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 Private Lives with Kim Cattarall is heading to Broadway this fall! Monday, 4 July 2011 Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross will star on Broadway this autumn in Noël Coward’s Private Lives directed by Richard Eyre at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). Previews will begin on Sunday November 6; opening night is Thursday November 17. The limited engagement runs through February 5 2012. Kim Cattrall, an international star of film, TV and stage, starred as Amanda in Sir Richard Eyre’s production of Private Lives at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in 2010. The production received rave reviews from the critics and played a sell-out season. It will play a limited run at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre prior to Broadway. Cattrall will be joined by Paul Gross in the role of Elyot. One of Canada’s most acclaimed actors, Gross starred in such TV shows as Due South and Slings and Arrows. The cast is completed by Simon Paisley Day, Anna Madeley and Caroline Olsson. Considered one of the greatest comedies ever written, Noël Coward’s Private Lives premiered in London in 1930 and has been produced around the world ever since; it premiered on Broadway in 1931. Glamorous, rich and reckless, Amanda (Cattrall) and Elyot (Gross) have been divorced from each other for five years. Now both are honeymooning with their new spouses in the South of France. When, by chance, they meet again across adjoining hotel balconies, their insatiable feelings for each other are immediately rekindled. They hurl themselves headlong into love and lust without a care for scandal, new partners or memories of what drove them apart in the first place…for a little while, anyway. The design team is Rob Howell (set and costumes) and David Howe (lighting). Private Lives is produced by Duncan C. Weldon, Paul Elliott, Theatre Royal Bath, Terri and Timothy Childs, Sonia Friedman Productions and David Mirvish. KIM CATTRALL previously starred in Private Lives in London’s West End also directed by Sir Richard Eyre, and in the UK stage production of Antony and Cleopatra for director Janet Suzman. She made her Broadway debut in Wild Honey with Sir Ian McKellen. Her TV and film roles include HBO’s “Sex and the City,” as well as the two screen adaptations of the series; PBS’s “Any Human Heart” based on the William Boyd novel; Meet Monica Velour; and Roman Polanski’s, The Ghost Writer, starring opposite Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor. She is recipient of a Golden Globe Award; a Gemini Award (Canadian Emmy); two Screen Actors Guild Awards; five Emmy Award nominations and three Screen Actors' Guild nominations. Cattrall has also written several books, including the best seller Sexual Intelligence; Being a Girl: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Teenage Life; and Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm, a New York Times best seller. She is the founder of Fertile Ground Productions, a Canadian-based production company. In 2009 Cattrall was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and in 2011 was honored by GLAAD with the prestigious Golden Gate Award for her support of the organization. PAUL GROSS is one of Canada’s most popular actors and is internationally known as Constable Benton Fraser on the award-winning series Due South and received two Gemini Awards (Canada’s Emmy) for his portrayal of Geoffrey Tenant in the acclaimed series Slings & Arrows. He received the Golden Nymph Award for H2O at the Monaco Film Festival. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in the feature films Men with Brooms, and Passchendaele, two of the highest grossing Canadian films and winner of a combined six Genie Awards (Canada’s Oscar) including Best Picture. He recently starred on TV’s “Eastwick,” based on the movie The Witches of Eastwick. Other credits include Armistead Maupin's “Tales of the City” and Barney's Version. On stage, Gross has received Dora Awards for Romeo and Juliet and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme. He performed the title role in the Stratford Festival’s 2000 production of Hamlet. SIMON PAISLEY DAY’s London stage credits include Private Lives; Timon of Athens; Entertaining Mr. Sloane; The 39 Steps; The Philanthropist (Donmar); The Coast of Utopia, Twelfth Night and Anything Goes (all at The National Theatre). TV includes “Doctor Who,” “Red Dwarf,” and “Spartacus.” ANNA MADELEY’s London credits include three seasons with the RSC; The Roman Actor opposite Antony Sher; Colder Than Here; The Philanthropist; The Cosmonaut’s Last Message…(Donmar); and Coram Boy at The National. CAROLINE LENA OLSSON’s London credits include Private Lives; Carmen at the Royal Opera House directed by Francesca Zambello; This Child; War Crime; GOF and Dickens of a Christmas. Film and TV includes Children of Men and “Vanity Fair". RICHARD EYRE was director of London’s Royal National Theatre from 1988-1997. He has directed many classics and new plays by David Hare, Christopher Hampton, Tom Stoppard, Alan Bennett, Trevor Griffiths, Tony Harrison and Nicholas Wright. His Broadway and London credits include Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Amy’s View, Vincent in Brixton, Judas Kiss, Stanley, Skylight; Racing