Judy Kaye to Play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd During Patti LuPone’s June Vacation

Tony Award winner Judy Kaye will play the role of Mrs. Lovett in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd for eight performances, June 20-25, while star Patti LuPone takes her scheduled vacation.

It has not been confirmed whether Kaye will take on the role if LuPone leaves the show when her contract is up in July or, if LuPone extends her contract, when she takes time off in July and August to rehearse and perform the role of Rose in Gypsy at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. Both performers have been nominated for Tony Awards this year, with Kaye a Best Actress in a Play nominee for Souvenir and LuPone a Best Actress in a Musical nominee for Sweeney Todd.

Kaye previously was recognized by the Tonys as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her turn as Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera; she has also starred in such Broadway shows as Mamma Mia!, Ragtime, and On the Twentieth Century. On July 1, she will perform in the Caramoor International Music Festival’s concert Bernstein on Broadway with Lisa Vroman, James Martin, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Sweeney Todd received a total of six Tony Award nominations and is the winner of this year’s Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as a special Drama Critics Circle Award. The show is nominated for nine Drama Desk Awards, including nods for LuPone, Michael Cerveris (who plays the title role), and director John Doyle. The cast also includes Mark Jacoby, Donna Lynne Champlin, Manoel Felciano, Alexander Gemignani, John Arbo, Diana DiMarzio, Benjamin Magnuson, and Lauren Molina.