MARIA FRIEDMAN & FRIENDS - LEGACY Will Tribute Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Legrand and Stephen Sondheim at Menier Chocolate Factory in March

The Menier Chocolate Factory, in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, today announces the world première of a brand-new show Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy, celebrating the brilliance of Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Legrand and Stephen Sondheim. Friedman performed with each multiple times, becoming a much-lauded interpreter of their works. Now with friends old and new, she explores their legacies, delighting fans and bringing new audiences to the work of these titans of 20th century musical theatre.

The production opens on 8 March, with previews from 3 March, and runs until 20 March, for a strictly limited season of 19 performances only. Booking opens today for supporters of the Menier, with public booking opening on 2 February at 9am.

Maria Friedman said today, "This event was brought about by a desire to sing, to share and to join together in celebration of some of the greatest composers of our time. These past two years have starved us of the connection and depth of emotion that brilliant music and song can evoke - and we want to bring that back in the beautifully intimate space at the Menier, and enable audiences to revel in the legacy of my much missed friends, these extraordinary artists - Hamlisch, Legrand and Sondheim. I can't wait to share it with you."

Three-time Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman was a friend of and collaborator with these extraordinary composers. This unique event will see her showcase many of their greatest works - including Broadway Baby, Send in the Clowns, A Piece Of Sky, At The Ballet and Nothing - with entertaining and personal memories that make a Friedman cabaret a night to remember.

Collaborating with musical director and pianist, Theo Jamieson, and with fellow performers Matthew White, Ian McLarnon, Alfie Friedman and Desmonda Cathabel, and a choir from the Royal Academy of Music, this show promises to be a celebration worthy of some of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Jamieson will be accompanied by Paul Moylan on Double Bass, and Joe Evans on Percussion.

Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy sees Friedman and the Menier renew their collaboration following the critically acclaimed Maria Friedman Re-arranged - which transferred to the West End, her appearance as Golde in the Menier's production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse, and of course, Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, which saw her make her directorial debut, and also transferred to the West End, winning the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Revival of a Musical and the Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

Maria Friedman is a three-time Olivier Award winner for Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement at The Donmar Warehouse (1995), Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Fosca in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim's Passion (1996), and for Ragtime (2003), and nine-time Olivier Award nominee. Her other theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Merrily We Roll Along, Blues in the Night, Chicago, The Witches of Eastwick, Anna in The King and I at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Lady in the Dark. In 2004 she originated the role of Marian Halcombe in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, both in the West End and on Broadway. She is regularly associated with the work of Stephen Sondheim, having performed principle roles in Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, as Mrs Lovett in concert performances of Sweeney Todd (Royal Festival Hall), as Sally in Follies (Palladium) as well as other concert performances as Desiree Armfeldt, Countess Charlotte Malcolm and Petra in A Little Night Music. She also appeared in New York, Washington and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in celebration of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday. She has performed her critically acclaimed one-woman shows - Maria Friedman - By Special Arrangement and Maria Friedman - By Extra Special Arrangement in venues around the UK and in New York including several seasons at the Café Carlyle, and has most recently performed her new solo show From the Heart to sell-out audiences at Crazy Coqs. She has featured on many cast recordings and released several solo albums including Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman Live, Now and Then, and Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook. On screen, her roles include Elaine Peacock in EastEnders, Trish Baynes in Casualty, Red Dwarf, the Narrator in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (DVD), and the Mother Abbess on ITV's Sound of Music Live. In 2013, she made her directorial debut at the Menier Chocolate Factory with Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. Her other directing credits include High Society (The Old Vic), Stepping Out (Vaudeville Theatre) and the world première of the new musical Dusty (Theatre Royal Bath). During lockdown, Friedman and Adrian Der Gregorian launched Doorstep Productions to take live musical theatre to front doors across the UK and the company continues to entertain guests at parties and events all over the country.

Ticket Information

Box Office: 020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

Tickets: Prices vary, as below from discounted preview tickets to premier seats. With the emphasis on 'the sooner you book, the better the price'.

To post a comment, you must register and login.