben Kingsley film and the 2006 film with Ray Winstone likewise keeps the Georgian setting.