Demon; Indiscretions; Arcadia, An Inspector Calls and Mary Poppins. He has won five Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, three Critics Circle Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild, and has directed many award-winning films for TV and four feature films: The Ploughman’s Lunch, the Oscar®-nominated Iris (which he co-wrote), Stage Beauty and Notes on a Scandal. NOËL COWARD is widely known as the creator of a number of stage classics and as the composer of songs such as “I’ll See You Again,” “Mad About the Boy” and “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” His comedies include Present Laughter; The Vortex; Private Lives; Blithe Spirit; Hay Fever; and Design for Living. Operettas and musical plays include Bitter Sweet; Cavalcade; Conversation Piece; Operette; and Sail Away. He appeared in several films, including Our Man in Havana; The Italian Job; Bunny Lake Is Missing and Boom! In 1942 he received an Academy Award for outstanding production achievement for In Which We Serve, that he produced, co-directed, scored and starred in. He wrote the screenplay to Brief Encounter based on his play Still Life. As a cabaret artist he appeared in Las Vegas in 1955 with a show of his own songs. In 1960, his first novel, Pomp and Circumstance, was on the best seller list in the U.S. for 16 weeks. He was the author of two autobiographical books, Present Indicative and Future Indefinite, and a book of poems entitled Not Yet the Dodo. Coward was knighted in 1970 and died in 1973. 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 DANCING AT LUGHNASA This production began performances on 26th February and closed on 9th May 2009. ★★★★★ This magnificent revival of a play of true greatness Daily Telegraph Friel's passionate portrait of the five Mundy sisters follows their loss of love and opportunity played out against the echoes of the twentieth century with a dark humour, raw energy and tenderness. ★★★★★ It's a masterpiece, and a total joy to see it once more in so fine a revival The Independent Brian Friel 's Olivier award winning play, a bittersweet reflection of rural Ireland in the thirties on the brink of industrialisation returns to The West End for the first time since its premiere in 1990. Anna Mackmin directs an outstanding cast comprising Andrea Corr , Niamh Cusack , Michelle Fairley , Simone Kirby , Finbar Lynch , Susan Lynch , Peter McDonald and Jo Stone-Fewings in this vital, life-affirming play. ★★★★ A stunning ensemble cast... powerfully reclaim a modern classic Sunday Express CAST ANDREA CORR – Chris NIAMH CUSACK – Maggie MICHELLE FAIRLEY – Kate SIMONE KIRBY – Rose FINNBAR LYNCH – Jack SUSAN LYNCH – Agnes PETER MCDONALD – Michael JO STONE-FEWINGS – Gerry CREATIVES BRIAN FRIEL – Playwright ANNA MACKMIN – Director LEZ BROTHERSTON – Designer PAULE CONSTABLE – Lighting SCARLETT MACKMIN – Choreography

Back to News & Press First look photos from Bend it Like Beckham Friday, 27 March 2015 Before rehearsals begin, the West End cast of Bend It Like Beckham spent the day in Southall, West London, where the story of the musical is set. Photographer credit - Uli Weber. London previews begin for the new British musical Bend It Like Beckham on 15 May 2015 with opening night on 24 June 2015. In January a further 200,000 tickets were released for sale at the Phoenix Theatre, taking bookings to 24 October 2015. Natalie Dew plays football crazy Jess with Lauren Samuels as Jules, a player with the Harriers, a local women’s football team, and Jamie Campbell Bower as their coach Joe. Sophie-Louise Dann now plays the role of Paula with Jamal Andréas as Jess’ good friend Tony. Preeya Kalidas plays Pinky, Jess’ sister, with Tony Jayawardena and Natasha Jayetileke as her parents, Mr and Mrs Bhamra. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, with original music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Charles Hart, Bend It Like Beckham has a new book by Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha; choreography and musical staging by Aletta Collins; set design by Miriam Buether; costume design by Katrina Lindsay; lighting design by Neil Austin; sound design by Richard Brooker; musical direction by Nigel Lilley and orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra. Bend It Like Beckham is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Deepak Nayar Productions and Bend It Films. Jess needs extra time. She is facing the most important decision of her life: live up to family expectations of university, career and marriage, or follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. When the talented teenager is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of unexpected opportunities opens up before her. But as her sister’s traditional Indian wedding approaches, can she keep her family happy and still follow her dreams? Bend It Like Beckham is a joyous new British musical about where we are now. Featuring an original score with a Punjabi kick, it brings a unique cultural fusion of musical theatre to the stage for the first time. This reimagining of the much-loved hit film sees generations, cultures and communities brought together in this joyous and uplifting story about bending the rules and scoring that deciding goal. Opening week’s ticket prices for Bend It Like Beckham are £15 - £49.50 with some ‘Book It Like Beckham’ seats at £15 each in prime positions throughout the house. For group bookings there is a 5-a-side rate of £49.50 per ticket and an 11-a-side rate of £39.50. On film, the British comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham starred Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi, and was released in 2002, directed by Gurinder Chadha and written by Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra and Paul Mayeda Berges. Following the international release of Bend It Like Beckham the film, produced by Deepak Nayar and Gurinder Chadha, went on to win multiple awards worldwide. Up Up

