91热爆

Multi-award winning actor, singer and director Maria Friedman has had an association with the musicals of Stephen Sondheim for 30 years ever since she starred in the UK鈥檚 National Theatre鈥檚 production of Sunday in the Park With George, in 1990.

In 2019 she was joined by a panel of guests in the 91热爆 Radio Theatre to explore Sondheim programmes in the 91热爆鈥檚 archive, discuss the incredible impact of his work and perform some of the songs from his hit shows. The guests were actor Mark Umbers who starred in Maria鈥檚 revival of Merrily We Roll Along, pianist and composer Jason Carr who has done orchestrations for Sondheim musicals, critic David Benedict who is writing Sondheim's authorised biography and Catherine Jayes who worked as Musical Director on Sondheim shows.

The programme was first broadcast on 91热爆 Radio 4 Extra and following the death of Stephen Sondheim, this revised repeat is being broadcast on World Service.

Written and presented by Maria Friedman
Producer: Emma Kingsley

(Photo: Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim receives the Freedom of the City of London award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to musical theatre. Credit:Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)