One of the most relentless, compelling pieces of work at the Fringe
“When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Mrs Lovett famously suggested cannibalism to Sweeney Todd as a solution to the problem of how to dispose of a body. But butchers are not born, they are made.
An origin story set before those events, discover what led her to turn his victims into pies: the brutal choices of a life in poverty.
Newly-widowed Mrs Lovett needs to find a way to survive. Using skills learned from her whaler father, courtesan mother, and butcher husband, Eleanor “recalibrates” her life – and her relationship with God. The scales of social justice may be tipped against her, but Eleanor has counterweights of her own: creativity, cunning, a can-do spirit – and a dream of joys to come.
When the difference is life or death, morality becomes a moveable feast… and Eleanor is getting hungry.
You would rather not like her. But you will.
Artwork: Madison Coby
A dark, intense play that's a treat for all
ThreeWeeks
A masterful piece... A feast for fans of compelling solo performance
Edinburgh Guide
Photos: Andrew Perry