Back to News & Press Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith transfers to the West End for strictly limited 12-week season Friday, 30 October 2015 Michael Mayer ’s production, starring Olivier and BAFTA award-winning actress Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice and with the cast from the Menier Chocolate Factory, will begin performances at the Savoy Theatre on 9 April 2016 for a strictly limited 12-week run until 12 July 2016. Tickets will go on general sale from 10am Monday 16 November. Sign up for priority booking here. David Babani , Artistic Director of Menier Chocolate Factory, said today, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm for Funny Girl – the show broke Menier box office records when it sold out its entire run in just 90 minutes. We felt it was very important to respond to demand so we’re delighted to be joining forces with Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis to give Funny Girl a future life. We want to share it with as wide an audience as possible and to make Michael Mayer’s production as accessible to all, we’re offering £15 day seats – available for every performance at the Savoy Theatre.” Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis said today, “2016 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the original London production of Funny Girl . It's enormously exciting to be bringing this legendary musical back to the West End for the first time since 1966, in a brand new production starring the incredible Sheridan Smith. We are also thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the hugely gifted, multi-award winning Broadway director Michael Mayer.” With music by Jule Styne (whose musical Gypsy is currently running at the Savoy Theatre, starring Imelda Staunton), lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart , the Broadway smash which skyrocketed Barbra Streisand to stardom, is revived with book revisions by Harvey Fierstein . Sheridan Smith plays Fanny Brice, who rose from being a Brooklyn music hall singer to become one of Broadway's biggest stars under producer Florenz Ziegfeld. While she was cheered onstage as a great comedienne, offstage she faced a doomed relationship with the man she loved. With a score featuring now-classic songs such as "People", "You Are Woman, I Am Man" and "Don't Rain on My Parade", this brand new production promises to be a major theatrical event. Sheridan Smith returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory to play Fanny Brice. She previously appeared in Little Shop of Horrors for the company (also Duke of York’s Theatre). Her other theatre work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michael Grandage Company at the Noel Coward Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Old Vic), Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket – Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress, Evening Standard Theatre Award and Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress), Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Tinderbox (Bush Theatre), The People are Friendly (Royal Court) and Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse). For television, her credits include Blackwork , The C Word , Cilla , The Widower , The 7.39 , Dates , Mr Stink , Mrs Biggs (BAFTA Award for Best Actress), Accused , Scapegoat , Little Crackers , Jonathan Creek , Gavin & Stacey , Larkrise to Candleford , Grown Ups , Love Soup , Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps , The Royale Family and Wives and Daughters ; and for film, The Huntsman , Powder Room , Quartet , Tower Block and Hysteria . Michael Mayer directs. His West End credits include Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith and Novello Theatre) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Shaftesbury Theatre). For Broadway his work includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award nomination for Best Director), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever , American Idiot (Drama Desk Award for Best Director of a Musical), Spring Awakening (Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drama Desk Award for Best Direction of a Musical) and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical). For television, his work includes Smash , and for film his credits include A Home at the End of the World , Flicka and currently in post-production, Chekhov's The Seagull . With the scores of such Broadway classics as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , Peter Pan , Bells Are Ringing and Gypsy to his credit, composer Jule Styne ranks as one of the undisputed architects of the American