Back to News & Press To Kill a Mockingbird will open at the Gielgud Theatre in May 2020 Thursday, 31 October 2019 Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence has sold 45 million copies worldwide. 2020 will mark the 60th anniversary of its publication. Set in Alabama in 1934, To Kill a Mockingbird centres on one of the most venerated characters in American literature, the small-town lawyer Atticus Finch. The cast of characters includes Atticus’s daughter Scout, her brother Jem, their housekeeper and caretaker Calpurnia, their visiting friend Dill, a mysterious neighbour the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley, and the other indelible residents of Maycomb, Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird , celebrating one year on Broadway today, has not played to an empty seat and holds the benchmark of having become the most successful American play in Broadway history. A national tour of the United States opens at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC in August 2020. The British cast and performance dates will be announced soon. Sign up at www.tokillamockingbird.co.uk for updates and priority access to tickets. Aaron Sorkin is a celebrated writer, producer and director known for his multi-award-winning work across stage and screen. Sorkin is probably best known as the creator and screenwriter of the Emmy Award-winning hit TV series The West Wing and films such as Steve Jobs and The Social Network for which he received an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Writer’s Guild Award for best screenplay. He is the writer-creator of The Newsroom and the Academy Award-winning 1992 film A Few Good Men , which he adapted from his 1989 Broadway play. His other credits as a playwright include Making Movies and The Farnsworth Invention . Bartlett Sher is the multi-award-winning Director of the Lincoln Center Theater in New York, a post he has held for over a decade. His critically acclaimed stage productions include the Tony Award-winning South Pacific and Oslo , My Fair Lady and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown . He has also worked extensively in opera, staging productions at English National Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera and New York City Opera. To Kill a Mockingbird is designed by Miriam Buether , with costumes by Ann Roth , lighting by Jennifer Tipton , sound by Scott Lehrer and an original score by Adam Guettel . Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman: The fairy godmother of the West End and Broadway Monday, 21 April 2014 Who is that on the front page of this week’s Stage newspaper, waving like an excited schoolgirl at cheering members of the cast of The Book of Mormon? The headline below gives the answer: “Friedman Triumphs at Oliviers.” And the lead article explains that Sonia Friedman Productions was the force behind a stunning 13 awards at Britain’s most important theatre jamboree a few days earlier, including Best New Musical for the mischievious show about Latter-Day missionaries that Friedman had brought to London. Read the full article here . Up Up

Back to News & Press New British musical bend it like beckham coming to the west end Friday, 31 October 2014 Gurinder Chadha will direct the world premiere of the new British stage musical Bend It Like Beckham. 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 byNigel Lilley and orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra. Casting for Bend It Like Beckham will be announced shortly. Playing at the Phoenix Theatre from 15 May 2015, with its opening night on 24 June 2015, Bend It Like Beckham is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions. Tickets for Bend It Like Beckham go on public sale on Friday 7 November 2014 at 10am. Initially tickets will only be available for the first few weeks of performances to 11 July 2015. During these opening weeks, honouring David Beckham’s record 115 caps for England, there will be 115 Book It Like Beckham seats at £15 each. For group bookings there will be a 5-a-side rate of £49.50 per ticket and an 11-a-side rate of £39.50. 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 teenage footballer is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of opportunities opens up before her. But as the day of her sister's traditional Indian wedding approaches, Jess needs to pick sides. From the first pass in the park to the final free-kick, Bend It Like Beckham is a joyous musical comedy with vibrant characters featuring a new score with a Punjabi kick. This brand new British musical is a funny, glorious and uplifting adaptation of the much-loved hit film about refusing to watch from the sidelines, bending the rules, and scoring that deciding goal. Gurinder Chadha said: “Developing Bend It Like Beckham for the stage has been the most enjoyable creative process of my career so far. It was always my intention to build on the film and to present its themes and storylines to live audiences in an exciting new dynamic way. I have been inspired by musicals ever since I was a little girl, now with Bend It like Beckham, such a familiar story to so many, I believe we are presenting a totally new kind of musical - part West End, part London Punjabi, but whole heartedly British. I am very excited for us to take our place with so many inspirational musicals past and present in my home town London.” 