Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman featured in the telegraph magazine Monday, 13 April 2015 Sonia Friedman, 49, is one of Britain’s most prolific and influential theatre producers, having started her career at the National Theatre. She has produced more than 145 shows in the West End and on Broadway. At the 2014 Laurence Olivier Awards she was the first producer to win the awards for best new play (Chimerica), best new musical (Book of Mormon), best play revival (Ghosts) and best musical revival (Merrily We Roll Along) in the same year, picking up 13 in total; this year she is up for 17 at tonight’s Olivier awards ceremony. Friedman lives in a converted pub in east London with her boyfriend and two bichon frisé dogs, Teddy and Buddy. Daily routine The dogs sleep on the bed and I often wake up with Buddy sucking my ear. I’m a terrible morning person – so I stumble around making coffee, then check my BlackBerry in bed for overnight US business, before leaving for my office at the Duke of York’s Theatre. I’ve currently got 10 shows running, closing, or getting ready to transfer or tour, and many more in development, so it’s impossible to get home before 11. Piano My mother got this piano [pictured] for me, so I’m sentimental about it. She wanted to be a concert pianist, but when she was 32 her husband left her with four children under the age of 10 so she gave up her dream and did whatever she could to support us. She was an Egyptologist and a London guide, and she lectured at the National Gallery. At 83 she still teaches the piano; I’m in awe of her. As a wilful child, I resisted learning piano, but I’ve been teaching myself – it’s one of the things I do to unwind. I’m very self-conscious, though; I play when the house is empty. Childhood We were tricky children because we’re all creative and single-minded and have an issue with authority. My mother sort of gave up on trying to get us to do things normally, and let us create our own world. We’d sit around the dinner table eating scraps from the fridge while my brother Ricky, who’s a musician, made music from anything that was around. Then we’d make his music into a story, or record it with my sister Maria [Friedman, the actress] and me singing. It was heaven. Education I trained as a stage manager at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and last year they made me an honorary fellow [certificate pictured]. It’s particularly special to me because I had a pretty sketchy education. I left my first school because of bullying, was expelled from my second, left my third because we couldn’t afford the fees, and didn’t complete my A-levels because I got run over. I truanted a lot between the ages of 11 and 13 and missed a crucial period of my education, but it also formed who I am. Pub living I bought the pub about 15 years ago, when it was only half-converted and full of bar stools and pumps. There’s still a dumb waiter in the basement, which is now the room I watch films in. Over the years I’ve had a lot of people living here – nine at one point. It’s quite theatre-free, so when I come home it’s not all about work. Shed When I bought the property the garden was just a garage but there was this gorgeous little shed [click for picture ] in the corner. A few landscape gardeners have told me to take it down, but I can’t bring myself to. Inside it’s a beautiful place to sit and contemplate or read. Light-bulb moment I fell in love with theatre when I was about 13. Maria was in Oklahoma! at the Palace Theatre and invited me to watch from the wings. I sat on a stool in the prompt corner and soon realised I was much more interested in what was going on behind the scenes. Eventually I tried to sign up for an evening class in make-up, but it was full. They convinced me to take stage management and swap to make-up if anybody dropped out. But I fell in love with stage management. Bear This bear is about 110 and lived at my grandma’s house, where I spent a lot of time when I was growing up. I always slept with the teddy, and when my grandma passed away he was the only thing I wanted, even though the house was full of beautiful furniture and antiques. He doesn’t have a name; I feel like he’s still my grandma’s and I’m just looking after him. First job My first job interview was with Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright in their kitchen in the King’s Road. They wanted a stage manager for a double bill in Edinburgh. I don’t know why I was interviewed by them – it wouldn't normally happen like that. I don’t think my grandmother and mother were ever more proud than the day I got that job. Country escape What I like doing more than anything is taking long walks with