Lucy Barker
Encyclopedia
Lucy Barker is a fictional character that appears in some versions of the story Sweeney Todd
.
's play. She is the faithful and loving wife of Benjamin Barker
and mother of Johanna Barker
, whose life is destroyed by the horrible Judge Turpin
, who exiles her husband in order to have her all to himself. Soon afterward, Turpin rapes her, so she then poisons herself with arsenic
. She does survive, but goes insane and disappears to live as a poor beggar, surviving on alms. Mistakenly believing her to be dead, Barker undertakes a long string of murders, with the ultimate goal of killing Turpin in order to avenge the destruction of his family.
. They are happily married and have a new baby- Johanna Barker. Judge Turpin is immediately jealous of Benjamin because of Lucy's beauty and has Barker arrested and exiled so that he may obtain her all for himself. Lucy ignores his pursuit, staying faithful to her husband, never once leaving home. Finally, she is called to Turpin's estate, led to believe that the judge feels incredibly responsible for her plight and wants to help her out. This is not the case: Lucy arrives at Turpin's masquerade ball, where he drugs and rape
s her. Lucy is so distraught that she attempts to kill herself with poison, but survives and is driven completely insane. She has nearly forgotten everything that was dear to her and wanders the streets of London as a homeless, poor, beggar. When Barker, under the alias of "Sweeney Todd", returns years later, Mrs. Lovett
, who is in love with him, leads him to believe that Lucy is dead. Lucy shows evident distaste for Mrs. Lovett, calling her a witch and constantly invading her meat pie shop. Eventually, when Johanna is upstairs at the barber shop, Lucy pursues her up the stairs, believing Turpin's minion Beadle Bamford to be in Todd's shop. Todd then shows up, and Lucy begins to recognize him. He cuts her throat and drops her body down the chute. Downstairs, after Todd kills Turpin, Lovett recognizes Lucy's body and scrambles to get rid of her. Todd enters, discovering that he had just killed his beloved wife, whereupon Lovett concedes that she lied to him because she was in love with him. Enraged, Todd throws Lovett in the oven to burn to death. Stricken with remorse, Todd holds Lucy's body — willingly allowing his assistant Tobias Ragg
to cut his throat with his very own razor, leaving them dead in each other's arms.
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
.
Character overview
In the original legend and in the earliest melodramas and plays, Sweeney Todd has no wife or backstory and is the primary villain of the stories he appears in. His wife Lucy first appears in Christopher BondChristopher Bond
Christopher Godfrey Bond is a British playwright whose 1973retelling of the Victorian tale Sweeney Todd formed the basis of Stephen Sondheim's musical of the same name, with book by Hugh Wheeler...
's play. She is the faithful and loving wife of Benjamin Barker
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
and mother of Johanna Barker
Johanna Barker
Johanna is a fictional character appearing in the story of Sweeney Todd. In the original version of the tale, the penny dreadful The String of Pearls , her name is Johanna Oakley and she is no relation of Todd...
, whose life is destroyed by the horrible Judge Turpin
Judge Turpin
Judge Turpin is a fictional character in the various adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. He is the main antagonist.-Character overview:...
, who exiles her husband in order to have her all to himself. Soon afterward, Turpin rapes her, so she then poisons herself with arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
. She does survive, but goes insane and disappears to live as a poor beggar, surviving on alms. Mistakenly believing her to be dead, Barker undertakes a long string of murders, with the ultimate goal of killing Turpin in order to avenge the destruction of his family.
In Sweeney Todd
Lucy Barker is the wife of Benjamin Barker, a barber in London's Fleet StreetFleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
. They are happily married and have a new baby- Johanna Barker. Judge Turpin is immediately jealous of Benjamin because of Lucy's beauty and has Barker arrested and exiled so that he may obtain her all for himself. Lucy ignores his pursuit, staying faithful to her husband, never once leaving home. Finally, she is called to Turpin's estate, led to believe that the judge feels incredibly responsible for her plight and wants to help her out. This is not the case: Lucy arrives at Turpin's masquerade ball, where he drugs and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
s her. Lucy is so distraught that she attempts to kill herself with poison, but survives and is driven completely insane. She has nearly forgotten everything that was dear to her and wanders the streets of London as a homeless, poor, beggar. When Barker, under the alias of "Sweeney Todd", returns years later, Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. She is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhemina and Claudetta are other names she has been given. First appearing in the penny dreadful serial The String of...
, who is in love with him, leads him to believe that Lucy is dead. Lucy shows evident distaste for Mrs. Lovett, calling her a witch and constantly invading her meat pie shop. Eventually, when Johanna is upstairs at the barber shop, Lucy pursues her up the stairs, believing Turpin's minion Beadle Bamford to be in Todd's shop. Todd then shows up, and Lucy begins to recognize him. He cuts her throat and drops her body down the chute. Downstairs, after Todd kills Turpin, Lovett recognizes Lucy's body and scrambles to get rid of her. Todd enters, discovering that he had just killed his beloved wife, whereupon Lovett concedes that she lied to him because she was in love with him. Enraged, Todd throws Lovett in the oven to burn to death. Stricken with remorse, Todd holds Lucy's body — willingly allowing his assistant Tobias Ragg
Tobias Ragg
Tobias "Toby" Ragg is a fictional character who appears in various adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd.In the penny dreadful The String of Pearls, Tobias Ragg is in a madhouse, driven mad by Sweeney Todd, a barber who murdered his customers....
to cut his throat with his very own razor, leaving them dead in each other's arms.
Performers
- Merle LouiseMerle LouiseMerle Louise is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as "The Beggar Woman" in Sweeney Todd.-Broadway and Sondheim:...
appeared in the original 1979 BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
adaptation. She won a Drama Desk award for best featured actress. - Dilys WatlingDilys WatlingDilys Watling is an English actress, possibly best known for appearing on British television ....
played her in the 1980 London Production. - Sara Woods played the role in 1982.
- Victoria ClarkVictoria ClarkVictoria Clark is an American musical theatre singer and actress. Clark has performed in many Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television work, and her soprano voice can be heard on numerous cast albums and several animated films...
played her in the 2001 adaptation. - Diana Dimarzio played Lucy in the 2005 Broadway revival.
- Laura Michelle KellyLaura Michelle KellyLaura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer who achieved critical acclaim in the role of Mary Poppins in the musical of the same name.-Musical theatre:...
portrayed Lucy in the 2007 film adaptation, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. - Julie Orlando played Lucy in the 2008 Prince George adaptation.