Back to News & Press La Cage Aux Folles welcomes Tony Award-Winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia Wednesday, 2 February 2011 Heredia replaces 2010 Tony-nominee Robin De Jesús in the role of Jacob. Heredia will begin performances on Tuesday, February 15, the same evening that four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and six-time Emmy Award nominee Jeffrey Tambor will join the company as Albin and Georges. Current stars five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer, 2010 Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge and 2010 Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús will play their final performances on Sunday, February 13. Heredia made his Broadway debut in Rent, for which he received the 1996 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and an Obie Award. Heredia recreated his role in the original London production of Rent where he garnered an Olivier nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and in the feature film, directed by Chris Columbus. Other credits include: Eli in Eli’s Coming (Vineyard Theatre), Elizabeth Swados’ The New Americans for which he composed the song “No Es Asi,” Popol Vuh at Lincoln Center, Intar and on tour and The Tower (Danny Kaye Theatre). Film: Three Chris’s, The Girl from the Naked Eye, Descent, Nailed, Johnny Was, Flawless and On a Mission from God. Television: “Without a Trace,” “Medium,” “Law and Order SVU,” and “Spin City”. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman on juggling Mean Girls and Dreamgirls Thursday, 6 December 2018 Throw a stone in the West End and you'll probably hit a Sonia Friedman production. With Dreamgirls , The Book of Mormon and Harry Potter and The Cursed Child among her current credits (and that really is naming just a few), the producer has a CV that speaks for itself. The 53-year-old has been described as the most powerful person in theatre by The Stage and named as one of Time's 100 most influential people. "She knows what audiences want to see, even before they do," said James Corden earlier this year. "As we spend more time on great digital experiences... we will start to crave great live experiences too. There is no one better to deliver them than Sonia Friedman." But, when speaking to BBC News, the producer plays down her own success. "These lists are great, I love it, and it's fun - for a moment. Literally a moment. And then you're back to the hard work," she says. "You're looking at me now, I've still got puffy eyes, I'm still exhausted, I'm still insecure, I'm still really worrying about what next, I still don't believe any of [the success] is real, because the thing that keeps me going is that this could end at any point. "I work on the basis that everything is going to go wrong. So that means most things don't go wrong because I'm always trying to circumvent it." The hard work Friedman refers to involves countless transatlantic trips, in order to keep her finger on the pulse of the theatre industry both on Broadway and in the West End. Indeed, one such flying visit to London early this year resulted in her seeing a show she would go on to transfer to the West End - Summer and Smoke . The play was on at the Almeida at the time, and after receiving a tip-off from her staff, Friedman used her only night off during her trip to see it. Relative to A Streetcar Named Desire or The Glass Menagerie , Summer and Smoke is one of Tennessee Williams's lesser known and more experimental plays. Set in Mississippi in summer, it tells the story of Alma, a nervy preacher's daughter, and her relationship with John - a young and angry neighbour whose scene is more sex and alcohol. "Summer and Smoke certainly doesn't belong in the top drawer of Tennessee Williams's plays," said Charles Spencer in The Telegraph when it was last performed in the West End in 2006. While critics generally praised the production itself, Michael Billington also noted in The Guardian the play was "not vintage Tennessee". Which perhaps raises the question of why it's been revived now, and indeed why Friedman earmarked it as having West End potential. "I think there's an assumption that if a Tennessee Williams play is not known, it means it's not good enough, or as good as his other works," Friedman says. "And I think what [director] Rebecca Frecknall has done is released the play through her expressionistic production. She's freed the play. "And I found it very inspiring, very moving, this play about body vs. soul, and how two people who have this incredible connection, can't come together." The latest production of the play has received a warm response from critics, with five star reviews from Time Out, The Telegraph and WhatsOnStage. So - let's get down to what a producer actually does. "I have two main roles," explains Friedman. "One is to have an idea, and to put together the creative team with the play, which might be a new play, a commission, an option, an adaptation or a revival. "The other side is the business model. The scale, the budget, the finance, the positioning, the marketing, the theatre, the timing, the scheduling, the staffing, the contracting, the negotiating." In the case of transfers, as opposed to works her company originates, Friedman says she tries not to interfere too much with the heart and soul of the original production. "I don't want to change what I've seen, because that's what I've seen and that's what I love. "My objective is for it to be even better than, more superlative, to move into the space, and for that new space to feel as natural as the original space." When she topped The Stage's power list in 2017, the newspaper's print editor Alistair Smith said the previous year's launch of Harry Potter had seen her career reach a different level. "Sonia Friedman has enjoyed a number of notable hits in recent years... but in 2016, she went stratospheric," he said. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was always likely to be a licence to print money. What has made it really special was that Friedman and her fellow creatives resisted the temptation to treat the production as a cash cow and created something truly magical, original and - above all - theatrical." In the US, one of Sonia's recent Broadway projects involved bringing Mean Girls to the stage - a 2004 movie starring Lindsay Lohan, which was partly based on Rosalind Wiseman's Queen Bees and Wannabes, a self-help book published in 2002. "That was really interesting to me because of the world we now live in, and social media. And how young girls are coping with the pressure to be perfect and the trolling and the bullying, even though it was set a long time before all of that," she says. "We worked with Tina Fey to update the book and that was what really excited me about the project; can a story that was so powerful to a generation before social media, still be relevant, and have the same poignancy? And it does." With so many shows to oversee, there's arguably a risk that quality is compromised. But, Friedman says: "I don't worry about quality control because that's the bit I'm involved in. "The area I miss having is that I'm less available to enjoy the good times. "I'm less available to pop in and out of the dressing rooms. To watch the shows multiple times. To go to cast drinks and parties. "And actually that's the great challenge of this phase of my career. I went into theatre to create families, to create companies, to immerse myself in other stories, and now I can't." Up Up