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. Gurinder Chadha’s first feature film was the comedy drama Bhaji on the Beach which was the recipient of numerous international awards. As well as Bend It Like Beckham her film directing credits include What’s Cooking; Bride and Prejudice; Paris, je t'aime; Angus,Thongs and Perfect Snogging and most recently It's a Wonderful Afterlife, for all of which she co-wrote the screenplays. She also co-wrote screenplays for The Mistress of Spices and the forthcoming DreamWorks Animation picture Monkeys of Mumbai. On television she made her directing debut with I'm British But.... In 2006 Chadha was awarded an OBE for her services to the British film industry. Emmy, Brit and BAFTA award-winning Howard Goodall is one of the UK’s most versatile and distinguished composers having written choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores. Goodall was the Classical Brit Composer of the Year in 2009, is Classic FM’s Composer-in-Residence and is a highly respected broadcaster and an energetic campaigner for music education. His extensive scores includeThe Vicar of Dibley; Blackadder; Mr Bean (TV series and films); Q.I.; The Gathering Storm; Into the Storm and Red Dwarf. His previous musicals include The Hired Man; Girlfriends; Days of Hope; The Kissing-Dance; The Dreaming; A Winter’s Tale and Love Story. The Howard Goodall season continues at the Union Theatre, with productions of The Dreaming, Love Story and Girlfriends included. Goodall was appointed CBE in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music education. Charles Hart is the recipient of two Ivor Novello Awards. Amongst his credits as a lyricist for musicals, he has written words for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and Aspects of Love, and also contributed lyrics to Love Never Dies. His other musical credits include The Kissing-Dance and TheDreaming. Hart’s television work includes The Vampyr; Watching and Split Ends. Hart provided the text for Terry Gilliam’s re-staging of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini for ENO last summer. LISTINGS INFORMATION Theatre: Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JP Press Night: 24 June 2015 at 7pm First Booking Period: 15 May – 11 July 2015 Performances: Monday – Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm Preview schedule: Friday 15 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 16 May at 7.30pm Wednesday 20 May at 7.30pm, Thursday 21 May at 7.30pm Friday 22 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 23 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Wednesday 27 May at 7.30pm, Thursday 28 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Friday 29 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 30 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Tuesday 2 June at 7.30pm, Wednesday 3 June 2.30pm & 7.30pm Thursday 4 June at 7.30pm, Friday 5 June at 7.30pm Saturday 6 June 2.30pm & 7.30pm Then Monday – Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm Prices: Opening weeks: £15 - £49.50, plus 115 Book It Like Beckham seats at £15 each Group tickets: groups of five £49.50 per ticket & groups of eleven £39.50 per ticket A limited number of Day Seats at £15.00 each will go on sale from the Box Office, in person only, from 10am on the day of performance All ticket prices include a £1.50 restoration levy Box Office: 0843 316 1082 Website: benditlikebeckhamthemusical.co.uk Facebook: Facebook.com/benditlikebeckhamthemusical Twitter: @benditmusical #bendit YouTube: Youtube.com/benditlikebeckhamthemusical Up Up

Back to News & Press The Shark is Broken announces Broadway transfer Tuesday, 25 April 2023 Sonia Friedman Productions and Scott Landis are delighted to announce that the smash-hit play THE SHARK IS BROKEN will make waves on Broadway this summer after critically acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and on London's West End. A new Olivier Award-nominated comedy by lan Shaw and Joseph Nixon , THE SHARK IS BROKEN imagines what happened on board "The Orca" when the cameras stopped rolling during the filming of Stephen Spielberg 's blockbuster, JAWS. Co-writer Ian Shaw (War Horse ) will also star in THE SHARK IS BROKEN , making his Broadway debut in the role he created in Edinburgh and on the West End, portraying his father Robert