my boyfriend and dogs. I have a Tudor cottage in Hampshire, which is my haven, my therapy. It’s set on hundreds of acres of private land, so we walk for miles. I go for a weekend and it feels like being away for a week. Table I produced Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece Arcadia in 2009, and this table [click for picture ] was designed for it. I immediately knew that, come the end of the run, it was coming back home with me – partly because it’s a work of art but also because Tom is one of my best friends. Now I have a constant reminder of the beauty of the man. Instincts I’ve never known how I choose shows that end up being so successful but I do have a strong hunch when something won’t work, and I’m usually right. I choose shows to nourish myself, too, and I feel a responsibility to champion certain types of work. When I first saw The Nether [a dark play about the future of the internet] I knew that it had to have a life beyond the Royal Court, but I was already so busy. I asked the director, ‘Is there really no one else that will transfer this?’ He said there wasn’t so I took it on. I will be very disappointed if it doesn’t work commercially but proud to have done it. Poster In the mid-to-late 1980s I became very passionate about the Aids cause and felt I had to do something. My friend [the actress and director] Kelly Hunter and I came up with an idea to have celebrities working in all of Covent Garden’s shops, pubs and restaurants for one day. We called it Shop Assistance [click for picture ]. We created a huge day of fundraising and awareness that led to people shaking buckets in theatres on World Aids Day, which is now one of the biggest fundraising campaigns in theatre. I’m often asked what I’m most proud of, and in many respects it’s that. I can sit in theatres on December 1 and think, ‘I did my bit.’ Click here for full article. Up Up

Back to News & Press King Charles III opening on Broadway this October Sunday, 12 April 2015 New York – Producers Stuart Thompson and Sonia Friedman announced today that, following its critically acclaimed run at the Almeida Theatre and in the West End, the newly crowned Olivier Award-winning Best Play, King Charles III, will open on Broadway this fall starring Tim Pigott-Smith reprising his much-raved-about role as King Charles III. Directed by Rupert Goold, Mike Bartlett’s play about Britain’s future king will begin previews October 10, 2015, with opening night set for November 1, 2015 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street, NYC). The Queen is dead: after a lifetime of waiting, the prince ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule? This “bracingly provocative and outrageously entertaining new play,” (The Independent) explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain’s most famous family. Tickets for King Charles III will go on sale this June. To sign up for first access, visitKingCharlesIIIBroadway.com. Complete cast, creative, and additional information for King Charles III will be announced shortly. ★★★★★ “Theatre doesn’t get much better than this” (The Times) ★★★★★ “Attendance is compulsory” (The Telegraph) ★★★★★ “Tim Pigott-Smith gives the performance of his career” (Daily Express) ★★★★★ “Long may it reign. Hilarious, Dizzyingly audacious state-of-the-nation political thriller.” (Time Out London) ★★★★★ “A brilliant, provocative piece of drama” (The Financial Times) ★★★★★ “Mike Bartlett has found a grand style to match his subjects...a crowning achievement for all concerned” (Mail on Sunday) Up Up

Back to News & Press Initial casting and production team announced for the world premiere of Tom Stoppard's new play Leopoldstadt Thursday, 24 October 2019 The cast includes Sebastian Armesto, Jenna Augen, Rhys Bailey, Joe Coen, Mark Edel-Hunt, Clara Francis, Ilan Galkoff, Caroline Gruber, Sam Hoare, Natalie Law, Noof McEwan , Dorothea Myer-Bennett , Jake Neads , Aaron Neil , Alexander Newland , Yasmin Paige , Adrian Scarborough , Griffin Stevens , Ed Stoppard, Luke Thallon, Eleanor Wyld and Alexis Zegerman . The children’s cast, comprising three sets of five children, includes Toby Cohen, Zachary Cohen, Olivia Festinger, Tamar Laniado, Maya Larholm, Daniel Lawson, Louis Levy, Libby Lewis, Jack Meredith, Chloe Raphael, Beatrice Rapstone and Montague Rapstone . Further adult and children’s casting will be announced at a later date. Sonia Friedman said: “We are thrilled to announce initial casting for Leopoldstadt, the remarkable new play from one of the world’s greatest living playwrights. Our company of 41 actors will come together in Patrick Marber’s production, to tell Tom Stoppard’s powerful and humane story spanning several decades during one of the most turbulent periods in world history. Focussing on endurance, survival, assimilation and resilience, it is a privilege to be producing this potent and timely new work.” 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 . Up Up

