Judge Turpin (also known as Lord Turpin) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

in some adaptations of the story ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

''. He is the main antagonist, who imprisons Benjamin Barker on a false charge, rapes Barker's wife

Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, ...

, and takes Barker's daughter

Johanna Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek Spiritus ...

as his ward. In various productions of the musical, Turpin has been portrayed by actors including

Edmund Lyndeck Edmund Lyndeck (October 4, 1925 – December 14, 2015) was an American actor and musical theatre performer. He is best known for originating the roles of Judge Turpin in '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and Cinderella’s F ...

Ken Howard Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in '' 1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Whi ...

, and

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespea ...

Earlier versions

In early versions of the Sweeney Todd legend, Todd himself is the primary antagonist, and no character equivalent to Judge Turpin appears. The original story "

The String of Pearls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

" features a "Mr. Lupin," an older man with an eye to marry Johanna "Oakley" with the approval of the girl's mother, but his role is a supporting one and he has no personal connection to Sweeney Todd, who is a murderous thief without any given past. In the

Tod Slaughter Norman Carter Slaughter (19 March 1885 – 19 February 1956), also known as Tod Slaughter, was an English actor, best known for playing over-the-top maniacs in macabre film adaptations of Victorian melodramas. Early life Slaughter was born ...

film, it is Sweeney Todd himself lusting after the young Johanna. It would not be until

Christopher Bond Christopher Godfrey Bond (born 1945, Sussex, England, UK) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director whose 1970 retelling of the Victorian tale '' Sweeney Todd'' formed the basis of Stephen Sondheim's musical of the same name, with b ...

wrote his 1973 play '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' that the character of Judge Turpin would emerge.

In ''Sweeney Todd''

In Bond's play and its subsequent adaptations by Stephen Sondheim and

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

, Judge Turpin is first seen having Benjamin Barker arrested and exiled to Australia in order to have Barker's wife,

, all to himself. Lucy is heartbroken and becomes a recluse, never coming down from her house. Judge Turpin continuously pursues her, sending her flowers each day. He sends his henchman, Beadle Bamford, to summon her to his home,"Blaming himself for her dreadful plight." He then

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

s Lucy, who tries to kill herself by drinking poison; she survives, but is driven insane and reduced to begging in the street. Turpin then takes Barker's infant daughter,

, and raises her as his

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. He keeps her locked away from the world and spies on her through a peep-hole in her wall. When Johanna turns 16, Turpin offers her his hand in marriage. She refuses, to which he seems baffled. When he spots Anthony Hope looking at Johanna, he has him beaten and threatens to kill him if he ever returns. On Beadle Bamford's advice, he goes for a shave at Sweeney Todd's barber shop, in order to impress Johanna—unaware that Todd is in fact Barker, returned from Australia and seeking revenge. Todd is about to cut Turpin's throat when he is interrupted by Anthony, who reveals Johanna's plan to escape. Turpin promptly leaves, renouncing Todd's business. Turpin returns home and finds Johanna smitten with Anthony. He sends her away to an asylum, planning to keep her there until she agrees to marry him. Turpin receives a letter claiming that Johanna has repented, unaware that it is part of a trap laid by Todd. Following the direction of the letter, goes to Todd's shop, where he is persuaded to have a shave. Turpin soon realizes Todd's true identity, and Todd slits his throat and drops him down a chute leading to his accomplice Mrs. Lovett's basement, where he bleeds to death.

Songs

In the musical Judge Turpin sings only one song by himself. The tracks were all composed by Stephen Sondheim: * "Prologue: The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (with Company)** * "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Reprise 1)" (with Company)** * "Johanna (Mea Culpa)" (Solo) ** * "Kiss Me (Part II/Quartet)" (with Johanna, Anthony and Beadle Bamford)** * "Pretty Women (part 1 and 2)" (with Sweeney Todd) * "The Judge's Return" (with Sweeney Todd) * "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Epilogue)" (with Company)** (* Edited for 2007 film)
(** Cut from 2007 film)

Performers

played Judge Turpin in the original 1979 production of Sondheim's musical. *Xavier Ribera-Vall played the role in

Mario Gas Mario Gas Cabré is a Spanish actor and director. and winner of a Goya Award. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on February 5, 1947, while his actor parents were on tour he has Uruguayan citizenship. He is one of the most important figures of the ...

's version (1995-1997 and 2009-2012) *

played the role in

's 2007 film adaptation of Sondheim's

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

. *

Timothy Nolen Timothy Nolen (born July 9, 1941) is an American actor and baritone who has had an active career in operas, musicals, concerts, plays, and on television for over four decades. He notably portrayed the title role in the first operatic presentat ...

played the role in 2001. * Mark Jacoby portrayed Judge Turpin in the 2005 revival musical. *Austin Kent played Judge Turpin in the 1980

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

production. *

Denis Quilley Denis Clifford Quilley, OBE (26 December 1927 – 5 October 2003) was an English actor and singer. From a family with no theatrical connections, Quilley was determined from an early age to become an actor. He was taken on by the Birmingham Repe ...

portrayed Judge Turpin in the London revival. *Will Roy portrayed Judge Turpin in the 1984 Houston Grand Opera/New York City Opera co-production * Jamie Jackson played Turpin in the 2023 Broadway revival.Hornik, Caitlin
"Full principal casting announced for ''Sweeney Todd''"
''Broadway News'', December 14, 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turpin, Judge Characters in Sweeney Todd Fictional judges Fictional rapists Literary characters introduced in 1973 Male literary villains Male characters in film Male horror film villains Male film villains Fictional child abusers Fictional murdered people