Back to News & Press Fiddler on the Roof extends for a final time due to public demand Wednesday, 26 June 2019 Trevor Nunn directs Andy Nyman (Tevye), Maria Friedman (Golde), Anita Dobson (Yente), Nicola Brown (Chava), Harriet Bunton (Hodel), Dermot Canavan (Lazar Wolf), Stewart Clarke (Perchik), Joshua Gannon (Motel), Matthew Hawksley (Fyedka), and Molly Osborne (Tzeitel), as well as Miles Barrow , Sofia Bennett , Philip Bertioli , Lottie Casserley , Elena Cervesi, Lia Cohen , Talia Etherington , Shoshana Ezequiel , Isabella Foat, Fenton Gray , James Hameed , Adam Linstead , Adam Margilewski , Robert Maskell , Robyn McIntyre , Gaynor Miles , Ellie Mullane , Tania Newton , George Olney , Craig Pinder , Valentina Theodoulou , Ed Wade and Taylor Walker in the reconfigured auditorium. ★★★★★ ‘Musically, geopolitically, emotionally, this Fiddler raises the roof.’ The Guardian Direct from its sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Tony and Olivier award-winning director Trevor Nunn’s ‘exuberant revival’ (Daily Telegraph) of the classic Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof is now playing in the West End for a strictly limited run. The Playhouse Theatre has been transformed into an intimate space especially for this production. ★★★★★ ‘An evening to be celebrated as a spikily poignant reminder of what it is to be human in politically dark times. Both whirlingly energetic and achingly moving, it marks itself out straight away as one of the most uplifting nights possible to be had in the West End right now.’ The Arts Desk Old traditions and young love collide in this joyous and timely celebration of life. Tevye’s daughters’ unexpected choice of husbands opens his heart to new possibilities, as his close-knit community also feel winds of change blowing through their tiny village. Featuring the iconic score including ‘Tradition’, ‘Matchmaker, Matchmaker’, ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ and ‘If I Were a Rich Man’, and featuring original choreography from Tony Award-winning Jerome Robbins alongside new choreography by Matt Cole , Fiddler on the Roof ‘bursts from the stage’ (Financial Times), bringing new life to one of the most beloved musicals of all time. Up Up

Back to News & Press Evening Standard nominations announced Monday, 22 November 2010 Nominations included David Suchet (All My Sons) for Best Actor, Sheridan Smith (Legally Blonde) for Best Actress, Legally Blonde for Best Musical and Howard Davies (All My Sons) for Best Director. The Royal Court Theatre production of Clybourne Park, which is to be transferred to the West End by SFP, was also nominated for Best Play with Sophie Thompson receiving a nomination for Best Actress for her performance. Up Up

