Maria Friedman
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Maria Friedman ( Freedman; born 19 March 1960) is a British actress and director, best known for her work in musical theatre. She is an eight-time
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
nominee, winning three. Her first win was for her 1994 one-woman show, ''By Special Arrangement''. She has also twice won Best Actress in a Musical for the original London productions of '' Passion'' and ''
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
''. She played Elaine Peacock on ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' from 2014 to 2017. In 2023 the role was recast with Harriet Thorpe taking over the role of Elaine. Friedman was the narrator in the 1999 straight to video version of '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.''


Early life

Maria Friedman was born in Switzerland, one of four children of Clair Llewelyn (née Sims), a concert pianist, and Leonard Friedman ( Freedman), a violinist for the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
. Her younger sister is the theatre director and producer Sonia Friedman; other siblings are violinist Richard Friedman (now deceased) and Dr Sarah Beecham."About Maria"
aboutmaria.com (official site)
Her father was from a Russian-Jewish immigrant family, whereas her mother is English. She began her education in Germany (where her family moved), and by the age of five moved with her family to England after the divorce of her parents.


Career

In 1989, she appeared in the lead female role of Hayyah in the play ''
Ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
'' by
Joshua Sobol Yehoshua Sobol, sometimes written Joshua Sobol (; born 24 August 1939), is an Israeli playwright, writer, and theatre director. Biography Yehoshua Sobol was born in Tel Mond. His mother's family fled the pogroms in Europe in 1922 and his father' ...
at the Olivier Theatre in London. In the following year she appeared in another
Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
production as Dot in ''
Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...
'' by
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
. She won an Olivier Award for her one-woman cabaret ''Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement'' and another Olivier Award (Best Actress in a Musical) in 1997 for starring in Sondheim's '' Passion''. She appeared in ''Passion'' in the West End at the Queen's Theatre in 1996 as Fosca. She starred in ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre as Roxie starting in 1998. In the 1999 film of
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
's ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
'', she played the narrator. She played the role of Mother in the West End production of ''
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
'' at the Piccadilly Theatre starting in March 2003, winning the 2004 Olivier Award, Best Actress in a Musical. In 2004, she originated the role of Marian Halcombe in Lloyd Webber's musical '' The Woman in White'' in the West End and on Broadway in 2005. As previews for ''The Woman in White ''started for the Broadway production, she was diagnosed with stage 1
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
and left the show to have surgery to have the lump removed. Less than a week after the surgery she returned to the stage for the previews and performed on the official opening night. She said she would begin radiation treatment for the cancer in December 2005. The Broadway production closed after only 109 performances on 22 February 2006, in part due to her and co-star Michael Ball's frequent absences due to illness. (Friedman had planned a six-week absence for further treatment, with Judy Kuhn to be her replacement, but remained for the duration of the run once the closing was announced.) As well as other musical shows, Friedman participated in '' Hey, Mr. Producer!'', the concert celebrating the works of Sir
Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "t ...
, in which she sang "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "Broadway Baby," and "How Many Tears?" Similarly, she participated in ''Sondheim Tonight'' live at London's
Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...
, singing "Losing My Mind" (from ''
Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...
'') and "More" (from the film ''
Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...
''). She has also had several one woman shows: ''Maria Friedman – By Special Arrangement'' and ''Maria Friedman – By Extra Special Arrangement'' and has performed these in several top cabaret venues in both the UK (most recently at
Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...
) and New York City, including several engagements at the Café Carlyle. She can be heard on many cast recordings; and has released several solo albums including ''Maria Friedman'', ''Maria Friedman Live'', ''Now and Then'', and ''Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook''. Friedman has won three
Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
and been nominated for seven. In 2010, Friedman appeared as a soloist in the
BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...
tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
, London. She sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in ''
Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...
'' opposite
Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
. In October 2014, Friedman joined the cast of ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' as Elaine Peacock, the mother of established character Linda Carter ( Kellie Bright). She has since appeared in December 2014 and February to March 2015 to date, before returning for a three-month stint in September 2015. Friedman has directed several musicals. Having previously appeared as an actor in a 1992 production of Sondheim's '' Merrily We Roll Along'', in 2012 she directed a revival of the musical, which started at the Menier Chocolate Factory and transferred to the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre in April to July 2013. This production of ''Merrily We Roll Along'' subsequently ran at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, Massachusetts starting in September 2017, directed by Friedman. An off-Broadway production of ''Merrily'' directed by Friedman based on her Menier Chocolate Factory staging premiered at the
New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theater noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it h ...
in 2022 and subsequently transferred to Broadway at the
Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the ...
the following year. For her work, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. In 2015, she directed a revival of ''
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'' at The Old Vic Theatre. The production was played in the round. She directed a revival of '' Stepping Out'' in the West End at the
Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...
in 2017.


Personal life

Friedman has two sons, one with director and writer
Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams (born 12 January 1957) is a British theatre director, composer, and lyricist. Early life and education Sams is the son of the Shakespearean scholar and musicologist Eric Sams. He read music, French, and German at Magdalene Colleg ...
and one with cameraman Oleg Poupko. She was married to dancer Roland Brine; her husband is Adrian Der Gregorian.


Stage productions

* ''
Blues in the Night "Blues in the Night" is a popular blues song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun wi ...
'' (1987) - Girl with a Date * ''
Ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
'' (1989) - Hayyah * ''
Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...
'' (1990) - Dot/Marie * ''Square Rounds'' (1992) - Munitionette; Clara Haber * '' Merrily We Roll Along'' (1992) - Mary Flynn ( Haymarket Theatre, Leicester) * ''By Special Arrangement'' (1994) - Herself * '' April in Paris'' (1994) - Bet * ''By Extra Special Arrangement'' (1995) - Herself * ''The Break of Day'' (1995) (
Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
)Taylor, Paul
"Theatre / The Break of Day Royal Court, London"
''The Independent'', 30 November 1995
- Nina * '' Passion'' (1996) - Fosca * '' Lady in the Dark'' (1997) - Liza Elliot * ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' (1998) -
Roxie Hart Roxanne "Roxie" Hart is a fictional character. She is the main character of the 1926 play ''Chicago'' and its various remakes and derivatives. Development The playwright, reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, was inspired by the trials, both of which ...
* ''
The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
'' (2000) - Sukie * ''
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
'' (2003) - Mother * '' The Woman in White'' (2005) - Marian * '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007) - Mrs. Lovett * ''
The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...
'' (2009) (
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
) -
Anna Leonowens Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist. She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, ...
* '' Merrily We Roll Along'' (2012–13, 2017, 2022–24) (as director) * ''
Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...
'' (2019) - Golde


Filmography

* ''
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'' (1989) - Waitress * '' Heil Honey I'm Home!'' (1990) -
Eva Braun Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich in 1929 (aged 17) when she was an assistant and model ...
* ''
Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' (1991–92) - Patricia Baynes * '' Hey, Mr. Producer!'' (1998) - Performer * '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (1999) - The Narrator *''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' (2014–17) - Elaine Peacock *'' The Sound of Music Live'' (2015) - Mother Abbess (UK version of ''
The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Directed by Rob Ashford and Beth McCarthy-Miller, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and written by Austin Winsberg, t ...
)''


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* *
About Maria
*
Maria Friedman Video Playlist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Maria 1960 births Living people Actors educated at the Arts Educational Schools English women singers English people of Russian-Jewish descent English television actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English sopranos Laurence Olivier Award winners 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses British women theatre directors Theatre World Award winners