“Cursed Child” Producer Sonia Friedman Is “Always Falling in Love”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child producer Sonia Friedman, who has developed and produced over 160 productions in London and New York over the past three decades, was recently interviewed for Broadway.com’s Industry Insider series. She spoke about her career, her current and future projects, and more.
Friedman teased this spring that she may soon be announcing a new project including LGBTQ representation or themes. She did not speak to this in her Industry Insider interview, but she did share that her upcoming season is very busy.
By September, I’ll have six productions in the West End, and I’ll have three on Broadway, if you include Ink. Then I’ve got two or three new productions coming up in January. There’s a constant flow of work. The great thing is, often they don’t go; they stay around for a while. That means my production company is just building and getting larger because the shows don’t disappear fast. They have a long life ahead of them.
Friedman produces consistently high-caliber work. Her company has won 48 Olivier Awards and 24 Tony Awards, including 6 Tonys for Cursed Child. Among all the success and the many projects she’s produced, Friedman says it’s impossible to pick a favorite.
What I’m doing today is the thing that matters most, but that’ll change next week. That is why I produce the amount I do—because I am always falling in love, and I have enough room in me to have many, many things I love at the same time.
Although Friedman is obviously deeply involved and successful in the theater scene, she says performing was never in the cards for her.
I’d love to have performed, but I wasn’t quite good enough. I think that’s one of the driving factors for what I do: I have such admiration for actors and musicians, particularly. I wasn’t quite courageous enough, actually, to do it. You know, my sister, Maria, who had a gift from the gods vocally, and my brother who’s the most extraordinary violinist. I wasn’t going to be quite as good as them and never could have been. Thankfully, I chose not to follow in that path because I think I would have had a disappointing career. But I admire what they do so much. I’m a fan, you know? I will always be a fan of artists, actors and theater.
Want to learn more about Friedman’s past career, thoughts on theater, and more? Read the full interview here.