musical theatre. Styne's collaborators included Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Merrill, Leo Robin and E.Y. Harburg, and their combined efforts have produced such showstoppers as "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "The Party's Over", “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, "People" and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend." He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981, and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1990. Bob Merrill was a composer, lyricist and screenwriter. He partnered with composer Jule Styne to write Funny Girl , Sugar and The Red Shoes . His other stage musicals include New Girl in Town , Take Me Along , Carnival , Breakfast at Tiffany’s , Prettybelle , The Prince of Grand Street and Henry, Sweet Henry . In the 1950s, his melodies and words captured the radio audiences with such top-ten standards as “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?”, “Mambo Italiano” and “If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake". Merrill provided lyrics for beloved television musicals including Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol , The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood , and The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer . His screenplays for Hollywood include Mahogany and W.C. Fields and Me. Merrill also wrote five songs for the 1962 film The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm . As a screenwriter, Isobel Lennart ’s first movie was The Affairs of Martha which opened in 1942, followed by A Stranger in Town , and her personal favourite, Lost Angel . Some twenty-five more scripts were made into popular movies over the next thirty years, among them: Two for the Seesaw , the Academy Award nominated Love Me or Leave Me and The Sundowners . Despite her trials and tribulations with the House Un-American Activities Committee, she was never prevented from working. She ventured into playwriting with the stage adaptation of her screenplay Funny Girl for Ray Stark. Several plays were written for her husband’s Los Angeles theatre, The Stage Society. Lennart received many awards and nominations during her career; the 1966 Laurel Award was her most treasured. Choreography is by Lynne Page , with set design by Michael Pavelka , costume designer by Matthew Wright , lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound designer by Richard Brooker , the musical supervisor is Alan Williams and orchestrations are by Chris Walker . FUNNY GIRL is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis Productions and Chocolate Factory Productions. 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 Rosmersholm, All About Eve and The Doctor are nominated for WhatsOnStage Awards Thursday, 5 December 2019 Rosmersholm Best Actress in a Play – Hayley Atwell Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Giles Terera Best Graphic Direction – Bob King Creative All About Eve Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Monica Dolan The Doctor Best Actress in a Play – Juliet Stevenson Best Supporting Actress in a Play - Ria Zmitrowicz Best New Play – Robert Icke Best Direction – Robert Icke Voting is now open and will close on 27 January: https://awards.whatsonstage.com/index.php/voting-2/ Up Up

Back to Productions WALDEN – FILM This production was filmed for the screen at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End. ★★★★ A fresh and ambitious new play. A giant leap for the West End. The Telegraph Amy Berryman ’s debut play premiered earlier this year as part of Sonia Friedman Productions’ RE:EMERGE season. Directed by Ian Rickson , the play stars Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Fehinti Balogun (Juliet) and Lydia Wilson (The Duchess of Malfi) in a three-hander exploring familial love and loss amidst a climate emergency. Walden bursts with big ideas. With such a talented and eye-catching cast and creative team, Sonia Friedman has achieved a rare kind of alchemy. I urge you to see it. Evening Standard 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. Amy Berryman’s intelligent, soulful drama. An original play of ideas. The Guardian CAST GEMMA ARTERTON – Stella FEHINTI BALOGUN – Bryan LYDIA WILSON – Cassie CREATIVES AMY BERRYMAN – Writer IAN RICKSON – Director LIZ CLARE – Director (for screen) JOSHUA ANDREWS – Executive Producer SONIA FRIEDMAN – Producer STUART GALBRAITH – Executive Producer AUSTIN SHAW – Producer

Back to News & Press Sunny Afternoon extends to October 2016 Thursday, 19 May 2016 Due to public demand, the multi-Olivier award-winning hit British musical SUNNY AFTERNOON has announced another extension to its West End run, until 29 October 2016. The extension will take the show’s West End run past the two year mark. This summer will also see the 50th anniversary of the release of The Kinks’ hit single Sunny Afternoon, which was released on 3 June 1966 and reached Number One on 7 July 1966 – just as England were winning the football World Cup. To mark this anniversary, 50 top price tickets for every performance in July will be on sale for £19.66. The critically-acclaimed new musical tells the story of the early life of Ray Davies and the rise to stardom of The Kinks. It has established itself as a firm favourite with audiences