BBC RADIO 4'S FRONT ROW TALKS TO MARIA FRIEDMAN

Maria Friedman talked to Front Row presenter Tom Sutcliffe about what's it like to play a teenager in Kimberly Akimbo and how the show offers a unique opportunity for an older actress.

“As I reached my late 40s, there was just tumbleweed,” said Maria. “There were just no great roles. I've played most of the Sondheim roles, he knew how to write for women of all ages, and then there's sort of nothing apart from the kind of glamorous, or the mother or the aunt.

“I saw [Kimberly Akimbo] on Broadway, and I was at the time directing Merrily, and so I wasn't even in the mindset. I just literally looked at it and I thought, good for Jeanine [Tesori] and David [Lindsay-Abaire] for writing a fantastic part, but never thought it would come my way. And then my agent called me up literally quite recently and said, ‘do you fancy playing Kimberly?’ and I said, ‘yep’! She didn't even finish the sentence, and she said, ‘I was so surprised you said yes’. I said, ‘That role is going to be as demanding as anything I will have ever taken on’, and I was just thrilled at the prospect.”