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The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Sweeney Todd has been tipped for a West End transfer next year. The production, which officially opens tonight at the Sussex venue, features an all-star cast that includes Michael Ball as the fabled Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Imelda Staunton as the bloodthirsty baker ‘Mrs Lovett’. The show is directed by Jonathan Kent (former joint Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre) with designs by Anthony Ward (ENRON, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Oliver!).

Michael Ball is 'Sweeney Todd'

Michael Ball’s theatre credits include Hairspray, The Woman in White, Sunset Boulevard, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Phantom of the Opera. He also played the role of ‘Marius’ in the original London cast of Les Miserables. He co-produced the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Love Story which transferred to the West End in the autumn of 2010.

Imelda Staunton is 'Nellie Lovett'

Imelda Staunton is an Olivier Award-winning actress who is perhaps best known for her role in the Harry Potter films as 'Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge' as well as her Oscar-nominated performance in the title role of Mike Leigh's Vera Drake. Her theatre credits include A Delicate Balance, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Life x 3 and Guys and Dolls.

A Brilliant Horror Musical Comedy

Theatrical composer Stephen Sondheim adapted the grisly Victorian legend for the stage in the late 1970s. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opened on Broadway in March 1979 and ran for 557 performances. It won eight Tony Awards including Best Actress in a Musical for Angela Lansbury. A West End version opened in July 1980 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. It ran for 157 performances and won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

The last London revival of Sweeney Todd was in 2004 when a production was seen at Trafalgar Studios and then the Ambassadors Theatre. The show, directed by John Doyle, was notable for having no orchestra, with the 10-person cast playing their own instruments on stage. The unique revival then transferred to Broadway where it ran for 384 performances and received six Tony Award nominations.

A darkly comic feature film based on Sondheim’s original musical was released in 2007. It was directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp as ‘Sweeney Todd’.