Back to News & Press The acclaimed multi-award-winning hit play STEREOPHONIC transfers to the West End from May 2025 Wednesday, 8 January 2025 Last year, Stereophonic became the most Tony Award-nominated play ever and the most Tony Award-winning show of 2024. It completes its Broadway run, after extending twice and after having recouped its investment, on 12 January 2025 before the play transfers to the West End, running at the Duke of York’s Theatre from May 2025. Original cast members reprising their highly lauded performances from Broadway include Andrew R. Butler as Charlie, Eli Gelb as Grover and Chris Stack as Simon. Further casting to be announced in due course. Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. The ensuing pressures could spark their breakup — or their breakthrough. In Stereophonic , Adjmi invites the audience to immerse themselves—with fly-on-the-wall intimacy—in the powder keg process of a band on the brink of blowing up. Stereophonic became the most Tony-nominated play ever after receiving a record-breaking 13 nominations. The full list of nominations is: Best Play – David Adjmi Best Director - Daniel Aukin Best Score - Will Butler Best Orchestrations – Will Butler and Justin Craig Best Featured Actor in a Play – Will Brill Best Featured Actor in a Play – Eli Gelb Best Featured Actor in a Play – Tom Pecinka Best Featured Actress in Play – Juliana Canfield Best Featured Actress in a Play – Sarah Pidgeon Best Scenic Design of a Play – David Zinn Best Costume Design of a Play – Enver Chakartash Best Lighting Design of Play – Jiyoun Chang Best Sound Design of a Play – Ryan Rumery The play won five of these awards Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play forWill Brill, Best Direction of a Play for Daniel Aukin, Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn and Best Sound Design of a Play for Ryan Rumery. Stereophonic originally had its World Premiere at Playwrights Horizon’s before transferring to Broadway on 3 April 2024. The hit play will also embark on a US tour from October 2025. The Stereophonic creative team includes David Zinn (scenic designer), Enver Chakartash (costume designer), Jiyoun Chang (lighting designer), Will Butler and Justin Craig (Orchestrations), Ryan Rumery (sound designer), Justin Craig (music director) and Robert Pickens & Katie Gell (hair & wig design). UK Casting is by Julia Horan CDG with US Casting by Alaine Alldaffer CSA, Lisa Donadio CSA and Taylor Williams CSA. Stereophonic is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Seaview, Linden Productions and Ashley Melone & Nick Mills, and Playwrights Horizons: Adam Greenfield, Leslie Marcus and Carol Fishman. Up Up

Back to News & Press Evening Standard Power List 2024 Tuesday, 19 November 2024 Sonia Friedman has shaped the West End in the last decade like no other producer, moving effortlessly from blockbuster crowd-pleasers (The Book of Mormon , Mean Girls , Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , Stranger Things: The First Shadow ), to championing plays – both classic and new. Her current production slate in London includes Juno and the Paycock at the Gielgud Theatre starring Mark Rylance and J Smith Cameron ; and Robert Icke’s Oedipus at the Wyndham’s Theatre starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville . Add to that, a new stage adaptation of The Shining , and a huge slate of new shows in development or coming soon. The Evening Standard says: “Friedman is the most influential theatre producer in the city. From Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to a critically acclaimed adaptation of Stranger Things, her company has put on more than 200 shows since 2002. These have won more than 300 major awards — including the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play on five occasions.” Full article here. Up Up

Back to News & Press The South Bank Show Sonia Friedman Special Wednesday, 28 November 2018 Melvyn Bragg talks to Sonia Friedman , the renowned theatre producer responsible for some of the most successful productions in West End and on Broadway. Melvyn follows Sonia from her sell-out production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London to Broadway where, this summer, she had five shows running simultaneously. Together, they examine the shows that worked - and ones that didn't - as well as the risks of bringing new work like The Jungle and The Inheritance to the West End. Up Up

Back to News & Press Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Announces North American Tour Monday, 16 October 2023 Producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions announced today that the North American Tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will launch in September 2024. The call out for auditions has gone out today and all dates and venues are to be announced. This will be the world premiere of the first-ever touring production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on the acclaimed Broadway production, currently playing at the Lyric Theatre, New York. Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender said, "Developing a first-class touring production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has long been an ambition of ours. We are delighted that our wonderful and deeply gifted creative team have found a way to make it possible to bring the magic, spectacle, and thrills of our astonishing show to audiences across North America, and we can't wait for audiences to see it." Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The international phenomenon has cast its spell worldwide with productions currently running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo, and has completed runs in Melbourne, Toronto, and San Francisco. The original two-part production in London's West End recently celebrated its 7th anniversary, while the reimagined Broadway production celebrated its 5th anniversary. The most successful non-musical play in Broadway history, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has the unique distinction of being named by the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history with over $270 million total sales and over 2.5 million tickets sold. To stay up to date with the latest information, sign up for the mailing list at www.HarryPotterOnStage.com . Up Up

