Conceptual Design for
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
based on a Mayan sacrificial pyramid
This high-concept interpretation of Sweeney Todd, typically set in 19th century London, features an unconventional setting for the musical - an ancient Mayan pyramid. The pyramid stage slides back & forth in three sections, opening up several areas for different scenes to take place. Multiple levels on the pyramid reference the original setting of the play, with the barber shop & chair on top, the pie shop mid-level, and the basement on the lowest level. Instead of Sweeney's victims falling backward through a trap door from the second floor barber shop, they roll down the face of the pyramid as they did in the ancient Mayan sacrificial rituals.