Shaw who played "Quint" in JAWS . Casting for the roles of Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss will be announced at a later date. Directed by Guy Masterson , THE SHARK IS BROKEN begins performances on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at the John Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), and will officially open on Thursday, August 10, 2023, for a strictly limited 16-week engagement. FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Production on JAWS is delayed...again. The film's lead actors - theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider-are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic...if it doesn't sink them all. From the JAWS of defeat, came a Hollywood victory. Tickets are on sale now for THE SHARK IS BROKEN at Telecharge.com (212.239.6200) and range from $49 - $119 (including $2 facility fee) during the specially priced preview performances. The playing schedule for THE SHARK IS BROKEN is as follows: Monday - Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Saturday at 2pm. Please note: There will be an added 2pm matinee on Wednesday, August 2and Wednesday, August 9. Beginning Friday, August 11, the performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday- Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Please note: There will be no matinee on Sunday, August 13. THE SHARK IS BROKEN includes scenic and costume design by Duncan Henderson , lighting design by Jon Clark , sound design and original music are by Adam Cork , video design by Nina Dunn , with casting by Jim Carnahan Casting . The smash-hit of the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, THE SHARK IS BROKEN was steering a course to transfer to London's West End but was postponed due to the pandemic. The "intoxicating combination of behind-the-scenes gossip and contemplation of the nature of popular art” (The Stage ★★★★) opened at the West End's Ambassadors Theatre in 2021 where it garnered critical acclaim and an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy Play, and by popular demand extended its limited run into 2022. Up Up

Back to News & Press Further Casting Announced for Funny Girl on Broadway Tuesday, 5 October 2021 Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani are proud to announce that Golden Globe Award nominee Beanie Feldstein (“American Crime Story: Impeachment;” Hello, Dolly!) will be joined by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo (Les Misérables, Anastasia) as ‘Nick Arnstein,’ five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch (“Glee,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) as ‘Mrs. Rosie Brice’ and Jeff Award winner Jared Grimes (A Soldier’s Play, After Midnight) as ‘Eddie Ryan’ in the first Broadway revival of FUNNY GIRL. Back on Broadway for the first time in 58 years, the new production directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening) begins performances Saturday, March 26, 2022, and officially opens on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). Jane Lynch said, “I grew up to the Broadway cast album of Funny Girl. My mother and I knew every breath of that record and would sing it together at the top of our lungs. I am thrilled beyond words to be playing Fanny’s mother on Broadway. And somewhere in Heaven my Mom is asking, ‘Who taught her everything she knows?’” Ramin Karimloo said, “I’m very excited to be joining Funny Girl’s return to Broadway. I’ve been waiting 2 years to sink my teeth into Nicky Arnstein and get into the room with Michael Mayer, the creative team and cast, led by the exceptional Beanie Feldstein. Cannot wait.” Jared Grimes said, “It will be a dream to share the stage every night with this cast and creative team whom I’ve loved from afar for such a long time! I can’t wait to spread love and joy in a live setting again. I’m still on cloud nine knowing that I’ll actually be in one of the most iconic musicals of all time. I’m beaming from ear to ear knowing that people will know me as Eddie Ryan!” An exclusive fan presale begins today at 9AM ET through tomorrow, Thursday, October 7. To join the fan presale for first access to tickets, sign up for the FUNNY GIRL email list by visiting www.FunnyGirlOnBroadway.com . Those who subscribe before the public on-sale on Friday, October 8 will also be entered to win a pair of tickets to opening night. Beginning Friday, October 8 at 10AM ET, tickets will go on sale to the general public at https://seatgeek.com/funny-girl-tickets. Tickets for FUNNY GIRL start from $39.00. With choreography by Ellenore Scott (Head Over Heels, “So You Think You Can Dance”), tap choreography by Ayodele Casel (New York Times’ “Biggest Breakout Stars of 2019”), a revised book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, La Cage Aux Folles) and scenic design by Tony Award winner David Zinn (Fun