Back to Productions KING OF HEARTS This production began performances on 28th February and closed on 31st March 2007. The handsome young heir to the throne is in love. His fiancee is attractive, intelligent, cultured – and a Muslim. Suddenly it’s not only the future of the Royal Family under question but the very identity of Britain itself, as a panicked Prime Minister grapples with the possibility of a Muslim monarchy. Princess Di, Wallis Simpson – why is it always affairs of the heart that send the Windsors into meltdown? In Alistair Beaton ’s delicious new satire, love, politics and royalty collide to hilarious effect. CAST ZAHRA AHMADI CHRISTIAN BRASSINGTON ALISTER CAMERON TOBY DANTZIC CAROLINE LONCQ RODDY MAUDE-ROXBY ANTHONY O'DONNELL JEFF RAWLE BEN RIGHTON JUSTIN SALINGER CREATIVES ALISTAIR BEATON – Playwright MAX STAFFORD-CLARK & RAMIN GRAY – Directors TIM SHORTALL – Designer JOHANNA TOWN – Lighting Designer IAN DICKINSON – Sound Designer

Back to Productions DR SEMMELWEIS This production opened on 20th January and closed on 12th February 2022. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A force to behold The Sunday Times What does it take to change the world? Confronted by the terrible death toll of childbed fever in 19th-century Vienna, maverick Doctor Semmelweis makes a discovery that could save hundreds of thousands of new mothers. But when the medical establishment questions his methods, rejects his theory and doubts his sanity, the controversial surgeon finds that being a pioneer is not enough. Years later, he is haunted by the ghosts of the women he failed to save. Is it too late to convince the medical establishment to see the truth? And if he tries what will be the cost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A touching lament written in movement Daily Mail A Bristol Old Vic production in association with Sonia Friedman Productions , the National Theatre and Shakespeare Road . ★ ★ ★ ★ Tom Morris' lovingly crafted production The Telegraph CAST MARK RYLANCE – Ignaz Semmelweis ROSEANNA ANDERSON – Marja Seidel/Baroness Maria-Teresa JOSHUA BEN-TOVIM – Hospital Porter/Death MEGAN MAY CAMERON – Beatriz Pfieller JACKIE CLUNE – Anna Müller MEGUMI EDA – Aiko Eda SANDY GRIERSON – Jakob Kolletschka FELIX HAYES – Derdinand von Hebra SUZY HALSTEAD – Violet-May Blackedge DANIEL YORK LOH – Karl von Rokitansky ENYI OKORONKWO – Franz Arneth CLEMMIE SVEAAS – Lisa Elstein THALISSA TEIXEIRA – Maria Semmelweis MILLE THOMAS – Agnes Barta ALAN WILLIAMS – Johann Klein HAIM CHOI – Suk Hee Apfelbaum (Violin) COCO INMAN – Sarah Schmidt (Violin) KASIA ZIMINSKA – Eszter Horowitz (Viola) SHIZUKU TATSUNO – Oshizu Yukimura (Cello) EWAN BLACK – Walking Cover DANANN MCALEER – Walking Cover STEFANIE MUELLER – Walking Cover CREATIVES Based on an original idea by MARK RYLANCE STEPHEN BROWN in collaboration with MARK RYLANCE – Writers TOM MORRIS – Director RICHARD HOWELL – Lighting Designer ADRIAN SUTTON – Music MARTIN MCKELLAN – Voice and Dialect Work VICTOR LIRIO – Assistant Director KATIE THACKERAY – Company Stage Manager CAITLIN RAVENSCROFT – Assistant Stage Manager TI GREEN – Set and Costume Designer ANTONIA FRANCESCHI – Choreography JON NICHOLLS – Sound Designer CLAIRE O'REILLY – Associate Director CATHY HILL – Costume Supervisor LUCY TOPHAM – Deputy Stage Manager

Back to Productions LEOPOLDSTADT – WEST END This production opened on 25th January 2020 and closed on 30th October 2021. ★★★★★ Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece. Magnificent. The Independent 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. ★★★★ Tom Stoppard delivers an unforgettable play from the heart Telegraph Regarded as ‘Britain’s greatest living playwright’ (The Times ), Tom Stoppard ’s new play, directed by Patrick Marber , is an intimate drama with an epic sweep; the story of a family who made good. Leopoldstadt is a passionate drama of love, family and endurance. Tom Stoppard ’s most humane and heart-breaking play. ★★★★ Tom Stoppard’s new masterwork is an early contender for play for the year. Evening Standard CAST SEBASTIAN ARMESTO – Jacob/Nathan/Ludwig JENNA AUGEN – Rosa CARA BALLINGALL – Jana RHYS BAILEY – Young Nathan FAYE CASTELOW – Gretl JOE COEN – Policeman/Zac FELICITY DAVIDSON – Hilde MARK EDEL-HUNT – Civilian/Fritz CLARA FRANCIS – Wilma ARTY FROUSHAN – Leo ILAN GALKOFF – Pauli CAROLINE GRUBER – Emilia SAM HOARE – Percy NATALIE LAW – Hanna AVYE LEVENTIS – Sally AIDAN MCARDLE – Hermann MACY NYMAN – Hermine NOOF OUSELLAM – Otto DOROTHEA MYER-BENNETT – Eva JAKE NEADS – Mohel/Policeman AARON NEIL – Ernst ALEXANDER NEWLAND – Kurt SADIE SHIMMIN – Poldi GRIFFIN STEVENS – Aaron ELEANOR WYLD – Nellie CREATIVES TOM STOPPARD – Playwright PATRICK MARBER – Director RICHARD HUDSON – Set Design BRIGITTE REIFFENSTUEL – Costume Design NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Design ADAM CORK – Sound and Original Music EMILY JANE BOYLE – Movement AMY BALL CDG – Casting VERITY NAUGHTON – Children's Casting

