The Tale of Sweeney Todd Streams Free in Celebration of New Broadway Revival
In celebration of the new Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, opening for previews tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, the 1998 film "The Tale of Sweeny Todd" will be streaming for free all month. For the first time since 1980, Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award–winning musical will be performed on Broadway featuring its original 26-player orchestration, in a production directed by Hamilton's Thomas Kail. Tony and Grammy nominee Josh Groban stars as Sweeney Todd with Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (Sunday in the Park With George, Kinky Boots) as Mrs. Lovett. The original Broadway production, starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn, is also available to stream. A departure from previous adaptations of the story, "The Tale of Sweeney Todd" takes a more realistic and dark take on the classic story. "The Tale of Sweeney Todd" is a 1997 television film by director John Schlesinger starring Ben Kingsley and Joanna Lumley. Originally featured on the Showtime channel in 1998, the film was released to movie theaters in select markets that same year and was praised by critics for its dark adaptation of the source material. The film is now available to stream for free in the US and Canada through TUBI TV - no subscription needed. "The Tale of Sweeney Todd" will be available until April 2nd, 2023. In his review for New York Magazine, John Leonard said: "And you thought Gandhi was a vegetarian! Ben Kingsley returns with a vengeance worthy of John the Savage. Much as I’d have imagined that yet another version of The Tale of Sweeney Todd (Sunday, April 19; 8 to 9:30 p.m.; Showtime) would be at best inadvisable, Kingsley as the Fleet Street barber whose close shaves turn wealthy patrons into meat pies is a class-war wonder to behold."