Back to News & Press Casting announced for Bend it Like Beckham - Previewing in the West End May 2015 Friday, 9 January 2015 Natalie Dew will play 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. Opening at the Phoenix Theatre on 24 June 2015, London previews for BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM begin on 15 May 2015. Ronni Ancona will play Paula, Jules’s Mum, 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 and Deepak Nayar Productions. Sohm Kapila, Buckso Dhillon-Woolley and Harveen Mann play Aunties, Irvine Iqbal and Karl Seth play Uncles, with Sejal Keshwala, Serina Mathew and Sharan Phull as Cousins. Rakesh Boury, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Tom Millen, Daniel Bolton play footballers, with Teetu played by Raj Bajaj. The Harriers are played by Michelle Bishop, Lisa Bridge, Chloe Chambers, Genesis Lynea, Kirstie Skivington and Danielle Young. Rekha Sawhney and Shahid Khan are the production’s Indian Heritage Singers. They are accompanied by swings including Kayleigh McKnight. Up Up

Back to Productions SUNNY AFTERNOON This production began performances on 4th October 2014 and closed on 29th October 2016. Stormingly successful. I defy anyone to resist it The Financial Times Set against the back-drop of a Britain caught mid-swing between the conservative 50s and riotous 60s, this production explores the euphoric highs and agonising lows of one of Britain’s most iconic bands and the irresistible music that influenced generations. A blazing triumph. I swear you’ll get goosebumps The Daily Telegraph Extended due to phenomenal demand. Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for BEST NEW MUSICAL, with Music and Lyrics by Ray Davies (Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music), a new Book by Joe Penhall and Direction by Edward Hall , SUNNY AFTERNOON depicts the rise to stardom of THE KINKS. THE KINKS exploded onto the 60s music scene with a raw, energetic new sound that rocked a nation. But how did that happen, where exactly did they come from and what happened next? This ‘exhilarating, hugely enjoyable new musical’ (Financial Times ) features many of the bands hits, including: YOU REALLY GOT ME, WATERLOO SUNSET, DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION, ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT, LOLA, SUNNY AFTERNOON and many more. One of the most influential bands of the 1960s British invasion, The Kinks paved the way for the next decade's hard rock. A belter! Funny, stylish, well-performed – it has everything The Kinks had Daily Mail CAST JASON BAUGHAN – Eddie Kassner NIAMH BRACKEN – Gwen CHRISTOPHER BRANDON – Larry Page HARRIET BUNTON – Joyce ALICE CARDY – Peggy / Understudy Rasa OLIVER HOARE – Dave Davies DANNY HORN – Ray Davies GILLIAN KIRKPATRICK – Mrs Davies / Marsha MEGAN LEIGH MASON – Rasa JAY MARSH – Gregory Piven STEPHEN PALLISTER – Mr Davies / Allen Klein CHARLIE TIGHE – Grenville Collins GABRIEL VICK – Robert Wace DAMIEN WALSH – Mick Avory TOM WHITELOCK – Pete Quaife LIA GIVEN – Understudy Peggy / Gwen / Joyce & Dance Captain LLOYD GORMAN – Understudy Mr Davies / Klein / Kassner / Page / Piven VICKI MANSER – Understudy Rasa / Mrs Davies / Marsha / Peggy / Gwen / Joyce KAY MILBOURNE – Understudy Mrs Davies / Marsha NICK SAYCE – Understudy Ray / Mick / Wace / Collins ROBBIE WHITE – Understudy Ray / Dave / Pete / Mick & Assistant Dance Captain CREATIVES Original story by RAY DAVIES RAY DAVIES – Music and Lyrics JOE PENHALL – Book EDWARD HALL – Director MIRIAM BUETHER – Designer ADAM COOPER – Choreographer RICK FISHER – Lighting Designer MATT MCKENZIE – Sound Designer ELLIOT WARE – Musical Director/Supervisor

Back to News & Press Merrily We Roll Along transfers to The Harold Pinter Theatre Friday, 22 February 2013 Due to unprecedented demand and huge critical acclaim – including winning the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical (New or Revival) for 2012 – the Chocolate Factory’s production of the Sondheim/ Furth musical Merrily We Roll Along directed by Maria Friedman will begin previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 23 April. It will open 1 May for a strictly limited 12-week season. Set over three decades in the entertainment business Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between three friends Franklin, Mary and Charley. Starting in 1980 and travelling backwards in time, this powerful and moving story features some of Sondheim’s most beautiful songs including ‘Good Thing Going’, ‘Not a Day Goes By’ and ‘Old Friends’. The impressively talented cast includes Mark Umbers, Jenna Russell and Damian Humbley, as Franklin Shepard, Mary Flynn and Charles Kringas respectively. Mark Umbers has appeared in the Chocolate Factory’s production of Sweet Charity, My Fair Lady, The Browning Version and the BBC’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. Jenna Russell won an Olivier Award and a Tony nomination for her role as Dot in the Chocolate Factory’s production of Sunday in the Park with George. Her other notable credits include Guys and Dolls, Soho Cinders, Into the Woods and Season’s Greetings. Damian Humbley starred in Lend Me A Tenor – the Musical, The Woman in White and the Chocolate Factory’s production of The Last Five Years. The production co-stars Josefina Gabrielle (Olivier nominated for Sweet Charity) as Gussie Carnegie, Clare Foster (Crazy for You, Regent’s Park/West End) as Beth and Glyn Kerslake (Road Show, Chocolate Factory) as Joe Josephson. The ensemble features Matthew Barrow, Martin Callaghan, Amanda Minihan, Kirk Patterson, Amy Ellen Richardson, Ashley Robinson, Robbie Scotcher, Zizi Strallen and Joanna Woodward. Making her directorial debut, Maria Friedman’s extensive performing credits include Maria Friedman: Re-arranged, which transferred from the Chocolate Factory to Trafalgar Studios (Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment); Fosca in Sondheim’s Passion (Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical); Mother in Ragtime (Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical); Maria Friedman, by Special Arrangement which transferred from the Donmar Warehouse to the Whitehall Theatre (Olivier Award for Best Entertainment); Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre (Olivier Award nomination); Sunday in the Park with George (Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical) and Lady in the Dark (Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical) both at the National Theatre; West End and Broadway productions of The Woman in White (Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical/Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut). Orchestrations are by long-time Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick whose credits include the Chocolate Factory’s production of Road Show and the original Broadway productions of Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along and Into the Woods. He is one of just 11 people to have won all four major American show business awards: Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. Design is by award-winning Soutra Gilmour, whose work includes the Chocolate Factory’s recent production of Torch Song Trilogy, the recent Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth currently playing at the Trafalgar Studios. David Hersey was Lighting Consultant for the National Theatre for ten years. He has also received Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design for Evita, Cats and Les Misérables and Olivier Awards for Burning Blue, The Glass Menagerie and Twelfth Night (RSC). He was lighting designer for the original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along. Sound designer Gareth Owen was nominated for the Tony and Olivier for End of the Rainbow and the Tony for the Chocolate Factory’s A Little Night Music. He currently has fifteen shows running around the world, including Disney’s Little Mermaid, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. Musical supervision and direction is by Catherine Jayes who was musical supervisor and director for the Chocolate Factory’s production of Road Show. She is an associate director of Cheek by Jowl and has worked as musical supervisor/director for many Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre productions. For this production audiences will be able to take advantage of the Menier Chocolate Factory’s dynamic pricing policy with 100 seats* at £25.00 in the stalls and dress circle on sale for every performance until Saturday 1 June. The production will be presented by Chocolate Factory Productions, Bob Bartner, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Tanya Link, Neal Street Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions. *These seats will NOT be restricted view Up Up