Back to News & Press New cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child West End begin performances as family portraits and production images are released Wednesday, 16 October 2024 The producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Sonia Friedman Productions , Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions - are delighted to welcome the new cast who take to the stage for their first performances at the Palace Theatre this week as new family portraits and production images are released. The original two-part multi award-winning London production is currently booking until 29 June 2025. The new cast comprises Claire Lams who plays Ginny Potter, alongside David Ricardo-Pearce as Harry Potter and Ellis Rae as their son Albus Potter, who both continue in their roles. Eve de Leon Allen has their first performance in the role of Rose Granger-Weasley, daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, played by continuing cast members Thomas Aldridge and Jade Ogugua respectively. Steve John Shepherd remains as Draco Malfoy, alongside Harry Acklowe as his son Scorpius Malfoy. They are joined by Ishmail Aaron , David Annen , Nicole-Lily Baisden , Sabina Cameron , Rob Curtis , Zijuan Elsol , Gabriel Fleary , Rory Fraser , Tim Hibberd , Sally Jayne Hind , Max Hunter , Dewayne Jameson Adams , Emma Louise Jones , Julia Kass , Debra Lawrance , Tasha Lim , Matty Loane , Sophie Matthew , Jaden Oshenye , Helen Power , Jocelyn Prah , Conor Quinn , Ian Redford , Catherine Russell , Martin de los Santos , Adam Slynn , Benjamin Stratton , Alex Tomkins , Jake Tuesley , Sam Varley and Katie Wimpenny . Oliver Dawson , Layla Duke , Aubrey Hayes , Rhiannon Parry , Aljosa Radosavljevic , Sienna Sibley and Ethan Webster alternate two children’s roles. 19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance. Currently booking to 29 June 2025, tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child remain priced from £15 per part. The regular performance schedule is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday – no performance; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 2pm Part One & 7pm Part Two; Sunday - 1pm Part One & 6pm Part Two. The access performances currently on sale are as follows - Audio Described on Saturday 9 November 2024 and a Captioned Performance on Saturday 16 November 2024, further access performances will be scheduled for 2025. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. Now in its ninth year at the Palace Theatre, the production has been seen by over 1.7 million people in the West End and over 11 million worldwide and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best New Play. There are five productions running worldwide in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo, with a North American tour which began in September at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre, where it will run until 1 February 2025 before visiting Hollywood Pantages, Los Angeles, from February to June 2025, followed by Washington DC’s Broadway At The National from 8 July 2025. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling , Jack Thorne and John Tiffany , Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne , directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett , set by Christine Jones , costumes by Katrina Lindsay , music & arrangements by Imogen Heap , lighting by Neil Austin , sound by Gareth Fry , illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison , music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe , and casting by Julia Horan CDG and Lotte Hines CDG . Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions , Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions . Up Up

Back to Productions ORESTEIA This production began performances on 22nd August and closed on 7th November 2015. The best show of the year The Guardian A huge, moving, bloody saga, the original of all family dramas, Aeschylus ' greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done? An exhilarating adaptation Observer Oresteia is brought to you from the Almeida Theatre – a venue renowned for introducing ground-breaking, critically acclaimed transfers to the West End. Following Chimerica , Ghosts , King Charles III and 1984 , Oresteia is their most recent exhilarating theatrical feat. Directed by Robert Icke (Mr. Burns ; 1984 ) and starring Lia Williams (Old Times ; Earthquakes in London ) as Klytemnestra and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey ) as Electra. A quiet riot of theatricality. Huge themes, ordinary people, great performances, big success. The Times CAST LIA WILLIAMS – Klytemnestra JESSICA BROWN – Electra CREATIVES ROBERT ICKE – Version/Direction HILDEGARD BECHTLER – Designer NATASHA CHIVERS – Lighting Designer TOM GIBBONS – Sound Designer JULIA HORAN CDG – Casting

