Learn about Maria Friedman's career ahead of 'Kimberly Akimbo'

The celebrated musical theatre actress and director returns to the stage in Kimberly Akimbo at Hampstead Theatre this autumn.

Summary

• Maria Friedman is a leading interpreter of the works of Stephen Sondheim
• She is an Olivier Award winner for Passion and Ragtime and for her cabaret show
• Friedman earned Olivier and Tony nominations for her direction of Merrily We Roll Along
• She plays the title role in Kimberly Akimbo at Hampstead Theatre this autumn

Born in 1960 and raised in Switzerland, Germany, and London, Maria Friedman made her professional debut in 1980, and she has now been one of Britain’s most celebrated musical theatre talents for over three decades. As the daughter of a violinist father and pianist mother, music and performance are in her blood, and her talented siblings include the producer Sonia Friedman. She has two sons (the actors Toby Sams-Friedman and Alfie Friedman) and she is married to Adrian Der Gregorian (who plays Mr Brown in Paddington The Musical).

Friedman is one of the foremost interpreters of the works of Stephen Sondheim, and she starred in the European premieres of Sunday in the Park with George and Passion. Her other major credits include Lady in the Dark, The Witches of Eastwick, Ragtime, and The Woman in White, and she is an acclaimed concert artist.

Friedman has also carved out a second career as a director, most notably with her production of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, which played in the West End and on Broadway. To date, she has won three Olivier Awards (two for Best Actress in a Musical and one for Best Entertainment), and she has earned Olivier and Tony nominations for directing.

On television, Friedman is known for her roles as Trish Baynes in Casualty (1991-2) and Elaine Peacock in EastEnders (2014-17). She played the Narrator in the 1999 filmed version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (a formative viewing experience for many musical theatre fans), and she was Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music Live in 2015.

This autumn, Friedman returns to performing for the first time since 2019, taking the title role in Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire's truly unique musical Kimberly Akimbo at Hampstead Theatre. Read on to learn more about her most significant achievements to date.

Book Kimberly Akimbo tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Ghetto

Friedman began her career in a touring production of Oklahoma! and, after several years of chorus work, understudying, and regional productions, she had a breakthrough role as Hayyah in Ghetto at the National Theatre in 1989, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Israeli writer Joshua Sobel’s play was set in the Vilna Ghetto Theatre in Nazi-occupied Lithuania, and featured songs known to have been performed in these surroundings. The production had a special significance, as Friedman’s Jewish grandmother had been born in Vilnius.

Sunday in the Park with George

Friedman continued at the National Theatre in the London premiere of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George, directed by Steven Pimlott and co-starring Philip Quast as George. The production won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical; Quast was honoured for his performance, and Friedman received her first Olivier nomination for her dual role as Dot/Marie.

By Special Arrangement

In 1995, Friedman appeared at the Donmar Warehouse, which was reconfigured as a nightclub, in her solo show By Special Arrangement. She received her first Olivier Award for this show, in the Best Entertainment category. Her brother Richard Friedman was the bandleader and violinist.

Passion

In 1996, Friedman led another London Sondheim premiere, this time as the isolated, sickly Fosca in the gothic-infused Passion. Set in 19th-century Italy, Passion is one of Sondheim’s lesser-known but most beautiful works. Michael Ball played the dashing soldier Giorgio, the object of Fosca’s obsession, and the production was directed Jeremy Sams, Friedman’s then-partner. Friedman won her first Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her transformative performance.

Lady in the Dark

The following year, Friedman led the belated (by over a half a century) London premiere of Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin’s 1941 psychoanalysis-themed musical at the National Theatre, directed by Francesca Zambello. Friedman played Liza Elliott (a role originated by Gertrude Lawrence), the high-powered editor of a fashion magazine struggling with indecision and her work-life balance. The score included the standards “My Ship” and “The Saga of Jenny”. Friedman received an Olivier nomination for this tricksy role.

Chicago

Friedman had the chance to showcase her dance skills when she joined the London revival of Chicago as a replacement for its original Roxie Hart, Ruthie Henshall. While not a typically tall, angular Fosse dancer, Friedman emphasised the role’s comic potential and vulnerability, and she received another Olivier nomination (this was a time when replacements were eligible).

The Witches of Eastwick

Dana Rowe and John Dempsey’s musical comedy, inspired by the novel by John Updike and its subsequent film, received its world premiere at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2000. Ian McShane starred as Darryl van Horne (the devil himself), with Lucie Arnaz, Joanna Riding, and Friedman as the three friends who conjure him up to spice up their love lives and wreak havoc in their conservative town. Friedman played anxious journalist Sukie Rougemont, who performs the tongue-twisting patter song “Words, Words, Words”. The show became a real cult favourite.

