Review: MARIA FRIEDMAN & FRIENDS - LEGACY, Menier Chocolate Factory

Among the many reflections on the legacy of the late, great Stephen Sondheim, here comes a touchingly personal one from his frequent collaborator Maria Friedman, who also pays tribute to two other dearly departed composers: Marvin Hamlisch and Michel Legrand. This heartfelt concert keeps their work alive, and passes on the baton to the next generation.

That's surely in the spirit of Sondheim, who, Friedman points out, generously bequeathed the proceeds from his work to budding writers and composers. So, as well as her former castmates Ian McLarnon and Matthew White, her guests include students from the Royal Academy of Music and new talent Desmonda Cathabel and Alfie Friedman, all making their stage debuts.

Yes, that's Friedman - though, oddly, the 19-year-old isn't introduced as Maria's son, even though that would fit nicely with the theme of legacy. And this community-minded occasion feels like a family affair: her super-producer sister Sonia lends support and was there on opening night, as was Hamlisch's widow Terre Blair, while Menier boss David Babani directs.

That coyness aside, Friedman is a frank, funny and revealing guide. She kicks off her glittery high heels after the first number and chats to us like old friends, recounting how she turned down the part of the witch in Sondheim's Into the Woods because it ruins your vocal chords, and braved a heckler demanding Elaine Stritch when she sang "Broadway Baby" for the great man. She gives us a reprisal of that tremulous performance, all wide-eyed aspiration and sincere yearning. It wasn't a stretch, she explains: she was that young girl longing to be in a show.

Friedman's facility with sophisticated lyrics is thrilling to witness; it's no surprise that she connected with these particular composers. She gives us wry comic details in "Sunday in the Park with George" and "A Little Priest", locates the jagged heart of "Losing My Mind", and makes "Nothing" from A Chorus Line - which she'd performed at Hamlisch's memorial - completely her own (Morales's San Juan becomes Hackney).

We get plenty of those contextualising anecdotes, although Blair probably tops her with two fantastic memories of her late husband. In one, Hamlisch nearly drives them off a mountain road when he hears Friedman's voice on the radio - and he then enlists the Obamas' help to sort her American visa. In another, he sings "Hello, Dolly" at the Dalai Lama, and, when subsequently held at gunpoint by insurgents, whispers urgently to Blair: "I don't think they know I wrote A Chorus Line!".

Merrily We Roll Along looms large, including an accomplished rendition of the fast and furious "Franklin Shepard, Inc" from Alfie Friedman and a group performance of "Our Time". That feels exceedingly apt, since Friedman's revelatory revival of Merrily began at the Menier back in 2012 and is finally heading to New York: Daniel Radcliffe will star in the Off-Broadway production later this year (read more here).

Friedman recalled the "amazing little gift" that Sondheim granted her in his last days. During an interview with The New York Times about Company, he made sure to mention that they were hoping to stage Merrily at New York Theatre Workshop. That ensured "it was going to happen," she believes.

And this evening feels like a love letter in return. Friedman proudly reveals that, between them, this team have covered every single Sondheim show - the more obscure ticked off by double bass player Paul Moylan, who cameos hilariously in Buddy's "Blues" from Follies. The small band, comprised of Moylan, James Powell on drums, and the incredible MD Theo Jamieson on piano, is truly exceptional. Jamieson also supplies thrillingly creative arrangements (along with Jason Carr), including a jazzy whirlwind of a LeGrand medley.

Though Friedman is still in glorious voice, she sets herself a hugely demanding programme and tires slightly towards the end. To give her a breather, I would have loved to have seen the youngsters given a few more chances to shine - particularly Cathabel, who mesmerises with "The Miller's Son", and Aoife Dunne, who gives us a perfectly chipper yet traumatised "I Know Things Now".

Dunne had to fly over last minute, since she's working as a teaching assistant and couldn't get the day off. Those reminders of the struggles of aspiring performers - hugely compounded by the pandemic - really hit home. As do Friedman's raw moments: she confesses these three composers felt like father figures because she lost her own dad so young, and that her mum passed away recently too.

The concert has already announced an extension, proving what force Friedman is. Thanks to such shows, and exciting revivals like her Merrily, this immense musical legacy will certainly live on.

Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy is at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 17 April. Book tickets here

Photo credit: Nobby Clark