LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 08: Joe Locke attends the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 08, 2022 in London, England.
Joe Locke, star of the hit Netflix series "Heartstopper," will make his Broadway debut in the revival of the Tony-nominated production "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," starting his breakout performances as "Tobias Ragg" on January 31 of next year.
That said, Locke's inaugural stage performance took place in the Donmar Warehouse Thrust Theatre 2022 show "The Trials," written by Dawn King.
Locke's portrayal of "Noah" in this production earned him the "Best Professional Debut" award in the 2023 What'sOnStage Awards. Locke will be replacing Daniel Marconi as "Tobias," a character originally played in the recent revival by Gaten Matarazzo, who starred in Stranger Things, until his run ended last Nov. 5.
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What is the Sweeney Todd Play About?
This revival production was based on Christopher Bond's 1979 play of the same name which features its titular character "Sweeney Todd" and the series of murders he commits in London as an act of revenge against a dishonest and crooked judge, eventually employing the help of his future accomplice Mrs. Lovett, currently played by Annaleigh Ashford, who comes up with a disgusting way to hide the bodies using meat pies.
The yet-to-be-released revival will also feature the original orchestration by Jonathan Tunick which features a 26-piece composition, marking this the first time it had been featured in a "Sweeney Todd-related" production since the inaugural run of the original over four decades ago.
The revival will be musically supervised by Alex Lacamoire, a three-time Tony winner, and will be led by Tony-winning director Thomas Kail, who was awarded for his efforts in the Broadway sensation "Hamilton." Preceding this production, however, is a cast album that was released last September.
Currently, "Sweeney Todd" is headlined by Josh Groban as the titular barber, but will be succeeded by Tony-winning actor Aaron Tveit, along with Sutton Foster who will take on the mantle for "Mrs. Lovett" this coming February 9.
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