Perhaps it's just the particular productions I've seen, but I've always thought that Sweeney is the main protagonist of the show. Similarly to the Bechdel test, where it doesn't count if two women are talking to each other if they're talking about a man, the characterization of Mrs Lovett while on stage seems completely driven by her relationship with Sweeney. Except for her scenes with Toby, I'm not sure Mrs Lovett has any meaningful interaction with any other character that isn't motivated by her relationship with Sweeney. How much do we really know about her?
Sweeney, on the other hand, has plenty of interactions with other characters that have nothing to do with Mrs Lovett.
If someone were to ask me what the show was about, I wouldn't say it was about Mrs Lovett. It's about Sweeney Todd. |
