Signor Adolfo Pirelli is a sham barber/hair product salesman and former apprentice of Benjamin Barker (Sweeney Todd) as a teenager, before Barker was sentenced and sent away to prison. Pirelli sets up a stage show in London claiming to have created a miracle elixir that regrows hair, but Todd, who is attending one of his demonstrations, calls out Pirelli as a sham artist. Later, Pirelli goes to Todd's barbershop having recognized his razors and attempts to blackmail Todd into giving him half of the shop's profits for the rest of his life, otherwise Pirelli will tell the authorities that Todd has escaped, but Todd overpowers and kills Pirelli.