Welcome to Mānoa Valley Theatre’s first production of our 55 th season. We’re thrilled to present to you Stephen Sondheim’s and Hugh Wheeler’s musical thriller "Sweeney Todd, theDemon Barber of Fleet Street." The inspiration for Sweeney Todd came from weekly serialized Victorian fiction called penny dreadful. This particular story was titled “String of Pearls” and first appeared in the winter of 1846-47. The weekly installments were so popular that this story was turned into a play before the ending had even been revealed in print. The musical version is based on Christopher Bond’s 1970 play Sweeney Todd. Bond’s play gave a psychological backstory and motivation to Todd’s crimes. This backstory is carried forward in the musical adaptation of Bond’s play. Sondheim believed the language Bond used and the use of blank verse significantly elevated the lurid nature of the tale. But Sondheim wasnʻt satisfied and had something even greater in mind. He commented: “What I did to Chris’ (Bond) play is more than enhance it. I had a feeling it would be a new animal… Our production was larger in scope. Hal Prince (stage director) gave it an epic sense, a sense that this was a man of some size instead of just a nut case.” "Sweeney Todd" opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 and in London’s West End in 1980. It was remounted on Broadway in 1989, 2005, and 2023. The Broadway productions have been nominated for 27 Tony Awards and have won a total of 10. The current production at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre stars Josh Groban in the title role. Mahalo for your continued support of live theatre at Mānoa Valley Theatre. Without your support as patrons and donors, productions such as this one would not be possible. Enjoy the show! Kip