Back to News & Press STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW Announces New Lead Cast Wednesday, 27 August 2025 Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions today announce a new lead cast will join the critically acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning, world première production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow . As the show approaches its second anniversary in the West End, it will also extend into its third year at the Phoenix Theatre , now running until 5 April 2026. With tickets priced at £19.59 released today, for 72 hours only, across weekday performances from 18 November – 12 December 2025 to celebrate second anniversary at the Phoenix Theatre. Jack Christou will take over the role of Henry Creel with Stewart Clarke as Dr Brenner, Avril Maponga as Patty Newby, Max Potter as Bob Newby, Adam Wadsworth as James Hopper Jr. and Edie Wright as Joyce Maldonado. The new company begins performances on 12 November 2025, just ahead of the release of the highly anticipated fifth season of the hit Netflix series. Also announced today is a partnership with Go Live Theatre , a charity that uses the power of live theatre to create joyful and inspiring experiences for children and young people from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds. Go Live will host an Education Matinee on Friday 21 November providing students from state schools around London with a high percentile of Pupil Premium the opportunity to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow for £10 a ticket. The multi award-winning hit production is now running on both sides of the Atlantic, having opened on Broadway earlier this year. Its numerous accolades in London include the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play. On Broadway the play became the most nominated of the 2025 season, winning 4 Tony Awards including a special Tony Award for Illusions and Technical Effects. The Broadway production is currently booking tickets through March 2026 at The Marquis Theater. Earlier this year, Netflix released the official documentary, Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow , which offers an electrifying look backstage during the making of the critically acclaimed, award-winning play in the lead up to its world premiere at London’s Phoenix Theatre in December 2023. It is available to watch now exclusively on Netflix. Up Up

Back to News & Press Walden released in selected cinemas nationwide from 8 September 2021 Tuesday, 6 July 2021 Trafalgar Releasing , in collaboration with Sonia Friedman Productions and Stage2View , is pleased to announce the release of Walden in selected cinemas across the UK from 8 September 2021, following its recent run in the West End as part of the SFP RE:EMERGE season. Tickets are on sale now at www.WaldenCinema.com . Walden is a ‘fresh and ambitious’ (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) debut play by Amy Berryman , starring Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Fehinti Balogun (Juliet, Naked) and Lydia Wilson (The Duchess of Malfi). Filmed for the big screen at the Harold Pinter Theatre, director Ian Rickson’s ‘compelling’ (Independent) production is set in the Colorado of the near future, exploring the intensity of familial love and loss against the backdrop of a climate emergency encroaching ever closer. Sonia Friedman said today: ‘This past sixteen months has thrown up many challenges for live theatre, and one of the urgent responses we’ve had to this is to increase the availability of theatre on screen, thereby maximising accessibility and the audience reach of a production. Following our screen production of Uncle Vanya, I’m delighted that we are able to bring Amy Berryman’s Walden to cinema screens across the UK. An engaging piece examining the bond between siblings, and a timely debate on the impact of climate change on our planet, filmed without an audience, Walden was one of the first plays to reopen the West End earlier this year. With social distancing a necessity, Walden could only reach a limited audience for its run despite playing to its full, authorised capacity, so this is a wonderful opportunity to share this invigorating new play, Ian Rickson’s pinpoint direction, and the extraordinary performances of Gemma Arterton, Fehinti Balogun and Lydia Wilson with audiences more widely.’ Marc Allenby , CEO of Trafalgar Releasing, comments: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Sonia Friedman Productions to bring Walden to cinemas across the UK and internationally, giving theatre fans the chance to see this extraordinary and timely new play on the big screen.’ Joshua Andrews of Stage2View comments: ‘Stage2View are honoured to have financed and produced the film capture of Sonia Friedman’s exquisite production of Walden. As theatre producers ourselves, we share Sonia’s desire to maximise accessibility and audience reach of such high-quality productions and stage performances, and in doing so celebrate the return of live theatre. It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Sonia, the brilliant Ian Rickson and the whole Walden team.’ After returning from a year-long Moon mission, Cassie, a NASA botanist, finds herself in a remote cabin in the woods, where her estranged twin sister, Stella, a former NASA architect, has found a new life with climate activist Bryan. Old wounds resurface as the sisters attempt to pick up the pieces of the rivalry that broke them apart. Walden was filmed for the screen in May 2021 and is released in selected cinemas nationwide from September 8, 2021 and tickets are on sale now at WaldenCinema.com where audiences will find current information regarding participating venues. Up Up