Maria Friedman News

A star-studded West End cast of over 50 principals, a 40-piece orchestra led by Gareth Valentine and an ensemble of more than 50, including a chorus from ArtsEd Musical Theatre, will celebrate the songs and shows of Stephen Sondheim in HEY, OLD FRIENDS! An 85th Birthday Tribute to Stephen Sondheim, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on Sunday 25 October.

The stars of the current London revival of HIGH SOCIETY (playing at The Old Vic Theater) welcomed the original leading lady of the Broadway company, last night as Melissa Errico stopped by to show her support for the production.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Beaches,' 'Kinky Boots' and 'Gotta Dance' show how a pre-Broadway tryout is done, while 'Fancy Nancy,' 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Pinocchio' go for a younger demographic. Meanwhile, Ravinia, Grant Park and Three Oaks (MI) do summer concerts, and The Music Theatre Company announces its own surprise demise.

Cole Porter's classic feel-good musical High Society comes to The Old Vic in a glittering new production staged in the round.

The Tony-winning production of The King and I, currently starring Kelli O'Hara, looks like it's heading to the UK for a tour.

The Almeida Theatre launches its new season: Almeida Greeks.

Original ensemble members, Michael Winther, Kimberly Grigsby, Shane Shanahan are joined by cellist, Peter Sachon as they reunite with Pulitzer prize-winning lyricist, Mark Campbell and many of the composers for a special one-night-only concert event, celebrating the ten year anniversary of Songs from an Unmade Bed, the critically acclaimed, theatrical song cycle originally produced off-Broadway by New York Theatre Workshop in 2005.

Kevin Spacey's last show at The Old Vic is old-fashioned fun - and beautifully performed.

Original ensemble members, Michael Winther, Kimberly Grigsby, Shane Shanahan are joined by cellist, Peter Sachon as they reunite with Pulitzer prize-winning lyricist, Mark Campbell and many of the composers for a special one-night-only concert event, celebrating the ten year anniversary of Songs from an Unmade Bed, the critically acclaimed, theatrical song cycle originally produced off-Broadway by New York Theatre Workshop in 2005.

Cole Porter's classic feel-good musical HIGH SOCIETY comes to The Old Vic in a glittering new production staged in the round. Kate Fleetwood will star as socialite 'Tracy Lord' in the show, to be directed by Olivier-winning director and musical star Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along). HIGH SOCIETY started previews April 30 with an official opening tonight, May 14, 2015.

Jamie Parker talks about the Old Vic, the Chocolate Factory, Stephen Sondheim, and being charming in a 1950s way...

Joe Stilgoe, is the renaissance man of modern jazz. He is a pianist, a jazz musician and a singer/songwriter. Joe has a new album, 'New Songs For Old Souls' - which is released today, April 27th on Linn Records.

The Almeida Theatre announces its new season: Almeida Greeks.

The third LONDON FESTIVAL OF CABARET (LFoC) runs from April 28-May 11 and in addition to a spectacular list of artists, three prestigious new venues have joined the roster.

Joe Stilgoe, is the renaissance man of modern jazz. He is a pianist, a jazz musician and a singer/songwriter.

Yarico is a powerful, epic musical about forbidden love, betrayal and redemption, based on a true story that fired the world's imagination and contributed to the social movement against the slave trade.

Cole Porter's classic feel-good musical HIGH SOCIETY comes to The Old Vic in a glittering new production staged in the round. According to the Daily Mail, Kate Fleetwood will star as socialite 'Tracy Lord' in the show, to be directed by Olivier-winning director and musical star Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along). HIGH SOCIETY is slated to begin previews April 30 with an official opening on May 14, 2015.

Two short films from DANCING SONDHEIM -- a free App compiling 7 short dance movies by Richard Daniels using the music of Stephen Sondheim -- will be screened tonight, January 31 at 6 p.m. as part of Lincoln Center's annual DANCE ON CAMERA film festival.

?Final casting and the full creative team is announced today for the world premiere of Yarico, a powerful, epic musical about forbidden love, betrayal and redemption, based on a true story that fired the world's imagination and contributed to the social movement against the slave trade.

After seeing the new INTO THE WOODS movie twice over the holidays, I posted on Twitter about how two of the songs had stuck with me. After a tweet conversation, my BWW colleague Jeff Walker and I decided to put our heads together to try and come up with a list of Sondheim's most hummable tunes. Despite not discussing it beforehand, Jeff ended up picking songs from the 1960s and 70s, and I filled in the gaps with numbers from the 80s and 90s.