Back to News & Press World premiere of Stranger Things: The First Shadow Wednesday, 1 March 2023 Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers , Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry , STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW , a new play written by Kate Trefry , will receive its world premiere in late 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End, directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin . Produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions , the play will go on sale this spring, details of which will be announced later this month. The Duffer Brothers act as creative producers, with 21 Laps as associate producer. Priority access to tickets will be given to fans who register from today at: strangerthingsonstage.com This new play by Kate Trefry , a writer and co-executive producer for the TV series of Stranger Things , will be rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon. Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach. Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end. Created by the Duffer Brothers , Stranger Things debuted on Netflix on 15 July 2016. Its fourth season (released in 2022) tops the Netflix Most Popular English TV list at #1 with 1.35 billion hours viewed; the third season released in 2019 still holds at #6 with 582.1 million hours viewed. The series has garnered over 70 awards worldwide including Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and has been nominated for over 230 awards. Recently Stranger Things completed its record-breaking fourth season to huge acclaim, becoming the biggest premiere weekend ever for an English-language TV show on Netflix. Matt and Ross Duffer said: “We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won't - it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!” Sonia Friedman said: “The world and mythology of Stranger Things has enabled a rich and fertile ground for creating an incredible story for the stage. The Duffer Brothers have built a huge global following for good reason, and a world-class creative team has built on their boundless imagination to dream up an unbelievably exciting theatrical event for our audiences. Set within the canon of Stranger Things, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story – for now. I’m thrilled to reunite with my visionary long-term collaborator Stephen Daldry. Together, with our brilliant Netflix partners, we can’t wait to welcome Stranger Things fans into theatre, and theatregoers into the realm of Stranger Things.” Greg Lombardo , VP Live Experiences for Netflix said: “Stranger Things has captured the imagination of fans around the world and we are incredibly thrilled to expand this exciting universe with Netflix’s first live stage production. With the creative talents of Matt and Ross Duffer combined with Sonia Friedman and Stephen Daldry, theatregoers will be swept up in a truly epic event worthy of Stranger Things.” STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW will be directed by Stephen Daldry with co-director Justin Martin , set design by Miriam Buether , costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel , lighting design by Jon Clark , sound design by Paul Arditti , illusions design by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher , video design by 59 Productions , movement direction by Coral Messam , wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates , casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG , international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan , Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates is Technical Director, with further creative team members to be announced. Further ticket information, on-sale details, performance schedule, full creative team and casting to be announced at a later date. Follow the official channels on social media for updates: Instagram.com/STOnStage Tiktok.com/STOnStage Facebook.com/StOnStage Twitter.com/StOnStage Up Up

Back to Productions SHIRLEY VALENTINE Following success at the Menier Chocolate Factory, this production transferred to Trafalgar Studios on 20th July and closed on 30th October as part of the Willy Russell Season. Syal’s lovely performance, and Glen Walford’s beautifully judged production… will glow in the memory of all who see it. Daily Telegraph A triumph…affecting, funny and fresh The Times Shirley Valentine stars Meera Syal in “London’s Best Comic Performance” (Time Out ), as the Liverpudlian housewife who rediscovers her zest for life following a trip to Greece – and a chance encounter with the local Casanova… Meera Syal is irresistible as Shirley Valentine: warm, communicative and bittersweet. She has the audience eating out of her hand. The Observer CAST MEERA SYAL – Shirley CREATIVES WILLY RUSSELL – Playwright GLEN WALFORD – Director PETER MCKINTOSH – Designer PAUL ANDERSON – Lightening Designer DAVID OGILVY – Sound Designer SIAN JENKINS – Costume Supervisor

Back to News & Press Leopoldstadt comes to cinemas from 27 January 2022 Thursday, 20 January 2022 Filmed live at Wyndham's Theatre, this passionate drama of love, family and endurance comes to cinemas from 27 January 2022. The new ‘masterwork’ (Evening Standard) opened to overwhelming critical acclaim and sold-out performances in 2020 & 2021 - don't miss on a big screen near you. Filmed by National Theatre Live Presented by Sonia Freidman Productions Leopoldstadt is a passionate drama of love, family and endurance. At the beginning of the 20th century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna, Austria. But Hermann Merz, a factory owner and baptised Jew now married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. We follow his family’s story across half a century, passing through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. A company of 40 actors represent each generation of the family in this epic, but intimate play. ‘Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece is magnificent ’ (Independent) and should not be missed. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman on Desert Island Discs Sunday, 4 June 2017 On the show, Sonia openly discussed how music and storytelling has always had an impact on her life. She also gave honest accounts of her childhood, family relationships and how she has established herself as one of the most prolific theatre producers in the West End and on Broadway. Listen to the full podcast again here . Up Up

Back to News & Press Further cast announced for Duncan Macmillan's new adaptation of Ibsen's Rosmersholm directed by Ian Rickson Monday, 4 March 2019 Today producer Sonia Friedman Productions announced further casting for Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm , adapted by Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things, 1984) and directed by Ian Rickson (Jerusalem, The Birthday Party). Giles Terera, who won an Olivier Award for his acclaimed performance in Hamilton ( West End), Lucy Briers (Wolf Hall, West End/Broadway and The Seagull , Chichester Festival Theatre), Jake Fairbrother (Lady from the Sea , Donmar Warehouse and The Maids , HOME Manchester) and Peter Wight (The Birthday Party , West End and Hamlet , Almeida/ West End) will perform alongside the previously announced Tom Burke (Strike , BBC) and Hayley Atwell (Howard’s End, BBC). Set and costumes will be by Rae Smith , lighting by Neil Austin , music by Stephen Warbeck, sound by Gregory Clarke and casting by Amy Ball CDG . ‘‘Now I see that love is selfish. It makes you a country of two. At war with the rest of the world.” An election looming. A country on the brink. A rabid press baying for blood. At the centre of the storm is Rosmersholm, the grand house of an influential dynasty. This is where the future will be decided by John Rosmer – a man torn between the idealised hope of the future and the ghosts of his past. Rosmersholm will play at the Duke of York’s Theatre from April 24th, with an opening night of May 2nd. The run will end on July 20th. Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions With Brenda Leff, Colin Callender, John Gore, 1001 Nights Productions, Burnt Umber Productions, Bradford W. Edgerton Living Trust, Tulchin Bartner Productions. Up Up

Back to News & Press Christopher Sieber to Join Harvey Fierstein in La Cage Aux Folles Tuesday, 8 March 2011 A two-time Tony Award nominee for his performances in Shrek and Spamalot, Christopher Sieber's Broadway credits also include Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Triumph of Love and A Christmas Carol. His other New York stage credits include Off-Broadway's The Kid, Avow and The Boys in the Band. His television and film credits include "Morning Glory," "Pushing Daisies," "Johnny and the Sprites," "See You in September," "It's All Relative," "Two of a Kind," "Sex and the City," "Ed," "Guiding Light," "All My Children" and "Another World." Up Up

