"ATTEND the tale of Sweeney Todd", the second show in Pick Me Up Theatre's Summer of Sondheim season, running at the John Cooper Studio Theatre, 41 Monkgate, York, from tonight.

In the wake of Robert Readman's all-guns-blazing production of Sondheim's Assassins, more deaths are on their way in the New York City composer's hair-raising musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and his pie-making accomplice Mrs Lovett, played by Nick Lewis and Susannah Baines respectively.

​When Sweeney returns to London as a convict from Australia, seeking revenge against those who separated him from his wife and child, he meets Mrs Lovett, who owns a shop that sells "the worst pies in London". Recognising him by his real name of Benjamin Barker, she tells him his wife poisoned herself and his daughter is now the ward of the warped judge who sentenced him.

Intent on vengeance, Sweeney sets up his barber business above her shop and the two hit on the idea of turning his clients into ingredients for Mrs Lovett's pies.

York Press:

What's in that pie? Nick Lewis's Sweeney Todd and Susannah Baines's Mrs Lovett observe their unusual culinary creation. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography

​"The original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd and many since have been epic in scale but Sondheim's original vision was for a chamber piece," says director and designer Robert Readman. "Sondheim said, 'I wanted it to be done as a small piece because I wanted to scare people', so Pick Me Up are going to back to Sondheim's original intentions by staging the show in the intimate John Cooper Studio Theatre.

"We transformed it for Assassins and it will be adapted again to match the dark dramatic mood of Sweeney Todd, and as well as individual seating, audiences can book one of our special Pie Shop Boxes for up to six people."

Nick Lewis, last seen in Pick Me Up's One Man, Two Governors, and Susannah Baines, who played The Witch in Pick Me Up's Into The Woods, will be joined by Assassins cast members Simon Radford as Tobias, Sam Hird as Anthony, Craig Kirby as Judge Turpin and Mark Hird as The Beadle. Maren Fagerås Nævdal, Fantine in Les Miserables earlier this year, will be Johanna and Claire Pulpher, Jack's Mother ​in Into The Woods, will play the Beggar Woman. Ben Papworth is in the musical director's seat for the first time.

"I think audiences love Sweeney ​Todd because it has great songs, which is a good start for any musical!", says Susannah, who has the biggest role of all as Mrs Lovett. "There's a lot of comedy in it too with some really funny, laugh-out-loud moments."

"The story is so enthralling, with that thing of eating human flesh and people profiting from that," says Nick, who is taking advantage of the summer break from his duties as director of drama at Queen Margaret's School in Escrick to play Sweeney Todd.

"Todd is a difficult character in that Sondheim's musical is a melodrama, which makes it so popular, and in the classic melodrama tradition, he's not a villain until he kills his first innocent victim."

York Press:

Meat is murder: Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd's recipe for demonic success. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography

"But then that is Mrs Lovett's idea," chips in Susannah. "It's true, she manipulates him like Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth," says Nick. "Then there's also the love interest in the story, the young lovers, and Sweeney and Mrs Lovett's 'love story'," rejoins Susannah.

Nick joined Pick Me Up for Richard Bean's fast and furious farce One Man, Two Guvnors, having returned to Britain from four years of teaching in Thailand to take up his post at Queen Margaret's. "I was head of drama at the Regents International School just outside Pattaya, south of Bangkok, when a friend of mine said there was a job coming up at Queen Margaret's and I've been there for a year now," he says.

"I'm very lucky that we have the summer holiday to get together to do the rehearsals for Sweeney Todd, as well as my responsibilities being a dad with two daughters aged six and seven and a half."

Nick grew up just outside London when his father was in the Met Police, moving to Dorset at nine and then returning to London at 18 to study at Mountview "when you just had to write your name on your jazz shoes and that was that for getting into a drama school", some 20 years ago. He went on to pursue a career in professional theatre, appearing in Les Miserables in the West End, starring in Privates On Parade and playing Eddie in a tour of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers that visited the Grand Opera House in York.

After moving to Scotland to work in youth theatre, he met his future wife, who suggested he should undertake teacher training. "I gave up London and looked for a more stable career and my professional acting days now feel like another lifetime," he says.

Now he is relishing taking part in Pick Me Up Theatre's shows. "I've seen all their recent shows and what I like about Robert's direction is that he likes to do everything a little differently, which is so refreshing," he says.

Susannah agrees: "When Robert is directing, you can have a lot of input into your role. Working on this show has been extraordinary, especially as we've had access to the theatre for longer than normal, and to have that access has been wonderful," she says.

Pick Me Up Theatre in Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, John Cooper Studio Theatre, 41 Monkgate York, tonight until August 13. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk