SWEENEY TODD IS COMING TO HARTFORD STAGE AND THEATER WORKS
TheaterWorks and Hartford Stage are joining forces to bring Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to the Connecticut capital. The Tony Award-winning play will be held at Hartford Stage, which is currently under the leadership of Melia Bensussen and Cynthia Rider. The show will be directed by TWH Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, who leads the helm with Managing Director Jeff Griffin.
“At this seismic time in the theatre and in this country, it is more important than ever that we join forces, that we share resources and we support each other,” Bensussen shared at last week’s press conference. At a time when division is running rampant, this historic collaboration amplifies the arts as a means to create harmony.
“Sweeney is one of Sondheim’s most unique and captivating musicals – I couldn’t be more excited to bring this intimate production to the Hartford community as a collaboration for our 40th anniversary season. Together, with Hartford Stage, we have over 100 years of making great theater in downtown Hartford. This historic partnership is a celebration of that and the future of both our organizations,” Ruggiero adds.
The special announcement was revealed to a busy room filled with dedicated patrons and committed Hartford citizens with Mayor Arunan Arulampalam and Senator Richard Blumenthal also in attendance.
Mayor Arulampalam championed the collaboration as an embodiment of Hartford’s strength and uniqueness, while Senator Blumenthal branded the partnership as “a synergistic unity that is more than the sum of its parts,” joking that he and Mayor Arulampalam might hire an agent and appear on stage. “Hartford is teeming with talent. It has the kind of artistic energy, verve, vision and ingenuity that make it not just a city, but an artistic capital.”
Sweeney Todd will make its debut in Hartford during the summer of 2026.