Back to News & Press Peter Wight and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor join Toby Jones, Stephen Mangan, Zoë Wanamaker and Pearl Mackie in The Birthday Party Monday, 30 October 2017 The production will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre , 60 years since the play’s debut, from 9th January to 14th April 2018 with an Opening Night on Thursday 18th January 2018. Tickets are now on sale. Stanley Webber (Toby Jones ) is the only lodger at Meg (Zoë Wanamaker ) and Petey Boles’ (Peter Wight ) sleepy seaside boarding house. The unsettling arrival of enigmatic strangers Goldberg (Stephen Mangan ) and McCann (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor ) disrupts the humdrum lives of the inhabitants and their friend Lulu (Pearl Mackie ), and mundanity soon becomes menace when a seemingly innocent birthday party turns into a disturbing nightmare. Truth and alliances hastily shift in Pinter's brilliantly mysterious dark-comic masterpiece about the absurd terrors of the everyday. PETER WIGHT ’S theatre credits include: Hamlet (Almeida/West End); The Red Lion , Ivanov, Sleep With Me, Murmuring Judges, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Black Snow, Waiting for Godot (National Theatre); The Seagull (Royal Court/Broadway); Trelawny of The Wells (Donmar Warehouse); Otherwise Engaged, Chekhov's Women (West End); The Spanish Tragedy, Much Ado About Nothing, Barbarians, A Clockwork Orange, Hamlet (RSC); In The Republic of Happiness, In Basildon, Face to the Wall, Not A Game for Boys (Royal Court); The Caretaker (Globe Theatre Warsaw); Edward II, Mouth to Mouth (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Dearly Beloved, Grace (Hampstead Theatre); A State of Affairs, Othello, Commedia, Progress (Lyric Hammersmith); Julius Caesar (Riverside Studios); A Passion in Six Days, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Nest (Sheffield Crucible); King Lear, The Three Sisters (Birmingham Rep); Hard To Get (Traverse Edinburgh). His television work includes: Vanity Fair, Brief Encounters, I Want My Wife Back, Our Zoo, The Mimic, The Paradise, Hit and Miss, Public Enemies, Titanic, Money, Monday Monday, Boy Meets Girl, 10 Days to War, Party Animals, Eastenders, Persuasion, Fantabulosa!, Early Doors, Room at the Top, The Security Men, and Uncle Adolf. Film includes: The Program, Mr Turner, King of Soho, Brakes, Only You, Kon-Tiki, Hard Boiled Sweets, Clone, Atonement, Hot Fuzz, Lassie, Babel, Pride and Prejudice, The Statement, Lucky Break, Shiner and with Mike Leigh, Another Year, Mr Turner, Vera Drake, Naked, Secrets & Lies and Meantime. TOM VAUGHAN-LAWLOR trained at RADA. His theatre credits include: The Plough and the Stars, Juno and the Paycock, Translation (National Theatre); Howie the Rookie (Barbican London/ BAM NY); Our Few and Evil Days, The Rivals, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Three Sisters, Saved, The School for Scandal, The Playboy of the Western World (Abbey Theatre); 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre); All My Sons (West End); Molly Sweeney (Curve Leicester); Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Gaiety Theatre, Dublin); The Lady from the Sea (Birmingham Rep); Henry V (Royal Exchange Manchester); The Field (Tricycle Theatre) and The Lime Tree Bower (Young Vic). His television work has included: The Secret Agent , Trial of the Century , Charlie , Love / Hate , and Peaky Blinders . Film includes: Avengers: Infinity War , The Cured , Maze , Daphne, The Infiltrator, The Secret Scripture, Becoming Jane , and A Tiger's Tale . He has won multiple awards, including: Irish Times Best Actor Award for Howie the Rookie ; Irish Times Best Actor Award for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ; Ian Charleson commendation for Henry V and the Irish Film and Television Best Actor Award for Love / Hate . The production will be designed by the Quay Brothers , with lighting by Hugh Vanstone , sound by Simon Baker , music by Stephen Warbeck and casting by Amy Ball . Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Rupert Gavin , Tulchin Bartner Productions , 1001 Nights Productions , Scott M. Delman present Harold Pinter ’s The Birthday Party , Directed by Ian Rickson . Up Up

Back to Productions 1536 ★★★★★ “Funny, saucy, and totally gripping” The Daily Mail Kings don’t kill their wives, right? Tudor England. A field in Essex. Three women hurry to their childhood meeting place, thirsty for gossip from London. Word spreads of a clash between King Henry VIII and his Queen, Anne Boleyn. And closer to home, another rumour begins to catch fire. ★★★★ The Guardian 1536 , the “electrifying” (The Standard) historical drama with a modern edge, transfers to the West End following a sold-out run at the Almeida Theatre. Running from 02 May to 01 August 2026 at the Ambassadors Theatre, this must-see new play is “effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy” (The Guardian). Casting for the production will be announced in due course. BOOK HERE . Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica ), this “razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant ” (The Independent) play explores the dynamics of female friendship in a world stacked against women. 1536 is writer Ava Pickett ’s first play, which won her the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the award for Best Writer at the 2025 Stage Debut Awards, and a special commendation from The George Devine Award. She is currently co-writing, alongside Baz Luhrmann, his Jehanne D'Arc film. Ava Pickett, Writer , said “It’s hard to put into words how much this whole process has meant to me so I’m going to resort to cliché and say it’s beyond my wildest dreams – which still feels a bit like I’m downplaying it. I’m such an example of what can happen when people get in your corner early and so I just want to thank everyone at the Almeida Theatre and Genesis for developing it and putting it on in the first place and then thank you so much to Sonia Friedman for coming in with such enthusiasm and belief in it and wanting to bring it into the West End - I really am still pinching myself! It's hard to talk about “inspiration” for the play, as to be honest, 1536 was written in response to the never-ending stories in the news about violence against women. It asks the question if a King can kill his wife in a palace, how does that impact three working class women in Essex? Because the world we live in has not changed as much as we are made to believe, because what happens in the corridors of power still bleeds down, as it always has. So what a privilege it is to be able to bring Anna, Mariella and Jane to more audiences in all their complicated, funny, dark, desperate glory”. ★★★★ Independent CAST To be announced. CREATIVES AVA PICKETT - Writer LYNDSEY TURNER - Director MAX JONES - Set and Costume Designer JACK KNOWLES - Lighting Designer TINGYING DONG - Sound Designer ANNA MORRISSEY - Movement and Intimacy Director WILL STUART - Composer and Arranger AMY BALL CDG - Casting Director

