BWW Interviews: Maria Friedman, Musical Theatre Star and Vocalist For STRICTLY GERSHWIN

Hi, Maria, thank you so much for joining us today. Now, tell us a little bit about Strictly Gershwin - it sounds like an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.

That's exactly it. I can't add anything to that! There are 100 corps de ballet, a 60-piece orchestra, Derek Dean had the whole thing commissioned, Gareth Valentine's put all the music together with all the great Gershwin songs. Then I come on and do five gorgeous, delicious songs in the middle.

Did you get to choose what you sang?

They chose it. It's all completely integrated into the evening. They did it before, and apparently it was incredible. I've had this in my diary for about a year, and it's one of those ones, well, how can you resist it? The Albert Hall and all that.

Of course you were there not too long ago in The King And I.

That's right, I was. I love it there. It's my favourite hall in the world by far.

You're more often associated with Sondheim, and last year was of course the big year of Sondheim celebrations. Do you have future plans for more Sondheim shows?

I do! I'm directing Merrily We Roll Along next year. There are mooted plans for some concerts too, with Bryn Terfel prior to the 2012 Olympics.

You've been doing a lot of concerts recently - will you be back performing in a show any time soon?

No, not any time soon. I definitely will one day. I'm loving the other side, the freedom of being able to put together stuff that I want to do. It's not eight shows a week for a year of your life, and with two children, it's much more creative to plan something and make something, and then move on to something else. It's always been part of my life, and it will be in the future - just not immediately. If there was a show that was three months, then absolutely, I'd do it like a shot, but mostly you're contracted for a year, and that's just a bit too much of a time commitment at this particular point in my life. But it will definitely happen again if I'm asked!

In terms of Merrily, was that something you always wanted to do? Is it a particular favourite?

Well, it is a particular favourite of mine, but no, I did it with some students at Central School, and I had no idea that there were some producers in watching the run. They immediately offered me a Chocolate Factory production, and I like a challenge, so I thought, go for it. I've been doing quite a lot of directing over the years quietly, just little things, and I really enjoy it. It's always good to try new ventures, and I love Sondheim so much that I feel I have a deep understanding of it, so it's nice to be able to explore that. I really adore working with young, talented people as well.

The Chocolate Factory has a bit of a reputation for some fantastic small-scale musical productions, including Sondheim, so you have something to live up to.

Yes! (laughs) I'm just going to take the production we did, and do it again.

We look forward to seeing it. When does Strictly Gershwin open?

It starts on June 9th, and then we have 13 performances in ten days. It'll be gorgeous!

Strictly Gershwin starts at the Royal Albert Hall on June 9th.

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