Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story ''
Sweeney Todd''. Her first name is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although she has also been referred to as Amelia, Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhelmina and Claudetta. A baker from London, Mrs. Lovett is an accomplice and business partner of
Sweeney Todd, a barber and
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
from
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...
. She makes
meat pies from Todd’s victims.
First appearing in the
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
penny dreadful serial ''
The String of Pearls'', it is debated if she was based on an actual person or not. The character also appears in modern media related to ''Sweeney Todd'' including the
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
and its 2007
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
.
Character overview
In every version of the story in which she appears, Mrs. Lovett is the business partner and accomplice of barber/
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Sweeney Todd; in some versions, she is also his lover. She makes and sells
meat pies made from Todd's victims.
While in most versions of the Sweeney Todd story Mrs. Lovett's past history is not stated, usually she is depicted as a childless widow, although in some depictions (but very rarely) Mr. Albert Lovett is shown. In
Christopher Bond
Christopher Godfrey Bond (born 1945, Sussex, England, UK) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director whose 1970 retelling of the Victorian tale ''Sweeney Todd'' formed the basis of Stephen Sondheim's musical of the same name, with ...
's 1973 play ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
's
1979 musical adaptation, before she goes into business with Todd she is living in
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
in a filthy,
vermin
Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by region and enterpr ...
-infested flat, and laments that her pies are the worst ones in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. While she feels no remorse about using the bodies of Todd's victims in her pies, she sometimes shows to have a softer side to those in need. In the Bond play and Sondheim musical, she takes in the young orphan
Tobias Ragg and considers taking in Todd's daughter
Johanna
Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...
, as well. In the original "penny dreadful" serial and
George Dibdin Pitt
George Dibdin Pitt (born George Pitt , 30 March 1795 – 16 February 1855) was an English actor, stage manager and prolific playwright, specializing in melodrama. He was the first playwright to dramatize the fictional character Sweeney Todd, in hi ...
's 1847 stage play, ''The String of Pearls; or, The Fiend of Fleet Street'', however, this does not extend to her "assistants", whom she imprisons in the bakehouse and often slaves to death.
Various interpretations
Although Mrs. Lovett's character and role in the story are similar in each version, certain details vary according to the story's interpretation. In some versions, for example, Mrs. Lovett commits
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
when their crimes are discovered, while in others, Todd kills her himself or she is arrested and escapes execution by
turning King's Evidence against Todd. Her physical appearance varies from a slim and alluring beauty, to a plump, homely
lunatic. Her age is also differing in many adaptations; though it is never specifically stated in any versions, there are some (most noticeably in Sondheim's musical) where she is older than Todd, often by a difference of over fifteen years and others where she is around his age. Whether their relationship is platonic, romantic or merely sexual also varies according to interpretation.
Role in the musical
In
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
's 1979 stage musical ''
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweeney may refer to:
People
* Sweeney (name)
*Clan Sweeney, an Irish clan of Scottish origin
Places
* Sweeney Mountains, Palmer Land, Antarctica
* Sweeney Ridge, a national park in California, United States
Arts and entertainment
*'' The Madnes ...
'' and
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
's
2007 film adaptation, Todd pays a visit to Mrs. Lovett's pie shop below his old home after 15 years in
exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
, seeking information about his lost family. Mrs. Lovett recognizes him as her former
tenant
Tenant may refer to:
Real estate
*Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate
*Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law
*Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate
*Tenant farmer
*Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...
, Benjamin Barker, with whom she was (and is) secretly in love. She informs him that his wife,
Lucy, was
sexually abused by
Judge Turpin, who had exiled Todd on a false charge, and informs Todd that Lucy was so distraught that she poisoned herself with
arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
. Seeking vengeance, Todd reopens his shaving parlour above the shop, and slits the throats of his customers. Mrs. Lovett initiates a plan for Todd to send the corpses of his victims down a chute that leads to her bakehouse. She then uses the flesh to bake meat pies, which make her business very successful.
She and Todd take in an orphan,
Tobias Ragg, to whom she becomes like a mother. She also dreams of marrying Todd, who is completely uninterested in her.
In the story's
climactic "Final Sequence", Todd murders Beadle Bamford, Turpin and a beggar woman, and discovers that the latter is actually Lucy. Todd confronts Mrs. Lovett, who confesses that Lucy survived drinking the poison but was driven
insane
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
, reduced to begging. Todd then demands why Mrs. Lovett lied to him, to which Mrs. Lovett then confesses her love for him, and promises she would be a better wife than Lucy ever was. Todd pretends to forgive her, but later throws her into the furnace, burning her alive as retribution for her lies. However, killing Lovett proves to be Todd's fatal mistake; Tobias, who loved her like a mother, emerges from hiding and kills Todd by slitting his throat with his own razor.
Sondheim based his characterization of Mrs. Lovett in large part upon the
Utilitarian ideas criticized by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
in his novel ''
Hard Times'', specifically in relation to the character of Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, who embodies the Utilitarian ideas and who takes pride in frequently referring to himself as "eminently practical," which Dickens emphasizes to be the character's primary character trait on numerous occasions. This is evidenced by the following: first, on two occasions in Sondheim's musical, Sweeney refers to Mrs. Lovett as "eminently practical" when praising her cold-blooded resourcefulness in relation to her meat pie recipes (which are logically Utilitarian in nature); and second, Mrs. Lovett concludes her opening number by stating twice that "Times is hard," a thinly veiled reference to the title of the Dickens novel.
Portrayals
In film and stage adaptations of the Sweeney Todd story, Lovett is considered the female lead.
*Stella Rho portrayed her in the 1936 film ''
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''.
*
Jane Mallett
Jane Mallett (April 17, 1899 – April 14, 1984) was a Canadian actress. She was born as Jean Dawson Keenleyside in London, Ontario, Canada.
Career
Her films included ''Love at First Sight'' with Dan Aykroyd, ''The Sweet and the Bitter'', ''T ...
played Mrs. Lovett in a radio adaptation of the
George Dibdin Pitt
George Dibdin Pitt (born George Pitt , 30 March 1795 – 16 February 1855) was an English actor, stage manager and prolific playwright, specializing in melodrama. He was the first playwright to dramatize the fictional character Sweeney Todd, in hi ...
play for
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
in 1947.
*Raffaella Ottiano played Mrs. Lovett in the 1924 Broadway production of
George Dibdin Pitt
George Dibdin Pitt (born George Pitt , 30 March 1795 – 16 February 1855) was an English actor, stage manager and prolific playwright, specializing in melodrama. He was the first playwright to dramatize the fictional character Sweeney Todd, in hi ...
's play.
*
Heather Canning
Heather Joan Canning (5 January 1933 – 30 May 1996) was an English actress, who is best known for her television roles. She played Isabel Rockmetteller in " The Full House", the second episode of the third series of the 1990s British com ...
played Mrs. Lovett in a 1970 episode of ''
Mystery and Imagination'' opposite
Freddie Jones' Sweeney Todd.
*
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
won a
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
for
Best Leading Actress in a Musical, originating the role on
Broadway in 1979 at the
Uris Theatre
The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Opened in 1972, it is operated ...
(now the Gershwin). She also continued to perform the role for the 1980 American tour, which was taped and broadcast by
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
on its show ''
Great Performances'' in 1982, for which Lansbury was nominated for a 1985
Primetime Emmy
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
for
Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
*
Dorothy Loudon
Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1925 – November 15, 2003) was an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1977 for her performance as Miss Hannigan in ''Annie''. Loudon was also nominated for To ...
replaced
Lansbury in the original Broadway production.
*
Sheila Hancock
Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. Hancock trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before starting her career in repertory theatre. Hancock went on to perform in plays and musica ...
played Mrs. Lovett in the original 1980
West End production at
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
. She received an
Olivier
Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to:
* Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Olivier (surname), a list of people
* Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery
*Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...
nomination for
Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
*
June Havoc portrayed the character in a 1982 tour following the PBS broadcast.
*
Joyce Castle
Joyce Castle (born Lillian Joyce Malicky, on January 17, 1939, in Beaumont, Texas) is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active opera career for the last four decades. She earned degrees in music from The University of Kansas and the Eastm ...
portrayed the role in the 1984 opera at the
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...
, the first operatic adaptation.
*
Beth Fowler earned a
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
nomination for
Best Leading Actress in a Musical in the first Broadway revival at the
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...
in 1989.
*
Julia McKenzie
Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie (born 17 February 1941) is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFT ...
played the role in the 1993 West End revival at the
National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton, for which she won the
Olivier
Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to:
* Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Olivier (surname), a list of people
* Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery
*Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...
for
Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She repeated the role in a 1994
BBC Radio adaptation of the production.
*
Joanna Lumley portrayed Mrs. Lovett in the 1998
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
television movie ''
The Tale of Sweeney Todd'' starring
Ben Kingsley. Her character has a romantic relationship with him, as opposed to the unrequited attraction depicted in most versions of the story. She is additionally—and with the implied consent of Todd—sexually involved with a local judge, to whom she provides
sadomasochistic
Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...
release. She is arrested for her crimes in the end.