Back to Productions LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL This production began performances on 13th January 2010 and closed on 7th April 2012. ★★★★★ An irresistibly exuberant evening, expertly performed, a box office smash hit Metro College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods doesn't take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend, Warner, dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law School! ★★★★ Ridiculously enjoyable from start to finish. Perfection. The Independent The international award-winning hit Legally Blonde The Musical is now on tour! Winner of 7 major awards including Best Musical 2011 (Olivier Awards) this all-singing, all-dancing romantic comedy is about knowing who you are and showing what you’ve got! Based on the hit movie of the same name, Legally Blonde the Musical is the Broadway sensation created by a top-of-their-class creative team, led by Tony Award-winning director and Olivier-nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray ). Legally Blonde the Musical will take you from the social whirl of California Campus life to Harvard's Halls of Justice with the West End's brightest new heroine (and of course, her Chihuahua, Bruiser). The verdict? This much fun shouldn't be legal! Sonia Freidman Productions , Robert G Bartner , Ambassador Theatre Group , Bud Martin , Adam Zotovich , Jamie Hendry Productions , Matthew Byam Shaw and Act Productions in association with MGM ON STAGE , Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber present “LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL ”. ★★★★ A sassy story of self empowerment. Legally Blonde is a winner. Evening Standard CAST CARLEY STENSON – Elle Woods JON TSOURAS – Padmadan/Nikos GEORGIE ASHFORD – Gabbu/Stenographer LUCY MILLER – Serena NATHAN PINNELL – Carlos NATALIE CASEY – Paulette Buonufonté PETER DAVISON – Professor Callahan TRICIA ADELE TURNER – Vivienne Kensington CHRIS ELLIS-STAUNTON – Grandmaster Chad/Dewey/Kyle DANIELLE STEERS – Judge/Saleswoman ABIONA OMONUA – Pilar ELLIE KIRK – Margot GEMMA STRRON – Enid SORELLE MARSH – Courtney/Mom/Whitney STEPHEN ASHFIELD – Emmett Forrest NICK HAYES – Pforzheimer CHLOË BROOKS – Kate/Chutney LINCOLN STONE – Dad/Winthrop/Reporter BEN FREEMAN – Warner Huntington III ROBBIE TOWNS – Aaron GREGORY SIMS – Kiki TANARA WAKK – Brooke Wyndham ROSS HUNTER – Lowell TARA YOUNG – Cece/District Attorney FABIAN ALOISE – Swing HENRY DAVIS – Swing JANE MCMURTIE – Swing RUTHIE STEPHENSON – Swing CAROLYN MAITLAND – Swing CREATIVES LAURENCE O'KEEFE – Lyrics and Music NELL BENJAMIN – Lyrics and Music HEATHER HACH – Book JERRY MITCHELL – Director/Choreographer DAVID ROCKWELL – Scenic Designer GREGG BARNES – Costume Designer KENNETH POSNER – Lighting Designer PAUL MILLER – Lighting Designer ACME SOUND PARTNERS – Sound Designer CHRISTOPHER JAHNKE – Orchestrations

