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![]() Stephen Sondheim first conceived of a musical version of the story in 1973, after he went to see Bond's take on the story at Theatre Royal Stratford East. ![]() In Bond's reincarnation of the character, Todd was the victim of a ruthless judge, who exiled him to Australia and raped his young wife, driving her mad. The musical was, in fact, based on Christopher Bond's 1973 play Sweeney Todd, which introduced a psychological backstory and motivation to Todd's crimes. By the 1870s, Sweeney Todd was a familiar character to most Victorians. An expanded edition appeared in 1850, an American version in 1852, a new play in 1865. The murderous barber's story proved instantly popular – it was turned into a play before the ending had even been revealed in print. Set in 1785, the story featured as its principal villain a certain Sweeney Todd and included all the plot elements that were used ever since. A story called The String of Pearls was published in a weekly magazine during the winter of 1846–47. The character of Sweeney Todd had its origins in serialized Victorian popular fiction, known as penny dreadfuls. 6.1 Original Broadway production and tour.
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