Back to News & Press La Cage Aux Folles announces additional casting Friday, 19 February 2010 Joining five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer as Georges and Olivier Award-winner Douglas Hodge as Albin will be A.J. Shively, a recent University of Michigan graduate, making his Broadway debut as Jean-Michel; Tony nominee Veanne Cox (Company, Caroline, or Change) as Mme. Dindon/Mme. Renaud; Tony-nominee Robin de Jesús (In the Heights) as Jacob; two-time Tony nominee Christine Andreas (My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, On Your Toes) as Jacqueline; Elena Shaddow (Fiddler on the Roof, The Woman in White, Fanny at Encores!) as Anne; Chris Hoch (Beauty and the Beast, Spamalot, Shrek the Musical) as Francis; Heather Lindell (Hairspray) as Colette; Bill Nolte (The Producers, 1776) as Tabarro and David Nathan Perlow (White Noise) as Etienne. Also starring as the notorious and dangerous Cagelles will be Nick Adams (A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, Chicago), Nicholas Cunningham (La Cage aux Folles/West End), Sean Patrick Doyle (Fiddler on the Roof national tour, Wig Out!), Yurel Echezarreta (West Side Story), Terry Lavell (Hairspray/Las Vegas, Smokey Joe’s Café/national tour) and Logan Keslar (West Side Story/West End, On the Town/Paper Mill Playhouse). The production also features Christophe Caballero, Todd Lattimore, Dale Hensley and Cheryl Stern. More casting will be announced soon. Rehearsals begin Monday, March 1. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES begins previews on Tuesday, April 6 and opens on Sunday, April 18 at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). The production is now on sale through Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or at www.telecharge.com/lacage. Also visit www.lacage.com for the production’s newly launched website, including a special video introduction from Kelsey Grammer and the Cagelles. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret. This freshly reconceived production is choreographed by Lynne Page and directed by Terry Johnson. Georges (Kelsey Grammer) is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin (Douglas Hodge), the pair live a charmed life—until Georges’ son announces his engagement to the daughter of a conservative right-wing politician who’s coming to dinner. Douglas Hodge and Nicholas Cunningham are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production. The original production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES was one of Broadway’s biggest hits of the 1980s. It opened August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre, where it played for over four years and 1,761 performances. The show won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical, Best Score (Jerry Herman) and Best Book (Harvey Fierstein). The new production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES played from November 23, 2007 to March 8, 2008 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, earning across the board raves and moving to the West End’s Playhouse Theatre on October 30, 2008, where it was nominated for seven 2009 Olivier Awards, winning for Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for Douglas Hodge and won the 2009 Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical. “A glorious night of showbiz razzle dazzle!” exclaimed Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph. “At last a musical to sweep away those credit-crunch blues. This joyous show deserves every hurrah and standing ovation it receives.” “Suddenly, the West End sparkles,” cheered Sam Marlowe, The Times. “Sew on a sequin, slip into some heels and go.” The production features set design by Tim Shortall, costume design by Matthew Wright, wig and makeup design by Richard Mawbey, lighting design by Nick Richings and sound design by Gareth Owen. Orchestrations and Musical Supervision are by Jason Carr. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Fran and Barry Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Robert G. Bartner, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise the Roof 4/Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor, Jerry Frankel, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman Productions wins 7 Olivier Awards including Best New Play for The Inheritance Saturday, 6 April 2019 The awards won were: All About Eve, Monica Dolan, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, 2019 The Inheritance, Best New Play, 2019 The Inheritance, Stephen Daldry, Best Director, 2019 The Inheritance, Kyle Soller, Best Actor, 2019 The Inheritance, Best Lighting Design, 2019 Summer and Smoke, Best Revival, 2019 Summer and Smoke, Patsy Ferran, Best Actress, 2019 Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman bags Producer of the Year hat-trick at the Stage Awards Friday, 27 January 2017 Friedman accepted her award on the same day she was presented with her OBE, and used her speech to urge the sector to harness the power of the arts. "Right now, theatre, artists, creators and facilitators, this is our moment to try and make a difference. I think we can all agree the world is in crisis and it's our job right now to show the world how we can make a difference, and how we can push through and make change for the better. We are all in this together," she said. She added: "I feel a passionate responsibility to do the best work I can possibly do. I love what I do and everyone I work with with. I couldn't do it, I don't do it, without the artists and the creators. I am simply someone who has got the privilege and honour of working with them." The awards were presented on Friday 27th January 2016 at a ceremony held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, Up Up

Back to News & Press Initial Casting Announced for The Hills Of California On Broadway Tuesday, 25 June 2024 Producers Sonia Friedman Productions , No Guarantees Productions, Neal Street, Brian Spector , and Sand & Snow Entertainment , with Stephanie P. McClelland , are pleased to announce initial casting for the Broadway premiere of Jez Butterworth ’s new play The Hills of California , directed by Sam Mendes . Featuring the play’s acclaimed leading London cast members on the Broadway stage, The Hills of California ’s company will include Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee Laura Donnelly as Joan/Veronica; Leanne Best as Gloria; Ophelia Lovibond as Ruby; Helena Wilson as Jill; Nancy Allsop as Young Gloria; Sophia Ally as Young Ruby; Lara McDonnell as Young Joan; and Nicola Turner as Young Jill, with further casting to be announced. “A fine female cast powers this smart new play.” – The Telegraph “The performance of a lifetime from Laura Donnelly .” – Vogue “Wonderful, funny and moving performances from Leanne Best as the raging, embittered Gloria, Helena Wilson as repressed Jill and Ophelia Lovibond as Ruby.” – Financial Times “Fine acting from Leanne Best , Ophelia Lovibond and Helena Wilson , and a gleaming central performance from Laura Donnelly .” – The Observer “Gorgeous close harmony vocals and impeccable acting from the older and younger incarnations.” – Sunday Express “A witty, closely observed study of family relations and of the cycle of birth and death, impeccably performed by both young and older cast members.” – Evening Standard Watch a new trailer for the play here: https://youtu.be/mybSuawrx7g The Hills of California will begin previews Wednesday, September 11 ahead of a Sunday, September 29, 2024 opening night at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 W. 44th Street) in a limited engagement. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning tomorrow, June 26 at 10am EST on Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. Fans can also register for early access by visiting thehillsofcalifornia.com to sign up. The Hills of California marks Tony and Olivier Award winner Butterworth’s newest play since the multi-award winning The Ferryman , also directed by Oscar, Tony, and Olivier Award winner Mendes. Full Broadway casting for The Hills of California will be announced at a later date. The production recently concluded its limited engagement at the Harold Pinter Theatre on the West End, where it received 2024 Best New Play and Best Leading Actress in a Play (Laura Donnelly) Olivier Award nominations. “What is a song? A song is a dream... a place to be. Somewhere you can live. And in that place, there are no walls. No boundaries. No locks. No keys. You can go anywhere...” Following their triumphant production of The Ferryman , Tony®-winning Playwright Jez Butterworth and Oscar and Tony-winning Director Sam Mendes reunite for The Hills of California . In the sweltering heat of a 1970s summer, the Webb sisters return to their childhood home in Blackpool, an English seaside town, where their mother Veronica lies dying upstairs. Gloria and Ruby now have families of their own. Jill never left. And Joan? No one’s heard from her in twenty years… but Jill insists that their mother’s favorite won’t let them down this time. The run-down Sea View Guest House is haunted by bittersweet memories of amusement park rides and overdue bills. Back in the 1950s, each night the four young sisters rehearse their singing act, managed by their fiercely loving single mom. But when a record producer offers a shot at fame and a chance to escape, it will cost them all dearly. With stunning design and glorious music, The Hills of California is “a rich, funny, brilliantly layered drama.” (Financial Times ). The creative team for The Hills of California includes Rob Howell (scenic and costume design), Natasha Chivers (lighting design), Nick Powell (composer, sound design and arrangements), Ellen Kane (choreography), Candida Caldicot (musical supervision and arrangements), Amy Ball (UK casting director, Verity Naughton (UK young persons’ casting director), Jim Carnahan CSA, JV Mercanti (US casting director) andZoé Ford Burnett (associate director). Up Up

