Johanna Barker
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| Johanna Barker | |
|---|---|
 Jayne Wisener as Johanna |
|
| Portrayed by | Sarah Rice (original Broadway cast) Betsy Joslyn (1982 tour) Jayne Wisener (2007 film) Celia Keenan-Bolger (revival musical) Lauren Molina (2007-2008 Canada and U.S. National Tour) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 15-16 |
| Date of birth | 1800s |
| Spouse | Presumably Anthony Hope |
| Parents | Sweeney Todd Lucy Barker |
Johanna Barker is a fictional character appearing in various adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. She is most frequently portrayed as the daughter of Benjamin "Sweeney Todd" Barker and his wife, Lucy. She is the ward of Judge Turpin, the man who falsely convicted her father and raped her mother.
[edit] In Sweeney Todd
After Benjamin Barker is sent away to Australia, and Lucy raped and driven insane, Judge Turpin takes Johanna Barker as his ward, raising her as his own. He keeps her in her chamber at his estate like a prisoner, with her only connection to the outside world being her window. Judge Turpin plans to make Johanna his wife; the idea repulses her, and she rejects him.
Anthony Hope falls in love with her at first sight and vowes to rescue her from her containment. Judge Turpin discovers her plot to escape and sends her to Fogg's Asylum for the mentally deranged. She is rescued by Anthony, posing as a wigmaker's apprentice. In some adaptations, she shoots Fogg dead. She is taken to Sweeney Todd's barber shop, where he has been longing to see her. When an insane beggar woman (later revealed to ber her mother) pursues her in the upper room, Johanna hides herself and is nearly murdered by her father when he discovers her, unknowing that she is his daughter, due to her sailor's disguise. She survives when Mrs. Lovett inadvertently interrupts the attempted murder, and Todd tells her to forget his face before departing. Presumably she elopes with Anthony after the events of the film. Tragically, neither Johanna nor Todd would ever realize the other's identity as Todd was killed by his own razor.
[edit] Performers
- Sarah Rice played Johanna in the original Broadway production.
- Betsy Joslyn portrayed her in the filmed version of the 1982 tour.
- Jayne Wisener played Johanna in the 2007 film adaptation directed by Tim Burton. It is hinted that Johanna doesn't respond to Anthony's love for her.
- Celia Keenan-Bolger played Johanna in the first revival of the musical.
- Eve Lister played the role in 1936 film adaptation. Billed as "Johanna Oakley".
- Lauren Molina played her in the 2005 John Doyle revival, and in the 2007-2008 John Doyle revival international tour.