*
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...
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
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
, a taped production in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and at the
Ravinia Festival in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
. 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
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
nomination for
Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2005 Broadway production at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
*
Christine Baranski
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She is a 15-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' ...
received positive reviews opposite
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...
in the
Kennedy Center's 2002 production. She also played the role in the 1999 concert at the
Ahmanson Theatre in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
*
Felicity Palmer
Dame Felicity Joan Palmer, (born 6 April 1944), is an English mezzo-soprano and music professor. She sang soprano roles until 1983.
Palmer was born in Cheltenham and educated at Erith Grammar School, now named Erith School. She studied at the ...
performed as Lovett in the 2003 production at the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
, its only musical produced.
*
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.
*
Essie Davis played the role of Mrs. Lovett in the 2006 BBC television film, simply titled ''Sweeney Todd''.
*
Helena Bonham Carter portrayed the character in
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
's movie version of the musical: ''
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''. She received a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination for
.
*
Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', and ...
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 2007 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 the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
*
Anita Reeves
Anita Reeves (24 June 1948 – 7 July 2016) was an Irish stage and film actress.
Early life
Born in South Dublin, Ireland, the youngest daughter of Jack Reeves and his wife, Kay. Reeves grew up on Sundrive Road in Dublin 12, where her father Ja ...
played her in the 2007
Gate Theatre production.
*
Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre produ ...
played Mrs. Lovett in the 2011 production at the
Chichester Festival Theatre which transferred to the West End in 2012 at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
.
*
Caroline O'Connor appeared in the original Paris production of 2011 at the
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.
One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a s ...
.
*
Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...
performed as Mrs. Lovett in the 2014
New York Philharmonic semi-staged concert version. This adaptation was recorded for PBS Great Performances series, resulting in Thompson earning an Emmy nomination for Best Leading Actress in a movie.
*
Siobhán McCarthy
Siobhán Mary Ann McCarthy (born 6 November 1957 in Dublin) is an Irish television and stage actress.
Career
McCarthy portrays Roisin Connor in ITV1's Prison drama Bad Girls. Her other television credits include '' Lovejoy'', ''The Big Battal ...
played Mrs. Lovett in the 2014 West End production and in its 2017 Off-Broadway transfer to the
Barrow Street Theatre from February 14, 2017 until April 9, 2017.
*
Carolee Carmello played Mrs. Lovett in the 2017 Off-Broadway production at the
Barrow Street Theatre from April 11, 2017 until February 25, 2018.
*
Sally Ann Triplett played Mrs. Lovett in the 2017 Off-Broadway production at the
Barrow Street Theatre from February 22, 2018 until the show's closing on August 26, 2018.
*
Gina Riley played Mrs. Lovett in a 2019 limited run that played in both
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
*
Lea Salonga
Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyin ...
played Mrs. Lovett in a production at
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
's The Theatre at Solarie, opening in October 2019, which then opened in Singapore in November after the end of the Manila run.
*
Jeon Mi-do played Mrs. Lovett in 2016 and 2022/2023 Korean Musical production at Charlotte Theater,Seoul,South Korea.
Songs
In the musical Mrs. Lovett sings many numbers by herself and with other characters. The tracks were all composed by
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
. These include:
* "The Worst Pies in London"
* "Poor Thing"*
* "My Friends" (with Todd)
* "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" (with Tobias, Todd and Company)*
* "Wait" (with Todd)
* "Epiphany" (with Todd)
* "A Little Priest" (with Todd)*
* "God, That's Good" (with Tobias, Todd and Company)*
* "By the Sea" (with Todd)*
* "Not While I'm Around" (with Tobias)*
* "Parlour Songs (Sweet Polly Plunkett)" (with Beadle Bamford)**
* "Parlour Songs Part 2" (The Tower of Bray)" (with Beadle and Tobias)**
* "Searching" (with Todd,
Johanna
Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...
, Anthony, and Beggar Woman)*
* "Final Sequence" (with Todd and Tobias)
* "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Epilogue)" (with Company)**
(* Edited for 2007 film)
(** Cut from 2007 film)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett
Characters in Sweeney Todd
Female characters in film
Female characters in literature
Female literary villains
Female film villains
Female horror film villains
Fictional bakers
Literary characters introduced in 1846
Fictional businesspeople
Fictional murdered people
Fictional murderers
Fictional people from London
Fictional shopkeepers
Female characters in musical theatre