Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in serialized Victorian popular fiction, known as "penny dreadfuls". A story called "The String of Pearls" was published in a weekly magazine during the winter of 1846-47. Set in 1785, the story featured as its principal villain a certain Sweeney Todd and included all the plot elements that were used by Sondheim and others ever since. The murderous barber’s story proved instantly popular – it was turned into a play before the ending had even been revealed in print. An expanded edition appeared in 1850, an American version in 1852, a new play in 1865. By the 1870s, Sweeney Todd
Todd London (professor) Todd London (professor) Todd London is the Executive Director at the University of Washington School of Drama. London currently holds the Floyd U. Jones Family Endowed Chair in Drama. London holds an MFA in Directing from Boston University and a PhD in Literary Studies from American University. He served as Artistic Director of New Dramatists in New York for 18 seasons. He is also a writer and theatre historian. He has authored, co-authored, or edited more than fifteen books. Todd London is a frequent speaker at artistic conferences and gatherings throughout the world. He has taught at the University of