Sweeney Todd to return in December with Cho Seung-woo and Jeon Mi-do
In short
OD Company said the 10th-anniversary production of the musical “Sweeney Todd” will open on Dec. 4 at the D-Cube Link Art Center in Seoul. Cho Seung-woo and Jeon Mi-do will play the leads, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Two Korean outlets describe the staging as the show's return after four years.
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OD Company said on Oct. 6 that the 10th-anniversary production of the musical “Sweeney Todd” will open on Dec. 4 at the D-Cube Link Art Center in Seoul, with Cho Seung-woo and Jeon Mi-do in the leading roles. Asia Economy reported the announcement the same morning, citing the producer. [ 1 ]
Asia Economy listed Cho Seung-woo, Kang Pil-seok and Kim Ju-taek as alternating in the title role, with Jeon Mi-do, Kim So-hyun and Park Ji-yeon alternating as Mrs. Lovett, the pie-shop owner who helps Sweeney Todd. The document said Seo Young-ju, Kim Dae-jong and Ji Hyun-jun are cast as Judge Turpin, with Ji Hyun-jun joining the production for the first time this season. It also listed Yoon Seung-woo and Choi Jae-woong as Anthony, Hwang Soon-jong and Kang Byeong-hoon as Tobias, and Sung Min-jae and Jang Hye-rin as Johanna. [ 1 ]
According to the same report, Cho Seung-woo returns to the role seven years after taking part in the production OD Company first presented in 2016 and in the 2019 revival. Jeon Mi-do, who appeared in the 2016 staging, rejoins 10 years later. Kim Ju-taek, a baritone turned musical actor, plays Sweeney Todd for the first time this season, and Kim So-hyun and Park Ji-yeon take on Mrs. Lovett for the first time. Asia Economy said the show was first staged in Korea in 2007, with a new production in 2016, followed by runs in 2019 and 2022, and now returns after four years. [ 1 ]
Asia Economy reported that OD Company's production of “Sweeney Todd” won three prizes at the first Korea Musical Awards, including the grand prize, and that the 2019 revival took the best production award in the over-400-seat category at the fourth Korea Musical Awards. Producer Shin Chun-soo said the aim was not to focus on the number 10, but “to convey the thrill felt when the work was first staged and the tension and genre pleasure of its bold, sharp narrative”, adding that the combination of returning and newly joining actors would present the work's essence forcefully. [ 1 ]
Korea Economic Daily reported that Cho Seung-woo's choice for the end of the year is “Sweeney Todd” and that Jeon Mi-do is joining, and Newsis headlined the musical's return after four years with the two actors. The readable text in the Korea Economic Daily document also refers to a press call that afternoon at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil-dong, Seoul, involving a partly different group of actors, and video items describing a return “after three years”; the documents do not explain how that relates to the December production. The text carried by the Newsis document concerns an unrelated Supreme Court story. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The revival puts one of Korea's most frequently staged large-scale musicals back in front of Seoul audiences at the year-end season, with a mixed cast of returning leads and first-time principals. OD Company's own production of the show has previously been recognised at the Korea Musical Awards, according to Asia Economy, which the company cited as grounds for the anniversary staging.
Key facts
- OD Company said the 10th-anniversary production of “Sweeney Todd” opens on Dec. 4 at the D-Cube Link Art Center in Seoul. [ 1 ]
- Cho Seung-woo and Jeon Mi-do are cast as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kang Pil-seok and Kim Ju-taek alternate as Sweeney Todd, and Kim So-hyun and Park Ji-yeon alternate as Mrs. Lovett. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy reported that the production returns to the stage four years after the 2022 run; Newsis headlined the same four-year gap. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Cho Seung-woo returns to the role seven years after taking part in the 2016 and 2019 productions, and Jeon Mi-do rejoins 10 years after appearing in the 2016 production. [ 1 ]
- Seo Young-ju, Kim Dae-jong and Ji Hyun-jun are cast as Judge Turpin. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Korea Economic Daily's text refers to a press call on the afternoon of Oct. 6 at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil-dong, Seoul, with Kang Pil-seok, Shin Sung-rok, Lee Kyu-hyung, Jeon Mi-do, Kim Ji-hyun and Lin-ah, and video items describing a return “after three years”. The documents do not say whether this press call concerns the same 10th-anniversary production, whose venue Asia Economy gives as the D-Cube Link Art Center, or a different staging; the cast lists only partly overlap and the stated gaps differ (three years versus four years).
- The length of the run and any performance dates beyond the Dec. 4 opening are not stated. Asia Economy gives only the opening date and venue.
- Newsis's article text concerns a Supreme Court chief justice's remarks at a National Assembly audit, not the musical. The document's readable text is unrelated to the event; only its headline supports the musical report.
- OD Company, the producer, announced the casting and the December opening date. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asia Economy publishes the casting, the Dec. 4 opening date and the D-Cube Link Art Center venue. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports that Cho Seung-woo's choice for the year-end is “Sweeney Todd”, with Jeon Mi-do joining. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports the musical's return after four years with Cho Seung-woo and Jeon Mi-do appearing. [ 3 ]