Home), FUNNY GIRL features music by Tony, Grammy and Academy Award winner Jule Styne, lyrics by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill and a book by Isobel Lennart, from an original story by Miss Lennart. Additional casting and the complete creative team will be announced shortly. This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she'd never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway. Featuring some of the most iconic songs in theatre history including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People,” Michael Mayer’s bold new production marks the first time FUNNY GIRL will return to Broadway since its debut 58 years ago. The original production of FUNNY GIRL premiered on Broadway in 1964 starring Barbra Streisand as ‘Fanny Brice’ and was nominated for eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. Follow FUNNY GIRL on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram @FunnyGirlBway Up Up

Back to News & Press Dreamgirls announces new cast as it extends booking period through to 2 June 2018 Tuesday, 17 October 2017 From 20th November 2017, Moya Angela will join Marisha Wallace and Karen Mav to play the iconic role of Effie White in Dreamgirls . The three power-house actresses will all share the role at different performances throughout the week. Meet your Effies here . Asmeret Ghebremichael will continue to play Lorrell Robinson, with Joe Aaron Reid continuing in the role of Curtis Taylor Jr. Joining them will be Broadway actress Brennyn Lark as Deena Jones, Tosh Wanogho-Maud as Jimmy Early, Durone Stokes as C.C. White, Delroy Brown as Marty and Kimmy Edwards as Michelle Morris. Established star of Broadway Marisha Wallace joined the London cast of Dreamgirls earlier this year having received rave reviews in the role of Effie White in the Dallas Theater Center production. On Broadway, she has originated roles in Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten! and toured the US in The Book of Mormon. Electric vocalist Moya Angela has been a respected musical theatre actress in the US for many years, receiving great acclaim playing Effie White in the North American revival tour of Dreamgirls , touring with Disney’s The Lion King and being part of the original Broadway casts of Ghost the Musical and most recently In Transit. She wowed judges and audiences when she auditioned for the 2016 series of America’s Got Talent , reaching the quarterfinal stages. Karen Mav has been thrilling audiences in Dreamgirls since making her professional stage debut in the production last year. She quickly made a name for herself on ITVs The X Factor , successfully making it through to the notorious Six Chair Challenge before going on to release an original Christmas single in 2015. Producer Sonia Friedman says: “The thrill of Dreamgirls is to experience the brilliance of the human voice. Effie White is arguably the biggest sing in musical theatre history, which is why we have cast three extraordinary vocalists to play this iconic role. Audiences experience goosebumps and tingles when they hear the fantastic songs in this show, sung by the very greatest singers on this planet, and each of these three actresses put goosebumps on top of goosebumps - London theatregoers are extremely lucky and privileged to have the chance to witness their rare and awe inspiring talents.” The cast of Dreamgirls will also include Michael Afemaré, Callum Aylott, Georgia Bradshaw, Jabari Braham, Ashford Campbell, Sanchia Amber Clarke, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Nicole Deon, Rhiane Drummond, Ashlee Irish, Emma Louise Jones, Ashley Luke Lloyd, Samira Mighty, Jayde Nelson, Aston New, Sean Parkins, Kirk Patterson, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton, Ryan Reid, Rohan Richards and Joshua Robinson . The Original London Cast Recording of hit West End musical Dreamgirls is available via Sony Masterworks Broadway. Dreamgirls is Directed and Choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award®-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten!), with Set Design by Tim Hatley , Costume Design by Gregg Barnes , Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone , Sound Design by Richard Brooker and Hair Design by Josh Marquette . The Musical Supervisor is Nick Finlow , the Orchestrator is Harold Wheeler , with Additional Material by Willie Reale . Swarovski is delighted to be the Set and Costume Design partner for Dreamgirls , bringing to life the incredible visions of Tim Hatley and Gregg Barnes. Over one million Swarovski crystals have been incorporated into the production, adorning 275 costumes and 3 crystal curtains. Let your soul sing with the dazzling multi-award winning Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre, London. With an extraordinary story and the unforgettable, spine-tingling vocals that are sending