Video: Joe Locke on His 'Best Friend' Patti LuPone Seeing Him in SWEENEY TODD

Joe Locke living the ultimate theatre kid dream: having one of his "best friends," Patti LuPone, come see him in Sweeney Todd on Broadway.

The Heartstopper star sat down on the TODAY Show this morning to discuss fulfilling a life-long dream of starring in an upcoming Marvel series with Patti LuPone, delving into why he has always admired her.

"I've always been like a Broadway theatre kid and I think she's like the epitome of class and talent. I think she's the last of a dying breed of actual icons, of theatre legends and she's everything I want to be and she's now one of my best friends."

Now, Locke is starring alongside Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit in Sweeny Todd on Broadway, which he describes as another dream-come-true. 

"I always loved singing. As a kid, I had the most amazing singing teacher but I always thought I was too nervous or not good enough to do it so it's nice to be able to do it now and as a job."

LuPone – who played Mrs. Lovett in the 2005 revival of the musical – came to see the new production on Saturday. Watch the video to hear what happened when Locke had her exit the theatre through the stage door.

Foster and Tveit's limited 12-week engagement in Sweeney Todd will conclude on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Experience Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award®–winning score as it was performed in the original production—with Jonathan Tunick’s original 26-player orchestration on an epic scale. Tony Award–winning director Thomas Kail (Hamilton) helmed the return of the musical thriller.

Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s landmark musical, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, tells the tale of a resourceful pie shop owner and a vengeful barber out for blood.

After he’s sent away by a corrupt judge, Sweeney returns to London years later seeking his long-lost family, and forms an unlikely partnership with Mrs. Lovett, who serves up pies underneath his former shop. Together, they wreak havoc on Fleet Street and serve up the hottest – and most unsettling – pies in London.