Powerhouse vocalist Josh Groban will make his Broadway comeback as the title character of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.
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It has been six years since the singer made his Broadway debut in the 2016 musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. The new incarnation will be Sweeney Todd‘s first revival since a 2005 production, starring Patti Lupone and Michael Cerveris.
Groban will perform as the wild-haired, murderous Demon Barker of Fleet Street alongside Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett in the 1800s London-set dark and twisted tale.
“This show is full of such great scary fun. It is Grand Guignol, it is penny dreadful,” the pop star told The New York Times. “There is obviously a plot here that is absurd and monstrous, but then there is also an incredible back story to this character that makes the role even more terrifying, because for all intents and purposes this was a civilized, good man that was driven to this.”
On Sept. 6, Groban celebrated by posting a teaser video on his Instagram. “Attend The Tale. 02/26/23,” he captioned the post.
The Broadway revival is set to open next spring at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Overseeing the production will be two of the people behind the mega-hit Hamilton: director Thomas Kail and co-producer Jeffrey Seller.
The upcoming revival will also feature a 26-person orchestra for the first time since the show’s original debut in 1979.
Several revivals of Sondheim-composed musicals have been sparked since his death in November 2021. Aside from Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along is scheduled for this fall and will star Daniel Radcliffe. A revival of Into the Woods is currently playing and a revival of Company recently closed on Broadway.