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 Productions INK – BROADWAY This production began performances on 2nd April, opened on 24th April and closed on 7th July 2019. A huge 5-star hit Evening Standard It’s 1969 London. The brash young Rupert Murdoch ( Bertie Carvel ) purchases a struggling paper, The Sun, and sets out to make it a must-read smash which will destroy – and ultimately horrify – the competition. He brings on rogue editor Larry Lamb ( Jonny Lee Miller ) who in turn recruits an unlikely team of underdog reporters. Together, they will go to any lengths for success and the race for the most ink is on! A truly thought-provoking, unmissable evening The Independent Inspired by real events and a recent hit in London’s West End, James Graham ’s electrifying new play comes to Broadway in the exhilarating Almeida Theatre production, directed by Rupert Goold . In its London run, The Guardian called it “riveting,” and Time Out hailed it as “an incredibly brilliant stunner.” Produced with the Almeida Theatre and Sonia Friedman Productions . Lead production support for INK is made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation . Additional support provided by Gary L. Churgin , a Producing Fund Partner . An incredibly brilliant stunner Time Out London CAST BERTIE CARVEL JOHNNY LEE MILLER DAVID WILSON BARNES BILL BUELL ANDREW DURAND EDEN MARRYSHOW COLIN MCPHILLAMY ERIN NEUFER KEVIN PARISEAU RANA ROY MICHAEL SIBERRY ROBERT STANTON TARA SUMMERS CREATIVES American Premiere by JAMES GRAHAM RUPERT GOOLD – Director

Back to News & Press Ghosts screening - 26 June 2014 - One night only Monday, 23 June 2014 The WEST END THEATRE SERIES is delighted to announce its third title; Richard Eyre’s five-star, multi award-winning revival production of Ibsen’s Ghosts. The Almeida Theatre production will be screened in over 200 cinemas across the UK and Ireland for one night only, Thursday 26 June ‘14 (www.westendtheatreseries.com ) This acclaimed show, starring Lesley Manville, sold out at the Almeida before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios where it played to packed houses, extending its original run due to popular demand. Ghosts is currently nominated for five Olivier Awards; Best Actress, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Lighting Design, Best Director and Best Revival. Reinforcing the calibre of the entire WEST END THEATRE SERIES, previous productions in the series Merrily We Roll Along and Private Lives have both been recognised with a combined eleven Olivier Award nominations. At the 2013 Evening Standard Theatre Awards, Richard Eyre was named Best Director for Ghosts. Lesley Manville won the 2013 Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance as Helene Alving. The universally praised cast of Ghosts also includes Adam Kotz, Jack Lowden, Brian McCardie and Charlene McKenna. Lowden and McKenna were recently nominated for the Ian Charleston Award for their performances in Ghosts. The award recognises outstanding performances by actors under 30 in classic roles. Lowden is now also nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The 2014 Olivier Awards will be presented this Sunday (14 April) at the Royal Opera House. The WEST END THEATRE SERIES is captured live in High Definition by Digital Theatre and distributed by CinemaLive. Helene Alving has spent her life suspended in an emotional void after the death of her cruel but outwardly charming husband. She is determined to escape the ghosts of her past by telling her son, Oswald, the truth about his father. But on his return from his life as a painter in France, Oswald reveals how he has already inherited the legacy of his father’s dissolute life. Up Up

Back to News & Press La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music and A View From The Bridge nominated for Drama League Awards Monday, 19 April 2010 LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC have both received nominations in the Distinguished Revival of a Musical category. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE was nominated in the Distinguished Revival of a Play category. In the Distinguished Performance Award category, Kelsey Grammer (LA CAGE), Jessica Hecht (A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE), Douglas Hodge (LA CAGE), Scarlett Johansson (A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE), Angela Lansbury (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC) all received nods. Liev Schreiber (A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE) was also honoured although, as a previous winner of the award, is not eligible for consideration this year. The awards will be presented be presented at The 76th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Friday, May 21, 2010 (noon) in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th Street). Up Up

Back to News & Press Gala charity performance of Shakespeare in Love will benefit two theatrical charities Wednesday, 11 June 2014 These extraordinary theatre charities will share a gift of at least £35,000 from the performance and, additionally, theatregoers who book tickets for the world premiere production at the Noël Coward Theatre until September 2014 will be invited to donate £2 per ticket to be shared evenly between the charities.The two charities were chosen to reflect both the history of the production and to celebrate a bright theatrical future. The Rose Theatre Trust is a charity set up to protect, investigate and make publically available the site of the Rose Theatre on Bankside. The Rose is the setting for Shakespeare in Love. Built in 1587, this theatre was the first purpose-built playhouse on bank-side to stage a production of any of Shakespeare’s plays. When the Rose was discovered in 1989, The Trust successfully delayed construction and negotiated a re-design of the proposed new building and is now largely devoted to preparing to excavate the complete site and ensure the remains are put on display as a permanent resource for the public. ‘All monies will go to the Rose Theatre Trust to ensure that our ’Rose Revealed’ project can be undertaken on the site. This project will include the excavation of the as yet un-explored eastern third of the playhouse, the installation of a long term conservation regime to protect the fragile remains and a programme of architecture and design which will return the Elizabethan Rose to the public, both as a cultural monument open and explicable to all and as a place of entertainment, thus becoming a vital component of the newly renovated Bankside of the Second Elizabethan Age.’ Harvey Sheldon, Chair, Rose Theatre Trust Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that marks its 40th anniversary in 2014. Its mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change. Primarily based at its purpose-built venue in North London, the company creates theatre for all ages and runs successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. "The Gala performance of Shakespeare in Love is an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of the last 40 years, while marking our significant Birthday in style. The donations from this extraordinary opportunity will be invested carefully and wisely - and for the benefit of those who need Chickenshed most - to help us to continue to provide inclusive opportunities for young people in London, the regions and, increasingly, around the world.” Jo Collins MBE, Co-Founder of Chickenshed Rehearsals are currently underway for the World Premiere stage adaptation of Shakespeare in Love, bringing together one of the largest companies ever assembled for a play in the West End. The 28-strong cast includes a number of young actors and actor-musicians who will be making their professional debuts. The full cast are: Ian Bartholomew (Tilney), Tom Bateman (Will Shakespeare), Tony Bell (Ralph), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Viola De Lesseps), Anna Carteret (Queen Elizabeth), Paul Chahidi (Henslowe), David Ganly (Burbage), Richard Howard (Sir Robert De Lesseps), Harry Jardine (Sam), Abigail McKern (Nurse), David Oakes (Marlowe), Patrick Osborne (Mr Wabash), Alistair Petrie (Wessex), Doug Rao (Ned Alleyn), Ferdy Roberts (Fennyman) and Colin Ryan (John Webster). They are joined by an ensemble including Daisy Boulton, Michael Chadwick, Tom Clegg, Ryan Donaldson, Janet Fullerlove, Amy Marchant, Sandy Murray, Timothy O’Hara, Thomas Padden, Elliott Rennie, Charlie Tighe and Tim Van Eyken who will also be musical director. Gaiety will play Crab the dog, understudied by Barney. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman Productions nominated for The Stage Awards 2019 Producer of the Year Thursday, 13 December 2018 Sonia Friedman Productions has previously won Producer of the year in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Winners will be announced at a cermony at the Bridge Theatre in January 2019. Up Up

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

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman talks to Kirsty Lang for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row Saturday, 26 March 2016 This year, Sonia Friedman Productions has been nominated for a total of 20 Olivier Awards across the company’s critically acclaimed productions of Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, Farinelli And The King, Oresteia and Bend It Like Beckham. Sonia Friedman has also supported the Good Chance Theatre in the Jungle camp in Calais. During her career, Sonia Friedman has worked with some of the world’s greatest actors, directors and writers on more than 140 productions. Here, Tom Stoppard, Mark Rylance and Richard Eyre share some of their memories of meeting and working with one of the West End’s most prolific and successful producers. Click here to listen to Sonia’s interview with Kirsty in full. Up Up

Back to News & Press The Vogue 25: Meet The Women Defining Britain In 2025 Friday, 13 June 2025 The year 2025 marks another sensational year for Sonia Friedman ’s eponymous theatre production company, responsible for some of the most illustrious, era-defining shows in both the West End and on Broadway. From record-breaking commercial juggernauts including The Book of Mormon and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to influential contemporary classics such as Jerusalem . Next up? Paddington: The Musical . And yet, in the three-plus decades she has worked in the industry, it was only this year, with an adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s The Years, that she felt she was “producing a piece of work that was about me”. “This was the first piece of theatre where it was like, ‘Oh, this is my story, our story, the women’s story.’ That’s been quite a shock that it’s taken this amount of time to see that on a commercial stage.” While there are endless stories she still wishes to tell, much keeps her awake at night. Chief among her worries? The cutting of school trips to the theatre and drama from the curriculum. “You take culture out of society, you have no society,” she warns. Read the full article here . Up Up