audiences wild at every single show, this spectacular musical production soars with the classic songs, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’, ‘Listen’ and ‘One Night Only’. Meet The Dreams – Effie, Lorrell and Deena – three talented young singers in the turbulent 1960s, a revolutionary time in American music history. Join the three friends as they embark upon a musical rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune and the ruthless realities of show business, testing their friendships to the very limit. With Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen and Music by Henry Krieger, the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett opened in 1981 and subsequently won six Tony Awards®. The original cast recording won two Grammy awards for Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday’s ‘And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.’ In 2006 it was adapted into an Oscar winning motion picture starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. Moya Angela, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Brennyn Lark and Marisha Wallace are appearing with the support of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity. Up Up

Back to News & Press Tickets now on sale for the Broadway production of The Mountaintop Sunday, 12 June 2011 Tickets are available at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200, and beginning August 11th at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). Directed by Tony Award® nominee Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), The Mountaintop will begin performances on Tuesday, September 22, 2011, with an official opening on Thursday, October 13, 2011. Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After delivering his legendary "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious young woman delivers room service, King is forced to confront his past, as well as his legacy to his people. The Mountaintop is produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, and Ambassador Theatre Group. In a joint statement, Ms. Doumanian and Ms. Friedman said, “The Mountaintop is a brilliantly conceived gem of a play. An ambitious work of fiction that is powerful, heartbreaking, humorous and exhilarating. We are thrilled to be bringing Katori Hall‟s remarkable, Olivier-winning work to New York, and to present a singular new American voice to Broadway audiences. And we are honored to be presenting the Broadway debut of the great Samuel L. Jackson.” The Mountaintop will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Wednesday & Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets ($75 - $125) are available at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200, and beginning August 11th at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). The Mountaintop received its world premiere to critical acclaim in a three-week run at Theatre 503 in June 2009, and subsequently transferred to the West End‟s Trafalgar Studio 1. The production featured powerful performances by David Harewood as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Lorraine Burroughs as the mysterious Camae, under the direction of James Dacre. The Mountaintop also received two Evening Standard Awards Nominations, including Most Promising Playwright, and was awarded the coveted 2010 Olivier Award for Best Play. This year, Ms. Hall also received the Susan Smith Blackburn prize. Praise for London debut of The Mountaintop: “An ambitious work of historical fiction draped in magical realism.” Time Out UK “Sometimes a play comes out of the blue and knocks everyone for six… It is a beautiful and startling piece… A play that keeps you marveling to the end.” The Telegraph “Wondrous, hilarious, and heartbreaking.” The Independent “Faultless.” The Times “Future life Stateside is beyond doubt.” Variety Up Up

Back to News & Press Casting announced for the re-opening of Leopoldstadt Monday, 12 July 2021 Cara Ballingall (Jana), Arty Froushan (Leo), Aidan McArdle (Hermann) and Macy Nyman (Hermine) join original cast members Sebastian Armesto (Jacob/Nathan/Ludwig), Jenna Augen (Rosa), Rhys Bailey (Young Nathan), Faye Castelow (Gretl), Joe Coen (Policeman/Zac), Felicity Davidson (Hilde), Mark Edel-Hunt (Civilian/Fritz), Clara Francis (Wilma), Ilan Galkoff (Pauli), Caroline Gruber (Emilia), Sam Hoare (Percy), Natalie Law (Hanna), Avye Leventis (Sally), Noof Ousellam (Otto), Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Eva), Jake Neads (Mohel/Policeman), Aaron Neil (Ernst), Alexander Newland (Kurt), Sadie Shimmin (Poldi), Griffin Stevens (Aaron) and Eleanor Wyld (Nellie). The children’s cast comprises Noa Alberts, Rocco Brenner, Atticus Collier, Willa Collier, Aidan Greenberg, Mae Sarner Henson, Aidan Herrmann, Lexi Hudaly, Audrey Kattan, Ollie Kohn, Max Lester, Mace Phoenix, Leo Roberts, Osian Salter, Rafael Shbero and Shoshana Shbero. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna. But Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptised Jew married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. Gathered in the Merz apartment in a fashionable part of the city, Hermann’s extended family are at the heart of Tom Stoppard’s epic yet intimate drama. By the time we have taken leave of them, Austria has passed through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and – for Austrian Jews – the Holocaust in which 65,000 of them were murdered. It is for the survivors to pass on a story which hasn’t ended yet. Set designs are by Richard Hudson , with costume designs by Brigitte Reiffenstuel , lighting by Neil Austin , sound and original music by Adam Cork , and movement by EJ Boyle . Casting is by Amy Ball CDG , with children’s casting by Verity Naughton . Leopoldstadt received its world premiere on 25 January 2020. As initial casting was announced the run was extended due to public demand and was scheduled to play a 20 week run until 13 June 2020. The final performance before lockdown was 14 March 2020. Leopoldstadt is the sixth collaboration between SFP and Tom Stoppard. It reunites Stoppard, Marber and Friedman and is co-produced with Gavin Kalin Productions, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Scott M. Delman/Patrick Gracey in association with Rupert Gavin, 1001 Nights Productions, Nica Burns, Burnt Umber Productions, Bradford W. Edgerton, Eilene Davidson Productions, Richard Winkler. Up Up

Back to News & Press Front Row: Theatre one year on - what now? Wednesday, 17 March 2021 On the day a year ago that theatres went dark, Front Row explores what impact that has had on the industry with guests including Sonia Friedman, Emma Rice, Michael Balogun, Julian Bird and Amy Ng. Listen here . Up Up

Back to News & Press Casting is announced for the transfer of Claire Van Kampen's new play Farinelli and the King Friday, 27 March 2015 Shakespeare's Globe and Sonia Friedman Productions are delighted to announce the West End transfer of Claire van Kampen’s critically-acclaimed new play Farinelli and the King, directed by John Dove, designed by Jonathan Fensom and starring Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall, Jerusalem, Richard III, Twelfth Night), as King Philippe V of Spain. Sam Crane will once again play the acting role of Farinelli, while the singing role will be reprised by opera star, Iestyn Davies and shared with Rupert Enticknap. The rest of the cast will also transfer with Huss Garbiya playing Doctor Jose Cervi, Melody Grove playing Isabella Farnese, Colin Hurley as Metastasio and Edward Peel as De la Cuadra. The Duke of York’s Theatre will be transformed as the magical and intimate atmosphere of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is brought to the West End with onstage seating, candles and live Baroque music played by six onstage musicians, led by Harpsichordist and Musical Director Robert Howarth. Directed by John Dove and designed by Jonathan Fensom, the West End production will open on 14th September 2015 and play for a strictly limited run until December 5th. Opening Night will be on Tuesday 29th September. Set in eighteenth-century Spain, Claire van Kampen's moving and mesmerising new play tells the intriguing true story of Farinelli, once the world’s most famous castrato and one of the greatest celebrities of his time, and his decision to trade fame and fortune in the opera-houses of Europe for a life of servitude at the court of King Philippe V. This enchanting new play explores the dynamics between Farinelli and the royal couple, featuring many of the exquisite arias first sung by Farinelli in the 1730’s. The Duke of York’s Theatre will be transformed for this sumptuous production, lit almost exclusively by the glow of candle-light and with live music played on Baroque instruments. Mark Rylance last appeared in a Globe production in 2012 in Tim Carroll's hugely lauded sell-out productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III, which subsequently enjoyed phenomenally successful West End and Broadway runs, also produced by Sonia Friedman Productions. Mark’s other recent theatre credits include Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, (Royal Court, West End, Broadway) and this year he also starred as Thomas Cromwell in the BBC2 adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning novel Wolf Hall. It has recently been announced that Mark will play the title role in the Steven Spielberg feature film of Dahl’s the BFG. Claire van Kampen, founding Director of Music, Shakespeare’s Globe has created music for over 45 productions there, including The Duchess of Malfi with Gemma Arterton. A theatre specialist on music and text of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, her stage credits also