and critics alike since it opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in October 2014, and it begins a UK tour at the Opera House, Manchester, on 19 August 2016. Ray Davies said: "I am delighted that Sunny Afternoon is extending in the West End and starting the national tour, playing many of the same venues The Kinks played on the road. Every time I visit the West End show I see people discovering it for the first time with the performances going from strength to strength.” Danny Horn (Doctor Who; The Dead Dogs) plays Ray Davies, with Oliver Hoare (Antony and Cleopatra, Chichester) as Dave Davies, Tom Whitelock (Times Square Angel, Union) as bassist Pete Quaife and Damien Walsh (Dreamboats and Petticoats) as drummer Mick Avory. At certain performances, the role of Ray Davies will be played by Ryan O’Donnell (Romeo and Juliet, RSC; Quadrophenia). Full cast: Jason Baughan, Niamh Bracken, Christopher Brandon, Harriet Bunton, Alice Cardy, Oliver Hoare, Danny Horn, Gillian Kirkpatrick, Megan Leigh Mason, Jay Marsh, Ryan O’Donnell, Stephen Pallister, Charlie Tighe, Gabriel Vick, Damien Walsh and Tom Whitelock. Understudies: Alice Cardy, Lia Given, Lloyd Gorman, Vicki Manser, Kay Milbourne, Nick Sayce, Robert Took, Alex Tosh, Robbie White. Sunny Afternoon was the best performing show at the 2015 Olivier Awards, winning four awards. The production won Best New Musical, Ray Davies won for Outstanding Achievement in Music, John Dagleish won Best Actor in a Musical and George Maguire won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Fifty years ago this year, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their single ‘Sunny Afternoon’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night. Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola, Sunny Afternoon shows the music of The Kinks is still as popular as ever, more than 50 years since the band’s rise to fame. Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware. Up Up

Back to Productions 1984 – LONDON This production began performances on 12th June and closed on 5th November 2015. ★★★★★ Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan have pulled off something tremendous The Observer April, 1984. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought and starts a diary. But Big Brother is always watching, and the door to Room 101 can swing open in the blink of an eye. Remarkable. Rendered with clinical, spine-tingling finesse The Telegraph The definitive book of the 20th century is re-examined in a radical, award-winning adaptation exploring surveillance, identity and why Orwell’s vision of the future is as relevant now as ever. 1984 is written and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan , with set and costume designed by Chloe Lamford , with lighting designed by Natasha Chivers , sound designed by Tom Gibbons and video designed by Tim Reid . George Orwell ’s 1984 , published in 1949, is one of the most influential novels in recent history, with its chilling depiction of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance and incessant public mind control. Its ideas have become our ideas, and Orwell’s fiction is often said to be our reality. Sonia Friedman Productions , Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Tulchin Bartner Productions in association with 1001 Nights , Rupert Gavin , JFL Theatricals , Scott M. Delman , Scott & Brian Zeilinger /James Lefkowitz present The Headlong , Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida production of 1984 . ★★★★★ Never lets the audience off the hook The Guardian CAST SIMON COATES – Parsons TIM DUTTON – O'Brien STEPHEN FEWELL – Charrington JANINE HAROUNI – Julia CHRISTOPHER PATRICK NOLAN – Martin BEN PORTER – Syme MATTHEW SPENCER – Winston MANDI SYMONDS – Mrs Parsons CREATIVES Adapted and directed by ROBERT ICKE and DUNCAN MACMILLAN CHLOE LAMFORD – Designer NATASHA CHIVERS – Lighting Designer TOM GIBBONS – Sound Designer TIM REID – Video Designer GINNY SCHILLER CDG – Casting Director

Back to News & Press Full casting announced for Stereophonic Wednesday, 26 March 2025 The highly anticipated West End transfer of Stereophonic , the Tony Award-winning play by David Adjmi with music by Will Butler , has officially announced its full cast ahead of its UK debut at London's Duke of York's theatre this May. Playing an ambitious rock band struggling to record their new album are: Zachary Hart as Reg the bass player, Lucy Karczewski as Diana the charismatic lead singer, Jack Riddiford as Peter the guitarist and Nia Towle as Holly, the keys player. They join previously announced cast members., all of whom are reprising their roles from the acclaimed Broadway production. Andrew R. Butler and Eli Gelb as sound engineers Charlie and Grover, and Chris Stack as Simon the drummer. Understudies include Sam Denia (Reg, Charlie, Grover), Rima Georges (Holly), Lucy Gray (Diana) and Steve Shirley {Simon and Peter). As the band strives to perfect each track of their make-or-break album, the cast of actor-musicians will play their instruments and sing live on stage each night, echoing the exacting process of the recording studio. Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in an 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 spork 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. Up Up