Mrs. Lovett - Portrayals

Portrayals

In film and stage adaptations of the Sweeney Todd story, Lovett is considered the female lead.

• Christine Baranski received positive reviews opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell in the Kennedy Center's 2002 production. She also played the role in the 1999 concert at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

• Helena Bonham Carter portrayed the character in Tim Burton's movie version of the musical: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Bonham Carter's interpretation was moderately different from the original stage version.

• Joyce Castle portrayed the role in the 1984 opera at the Houston Grand Opera, the first operatic adaptation.

• Essie Davis played the role of Mrs. Lovett in the 2006 television film broadcast on the BBC, simply titled Sweeney Todd.

• Beth Fowler earned a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in the first Broadway revival at the Circle in the Square Theatre in 1989.

• Sheila Hancock played Mrs. Lovett in the original 1980 West End production at Drury Lane. She received an Olivier nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

• June Havoc performed the role for the 1982 tour following the PBS telecast.

• Judy Kaye filled in for LuPone for a week (while LuPone was on vacation) in the 2005 Broadway revival, before it ended production in early 2006. She went on to the Canadian and American tour version of the John Doyle revival for which she received acclaim and had to learn to play the tuba. She also appeared in the 2000 concert at Royal Festival Hall in London.

• Angela Lansbury won a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in originating the role on Broadway in 1979 at the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin). She also continued to perform the role for the 1980 American tour. This was taped and broadcast by PBS on its show Great Performances in 1982, for which Lanbury was nominated for a 1985 Primetime Emmy for Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

• Dorothy Loudon replaced Lansbury in the original Broadway production.

• Joanna Lumley portrayed her in the 1998 Showtime television movie The Tale of Sweeney Todd starring Ben Kingsley. Her character is in love with Sweeney Todd and has a romantic/physical relationship with him as opposed to an unrequited attraction. She is additionally—and with the implied consent of Todd—sexually involved with a local judge, to whom she provides sadomasochistic release. She is imprisoned for her crimes in the end, and does not die in this version.

• Patti LuPone has played the role on two occasions: in concert (2000 and 2001) and on Broadway (2005). Her interpretation of the character differed in both performances. In the semi-staged concert version, LuPone played the role in the way that Lansbury or Hancock would have originally played it, as a "homely lunatic". This portrayal was seen at the Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center, a taped production in San Francisco and at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. However in 2005, to suit the fresh, dark and sparse approach to the show, LuPone had to "throw all that out" and create a new look for the character: her interpretation became more lustful and sex-starved, with a dry wit throughout. She received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2005 Broadway production at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

• Julia McKenzie played the role 1993 West End revival at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton, for which she won the Olivier for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

• Caroline O'Connor appeared in the original Paris production of 2011 at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

• Elaine Paige portrayed the role in the 2004 opera at the New York City Opera, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

• Felicity Palmer performed as Lovett in the 2003 production at the Royal Opera House, it's only musical produced.

• Stella Rho portrayed her in the 1936 film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

• Imelda Staunton played Mrs. Lovett in the 2011 production at the Chichester Festival Theatre which transferred to the West End in 2012 at the Adelphi Theatre.