include original scores for Matthew Warchus’ Broadway productions of Boeing-Boeing. La Bete and True West. Claire’s television and film credits include Peter Kosminsky’s Wolf Hall, Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous and Christian Camargo's Days and Nights. John Dove’s previous directorial work for Shakespeare’s Globe includes Dr Scroggy’s War, Blue Stockings, All’s Well That Ends Well, Anne Boleyn, In Extremis, Measure for Measure (LA and New York Tour) and The Winter’s Tale (Tour). He is an Artistic Associate of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh where he has directed Pressure by David Haig, a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre, Death of a Salesman, All My Sons, View From the Bridge, The Price and The Man Who Had All the Luck. John was Associate Director at Hampstead Theatre and has also directed at the Royal Court, The Old Vic, The Lyric Hammersmith, the Bush Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford E15. Jonathan Fensom’s previous work for Shakespeare’s Globe includes The Changeling, The Duchess of Malfi, (both at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), The Life and Death of King John, Julius Caesar, Gabriel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, King Lear and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Other theatre includes Rain Man, Some Girls, Twelfth Night, Smaller, Journey’s End, What the Butler Saw, East (West End). Jonathan was the Associate Set Designer on Disney’s The Lion King, which premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway and has subsequently opened worldwide. His set design for Journey’s End (West End and Broadway) was nominated for a Tony Award in 2007. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival. Jonathan won the UK Theatre Award for Best Design in 2013. Praised as 'one of the most glorious countertenor voices in the world today' by the Independent and described as 'superb' by the New York Times, Iestyn Davies’ recent awards include the 2013 Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent and the 2014 Gramophone Recital Award for his recent disc Arise, my muse. A versatile performer equally at home on both the opera and concert stage, Iestyn has sung roles for New York's Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Paris' Opera Comique, English National Opera, Milan's Teatro alla Scala and at the Munich and Vienna Festivals. He has also performed in concert and recital at the Barbican, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall at the BBC Proms and London's Wigmore Hall. Sam Crane starred as Winston Smith in Headlong’s recent critically-acclaimed production of 1984 when it transferred from the Almeida to the West End. His other stage credits include The Humans (BAM New York), Henry IV Parts One & Two and Othello (Globe Theatre), Some Trace of Her and DNA (National Theatre), Kebab (Royal Court) and Ghosts (Bristol Old Vic). He received the Ian Charleson Award for Othello and Ghosts. His screen credits include Desperate Romantics (series), Call the Midwife and Poirot. Rupert Enticknap is a British countertenor who recently played Nerillus in L’Ormindo at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a ground-breaking collaboration between Shakespeare’s Globe and The Royal Opera House. His previous performances at the Royal Opera House include the world premiere of Richter's SUM for ROH2 in the Linbury Studio Theatre. Rupert has worked with numerous conductors worldwide including Laurence Cummings, Alan Curtis, Harry Bicket, Rubén Dubrovsky, René Jacobs, Ottavio Dantone, Fabio Biondi, Christophe Rousset and Jean-Christophe Spinosi. His upcoming engagements include Handel’s Agrippina in Iford under Christopher Bucknall and Florian Leopold Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria at Brussel’s La Monnaie with René Jacobs. Huss Garbiya previously performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in The Frontline, Blue Stockings, and Dominic Dromgoole’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream which was later screened in cinemas as part of the 2014 Globe on Screen season, before touring to Asia and Russia. His other stage credits include The Comedy of Errors (Royal Exchange, Manchester) and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC). Melody Grove recently appeared in In Lambeth at Southwark Playhouse. Elsewhere her theatre credits include The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland), Much Ado About Nothing (Old Vic), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lyric Belfast/ Lyceum Edinburgh) and Of Mice and Men (Lyceum, Edinburgh). Colin Hurley previously performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in Twelfth Night, Richard III, All’s Well That Ends Well, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Macbeth, The Golden