Back to News & Press Baby Reindeer announces West End run Wednesday, 22 January 2020 A harrowing story of how one act of kindness plunged Richard Gadd into six years of relentless stalking and harassment. Tickets go on sale for the production today with over 500 tickets per week priced at £25 or less. “I did question whether I deserved it. Where did my wrongdoing stop and hers begin?” When award-winning comedian Richard Gadd offers a stranger a free cup of tea, he has no sense of the nightmare to come. One act of kindness. Six years of torment. The sell-out smash hit of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Baby Reindeer is the “blistering” debut play (The Daily Telegraph) from Richard Gadd (Monkey See Monkey Do , Netflix's Sex Education ). Directed by Olivier Award-winner Jon Brittain (Rotterdam ), this is a chilling personal account of compulsion, delusion and obsession. Some admirers simply won’t be shaken off. “A haunted, haunting hour.” (The Guardian). Baby Reindeer will play a strictly limited London run at the Ambassadors Theatre ahead of a New York transfer to BAM in May 2020. Richard Gadd said: “Baby Reindeer has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences of my life. With an incredible team behind me, I have pushed myself to ridiculous limits in a show I find incredibly hard to say and do. The show is about the past six years of my life. An incredibly complicated, messy, confusing, and ultimately challenging period of time at the hands of a serial stalker hell-bent on ruining my life. It is a period of my life that I still look back on to this day with much unease. How did it get as bad as it did? How was it allowed to go on for so long? Why was there no help for me? I feel a moral duty to let people know the terrifying reality of going through something like this. I am absolutely delighted to be in the West End at such a prestigious venue like the Ambassadors. It is all a dream come true.” Francesca Moody said: “It has been truly incredible to watch the success of Richard's remarkable theatrical debut in Edinburgh and then at the Bush Theatre. Baby Reindeer is one of the most original and brilliant pieces of theatre I have ever seen and I passionately believe that it should be experienced by as many people as possible. I am thrilled to be partnering with Sonia Friedman Productions to bring Baby Reindeer to the West-End and a wider audience.” Sonia Friedman said: “In the early 2000s, I produced, programmed and oversaw dozens of productions at the Ambassadors Theatre. It occupies a special place in my heart as the venue where I learned to push the boundaries of what is possible in commercial theatre. SFP is thrilled to be returning with this extraordinary play featuring a truly break-out performance from Richard Gadd. Baby Reindeer is the first of several remarkable works my creative development team and I have sought out to bring to this beautiful and intimate venue. We are excited to present this original, vital, small-scale work which demands to be seen by a wider audience in London’s West End .” ★★★★★‘A haunting, unsettling monologue about the nature of obsession ’ - Evening Standard ★★★★ ‘…tightens its grip with terrible inexorability ’ – The Guardian ★★★★★ ‘A majestic performance – a reckoning, an exorcism’ - The Stage ★★★★ ‘A master narrator full of intelligent insight and sheer descriptive power.’ - The Scotsman ★★★★★ ‘Utterly compelling ’ - WhatsOnStage.com ★★★★ ‘Baby Reindeer will follow you all the way home.’ - Financial Times WINNER Fringe First 2019 WINNER Stage Edinburgh Award 2019 FINALIST Offwestend Award for performance and video design FINALIST Sit Up Award FINALIST Mental Health Edinburgh Award Baby Reindeer will play at the Ambassadors Theatre from April 2nd – May 2nd 2020. Over 500 tickets each week will be priced at £25 or less. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman is listed in Harper's Bazaar's Women of the Year 2020 Thursday, 5 November 2020 Sonia Friedman was listed in the month of August with the following note: Sonia Friedman reimagines theatre for our pandemic age. The leading West End producer has campaigned tirelessly to protect her industry, while experimenting with innovative new theatrical formats. Sonia was listed alongside Floella Benjamin, Imaan Hammam, Hilary Mantel, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Harris Reed, Michaela Coel, Sarah Gilbert, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Day, Gillian Anderson and Kiley Reid. Sonia’s full interview can be read in the December 2020 edition of Harper’s Bazaar UK. Up Up

Back to News & Press Twelfth Night & Richard III recoup on Broadway Thursday, 9 January 2014 “Most wonderful!” The all-male Shakespeare’s Globe repertory productions of William Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT and RICHARD III have recouped their $3.1 million capitalization costs this week, officially entering the hit column. The productions, which opened on Broadway on November 10, 2013 to ecstatic and universal critical praise, have been playing to capacity crowds at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street), where they have broken the house record several times. The quick recoupment of Twelfth Night and Richard III on Broadway is particularly noteworthy with the productions’ ticket access policy, where 250 seats at every performance have been sold for $25. The 250 seats per performance make up almost a quarter of the Belasco’s capacity of 1,051, and include seating in all levels of the theatre: orchestra, mezzanine, balcony, boxes and on stage. Approximately 36,000 $25 tickets will have been sold throughout the 18-week limited engagement. “Theatre should be available to all audiences.” the producers commented. “We’re especially heartened that we have been able to sell almost a quarter of every house for $25, providing a way for all theatergoers to see and enjoy these productions, while still managing to recoup our production costs and turn a profit.” Twelfth Night and Richard III, which are directed by Tim Carroll and designed by Jenny Tiramani, with music by Claire van Kampen, play a limited engagement through February 16, 2014. For a schedule of performances and more information, please visit www.shakespearebroadway.com. Up Up