Back to Productions THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE This production began performances on 20th June and closed on 25th September 2010. Mel Edison (Jeff Goldblum) can't sleep. In the heat of a New York City summer, his air-conditioning has broken, his neighbours won't shut up, his job is hanging by a thread and there are a gang of burglars on the prowl. As things go from bad to worse, Mel heads for a meltdown and his loyal wife Edna (Mercedes Ruehl) is left to pick up the pieces. Following his sell-out success in Speed-the-Plow, Hollywood star Jeff Goldblum made a hotly-anticipated return to the London stage in Neil Simon ’s brilliantly observed, award-winning comedy, The Prisoner of Second Avenue . Academy Award Mercedes Ruehl also starred in this bittersweet, comic masterpiece about a man at breaking point. The play ran at the Vaudeville Theatre from 30 June - 25 September and was directed by Terry Johnson . Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning writer Neil Simon is best known this side of the Atlantic for his plays The Odd Couple , Barefoot in Park and Lost in Yonkers. He has also written the books for many musicals including Promises, Promises and Sweet Charity. Terry Johnson is a multi-award-winning playwright and director. His recent shows include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice , Rain Man and La Cage aux Folles , the current Broadway production of which has received 11 Tony Nominations. Jeff Goldblum's numerous film credits include The Fly , Jurassic Park , Independence Day and The Tall Guy . His Broadway credits include The Pillowman for which he won an Outer Critics' Circle Award. Mercedes Ruehl won an Oscar for her performance in The Fisher King and multiple awards including a Tony for her Broadway performance in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers , alongside Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey. The Old Vic Theatre Company/Old Vic Productions plc , Sonia Friedman Productions , Robert G. Bartner/Norman Tulchin present “THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE ”, a comedy by Neil Simon . CAST JEFF GOLDBLUM – Mel Edison MERCEDES RUEHL – Edna Edison PATTI LOVE – Jessie AMANDA BOXER – Pearl LINAL HAFT – Harry Edison FIONA GILLIES – Pauline CREATIVES TERRY JOHNSON – Director ROB HOWELL – Designer NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Designer JON DRISCOLL – Video Designer GARETH FRY – Sound Designer COLIN TOWNS – Composer LIS MAKIN – UK Casting JIM CARNAHAN CSA – US Casting

Back to Productions ROSMERSHOLM This production opened on 24th April and closed on 20th July 2019. ★★★★★ A production that sends you out into the night reeling under the impact of Ibsen’s tantalising masterpiece The Guardian An election looming. A country on the brink. A rabid press baying for blood. At the centre of the storm stands Rosmer’s home, 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. ★★★★★ This portrait of a community torn apart by conflicting ideologies could not be more pertinent or better performed Sunday Express Ian Rickson directs Tom Burke , Hayley Atwell and Giles Terera in the West End premiere of Duncan Macmillan ‘s startling new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen ’s gripping and piercingly relevant work of personal and political passion Rosmersholm . Rosmersholm is the tenth collaboration between Sonia Friedman Productions and director Ian Rickson (including The Birthday Party, Mojo, Old Times, Betrayal, Jerusalem ) and marks a second time working with award-winning writer and director Duncan Macmillan , who previously collaborated with Sonia Friedman Productions on the West End and Broadway run of 1984 , which he co-adapted/co-directed with Robert Icke. His other plays include People Places and Things which enjoyed huge success in London and New York. ★★★★ Grippingly modern. A treat Daily Telegraph CAST HAYLEY ATWELL – Rebecca West LUCY BRIERS – Mrs Helseth TOM BURK – John Rosmer JAKE FAIRBROTHER – Peter Mortensgaard GILES TERERA – Andreas Kroll PETER WIGHT – Ulrik Brendel GAVIN ANTONY – Ensemble EBONY BUCKLE – Ensemble PIERS HAMPTON – Ensemble MAUREEN HIBBERT – Ensemble ROBYN LOVELL – Ensemble ALIVE VILANCULO – Ensemble CREATIVES Adapted by DUNCAN MACMILLAN IAN RICKSON – Director RAE SMITH – Set and Costume Designer NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Designer STEPHEN WARBECK – Composer GREGORY CLARKE – Sound Designer AMY BALL CDG – Casting