Ass, Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, Troilus and Cressida and In Extremis. For the National Theatre his credits include Remember This, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Mary Stuart, Wild Oats, Richard III and King Lear and for the RSC he has appeared in A Month In The Country, Hamlet and Troilus and Cressida. Edward Peel has performed in numerous productions at Shakespeare’s Globe including ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Eternal Love, Blue Stockings, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Anne Boleyn, Troilus and Cressida and The Winter’s Tale. His extensive credits elsewhere include Enemies at the Almeida Theatre, The Dragon, Twelfth Night and D.H.Lawrence Trilogy for the Royal Court, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Drum Theatre and An Inspector Calls at the National Theatre. He is perhaps best known for his television roles in Juliet Bravo, Cracker, London’s Burning and Doctor Who. Up Up

Back to News & Press Final casting announced for Trevor Nunn's production of Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus Of Disapproval Thursday, 26 July 2012 Jessica Ellerby, Barrie Rutter, Paul Thornley and Susan Tracy will join previously announced company members Teresa Banham, Daisy Beaumont, Georgia Brown, Rob Compton, Matthew Cottle and Steven Edis. Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Robert G. Bartner & Norman Tulchin and Adam Kenwright, A Chorus of Disapproval begins previews on 17 September 2012 with booking open until 5 January 2013. Press performances are 25 September at 7.30pm, 26 September at 7.30pm and opening night on 27 September at 7.00pm. Designs are by Robert Jones, with lighting by Tim Mitchell, sound by Fergus O’Hare and music direction by Steven Edis. This production continues Sonia Friedman's collaboration with Ayckbourn, having previously presented his Absent Friends at the Harold Pinter Theatre and his The Norman Conquests on Broadway. The Pendon Amateur Light Operatic Society’s production of The Beggar’s Opera is going off the rails, that is until a handsome but shy young widower Guy (Harman) joins the group. An instant hit with the company’s ferociously zealous director Dafydd (Brydon) and the show’s leading ladies, including Dafydd’s wife Hannah (Jensen), Guy soon gets more than he bargained for as he discovers that all the best action happens off-stage. Classic songs fill the air as the drama on stage is mirrored by the romantic rivalry and small town squabbles causing a stir in the wings of this ambitious local show. Up Up

Back to News & Press Mark Rylance to star in the critically acclaimed Dr Semmelweis in the West End Tuesday, 14 March 2023 The critically acclaimed Bristol Old Vic production, directed by Tom Morris , opened in 2022, and sees Rylance reprise the title role. Mark Rylance said today, "Here is a person who makes one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine - what we now call ‘Bacteria’ - and yet he is pretty much unknown because for forty years, until Louis Pasteur and Dr Lister make the same discovery, no one will listen to him. Why? “I was intrigued. The inspiration to act our story with a chorus of ballet dancers and a quartet representing the many thousands of mothers who perished unnecessarily, makes this a very powerful piece of theatre for me. I am thrilled to be reviving it in London at the Harold Pinter Theatre." The production will play for a strictly limited 14-week run. Sign up for priority access here. “We are the doctors of the modern age. We are marching into battle.” Mark Rylance returns to the West End as one of medicine’s greatest pioneers, maverick Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis – the man whose research could save many millions of mothers’ lives. But what good is a discovery that is ignored? In Vienna, a city of artistic and scientific revolution, thousands of women are still dying in childbirth each and every year. Only Dr Semmelweis can see the invisible killer at work, but to stop it, he must convince his colleagues to admit culpability and approve change. Damned by an establishment that questions his methods, his motives and even his sanity, Semmelweis is haunted by the women he has failed to save. Can he finally convince the greatest doctors of 19th century Europe to accept his argument – and what will it cost him to make an almost impossible case? Following a “smash hit” (Mail on Sunday ), sold-out run at Bristol Old Vic, this “compelling new drama” (The Telegraph ) directed by Tom Morris , featuring live music by Adrian Sutton and original choreography by Antonia Franceschi of Balanchine’s New York City Ballet, comes to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End for a strictly limited run this summer. In association with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation . Up Up