Rosalie Craig, Julian Ovenden, and More Join Sondheim at OLD FRIENDS Gala

They join a star-studded lineup set to include performances from Bernadette Peters, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, and more.

By: Mar. 17, 2022
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Rosalie Craig, Julian Ovenden, and More Join Sondheim at OLD FRIENDS Gala

This May 3, stars of the West End will gather to salute the legacy of the legendary Stephen Sondheim at a gala performance titled, Old Friends.

Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail is reporting that some exciting new names have joined the cast including Rosalie Craig, Julian Ovenden, Anna Jane Casey, Janie Dee, Rob Brydon, Rob Houchen, and Gary Wilmot.

They join a star-studded lineup set to include performances from Bernadette Peters, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Hannah Waddingham, Elaine Paige, Judi Dench, Michael Ball, Petula Clark, Daniel Evans, Bonnie Langford, Adrian Lester, Damian Lewis, Julia McKenzie, Clive Rowe and more.

The one-night-only performance will be held at the London Stephen Sondheim Theatre and will benefit the Sondheim Foundation.

The show will feature choreography by Stephen Mear, staging by Matt Bourne and Maria Friedman, and will feature a 26 piece orchestra conducted by Alfonso Casadot. The gala will be produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Delfont Mackintosh West End.

Tickets will go on sale March 15. This Friday starting at 10 AM, fans can sign up at http://sondheimoldfriends.com for more updates.

Stephen Sondheim has received an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer, including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2010 the Broadway theater formerly known as Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed in his honor. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015. The legendary composer is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history.

Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night (1954), A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), Follies (1972), A Little Night Music (1973), The Frogs (1974), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into The Woods (1987), Assassins (1991), Passion (1994) and Road Show (2008), as well as lyrics for West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), Do I Hear A Waltz? (1965) and additional lyrics for Candide (1973). Side By Side By Sondheim (1976), Marry Me A Little (1981), You're Gonna Love Tomorrow (1983), Putting It Together(1993/99), Moving On (2001), and Sondheim On Sondheim (2010) are anthologies of his work as composer and lyricist.

For film, he composed the score of Stavisky (1974), co-composed the score for Reds (1981), and wrote songs for Dick Tracy (1990). He wrote songs for the television production "Evening Primrose" (1966), co-authored the film The Last of Sheila (1973), and the play Getting Away With Murder (1996), and provided incidental music for the plays The Girls Of Summer (1956), Invitation To A March (1961), Twigs (1971), and The Enclave (1973). His collected lyrics with attendant essays have been published in two volumes: Finishing the Hat (2010) and Look, I Made A Hat (2011).

In 2010, the Broadway theater formerly known as Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed The Stephen Sondheim Theatre in his honor.



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