Musical theater is not exactly the natural place to find a Horror show. Drama and Comedy come naturally to musica ltheater, but Horror? Not so much. That changed when in the late 20th century, a bold new musical was staged. The story it told had its origins in one of the many Penny Dreadful serials - popular in Victorian London – called “A String of Pearls.” The story told of a murderous barber who had an accomplice who baked his victims’ remains into meat pies. “A String of Pearls” was so popular, it was turned into a stage play before the serial even ran its course and the lead character’s fate was revealed. Over 100 years later, in 1979, titan of the theater, Stephen Sondheim and his book writer, Hugh Wheeler, had a smash success with their Horror musical telling the story of the same Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 2007, revered director of the Gothic, Tim Burton, adapted it for film. That film, and stage musical, was SWEENEY TODD.
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