Ragtime

In 2003, Friedman starred in the West End premiere of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahren’s American melting pot musical in the role of Mother, which earned her a second Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The production also marked the first time that Friedman and her producer sister Sonia worked together.

The Woman in White

Two years later, Friedman took the role of the clever and resourceful Marian Halcombe in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of the Victorian sensation novel by Wilkie Collins. Michael Crawford co-starred as the villainous Count Fosco, and was succeeded by Michael Ball. William Dudley’s set design featured video elements, which was a novelty at the time. Friedman received her latest Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for this performance.

When the production transferred to Broadway, Friedman was diagnosed with breast cancer during previews. She returned for opening night in November 2006, and shared the role with her understudy Lisa Brescia. Broadway star Judy Kuhn was scheduled to fill in in early 2007, but the production, which had received mixed reviews, closed prematurely.

Maria Friedman: Rearranged

Friedman returned to the stage in summer 2007 as Mrs Lovett in a concert production of Sweeney Todd at the Royal Festival Hall opposite Bryn Terfel. She then returned to cabaret in 2009 with Maria Friedman: Rearranged, featuring new arrangements of songs by her favourite writers including Stephen Sondheim, Jacques Brel, and Randy Newman, which earned an Olivier nomination for Best Entertainment.

The King and I

Also in 2009, Friedman stepped into the hooped skirts of Anna Leonowens in a truly regal staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I at the majestic Royal Albert Hall. The show was directed by Friedman’s former partner Jeremy Sams, and Lost star Daniel Dae Kim was the King of Siam.

Merrily We Roll Along (part 1)

In 1992, Friedman played Mary Flynn in Sondheim’s Broadway flop Merrily We Roll Along at Leicester Haymarket. Friedman then made her directorial debut with the same show at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012, starring Mark Umbers, Damian Humbley, and Jenna Russell. The show transferred to the West End, where LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer hailed it as “an authoritative piece of work which perfectly balances all the elements”. The production won the Olivier Award for Best Musical revival, and Friedman was nominated for Best Director.

High Society

In 2012, Friedman directed Cole Porter’s High Society at the Old Vic, which was reconfigured in the round for the elegant, swellegant party. The production starred Kate Fleetwood, Jamie Parker, and Rupert Young. LondonTheatre.co.uk's reviewer called the production “a considerable triumph”.

If you're a fan of High Society, you'll be sure to enjoy the new production directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, which plays at the Barbican until 11 July 2026.

Stepping Out

Friedman’s production of Richard Harris’s comedy drama about a provincial tap dancing class toured the UK and appeared in the West End in 2017. The cast was led by Amanda Holden, Tracy-Ann Oberman, and Anna-Jane Casey. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer remarked that “Maria Friedman – following in the footsteps of another Sondheim musical actress Julia McKenzie turned director – stages it with feeling and grace”.

Fiddler on the Roof

Friedman’s most recent outing as a performer was as matriarch Golde to Andy Nyman’s Tevye in Trevor Nunn’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, in which she succeeded Judy Kuhn, at the Playhouse Theatre. The residents of Anatevka also included Anita Dobson, Molly Osborne, and Stewart Clarke.

Merrily We Roll Along (part 2)

Friedman returned to Merrily We Roll Along at the Off-Broadway New York Theatre Workshop in 2022, with a cast led by Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez. The sold-out production naturally transferred to Broadway. New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer admired the way in which “Maria Friedman’s staging is bookended by a concept that turns the musical into a memory piece”. The show had a really good thing going on, winning four Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical, and Friedman’s direction received a nod.

Kimberly Akimbo

This autumn, Friedman returns to the stage as a performer playing the title role in the European premiere of Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire's acclaimed musical Kimberly Akimbo. The titular Ms Akimbo, a role originated on Broadway by a Tony-winning Victoria Clark, is a 16-year-old from New Jersey with a dysfunctional family and a rare genetic condition that makes her age around four times faster than usual. It’s a fantastic role that’s sure to suit Friedman’s quirkiness perfectly.

Friedman also directs Alan Cumming in a chamber production of My Fair Lady at Pitlochry Festival Theatre shortly after Kimberly Akimbo ends. There isn’t much that this remarkable woman named Maria can’t turn her hand to!

Book Kimberly Akimbo tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Maria Friedman. (Photo by Genevieve Girling)