The Stephen Sondheim Society is partnering with production company LIVEWIRE to present a special event marking five years since the passing of the musical theatre legend.
A group of leading Sondheim interpreters will appear alongside a company of 14 young, emerging Sondheim performers chosen from over 260 video submissions for the candlelit concert Colour & Light at St James’s Church Piccadilly on 21 November 2026.
Fresh from a sold-out Sondheim cabaret residency at London’s Crazy Coqs, Olivier and Tony Award winner Jak Malone (Operation Mincemeat) will host the evening.
Malone will be joined by seasoned Sondheim performers: triple Olivier Award winner David Bedella (Sweeney Todd, Road Show, Putting It Together); Olivier nominee Stewart Clarke (Fiddler on the Roof, Assassins; double Olivier nominee Clare Foster (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Merrily We Roll Along); and Grammy Award-winning mezzo soprano Lucy Schaufer (Light in the Piazza, Sweeney Todd, Side by Side by Sondheim).
The cast will also include Alfie Friedman (Dorian: The Musical, Maria Friedman & Friends – Legacy), The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year finalist Georgie Lagden (Oh, Mary!) and Chad St Louis (50 First Dates, Something Rotten).
Isabel Askew, Samuel Louis Bennett, Paula Sarmiento Caceres, Tom Carroll, Adrianna Cordero Marino, Ruby Decent, Issey Dodd, Cait du Feu, Adam Haddour, Hudson Harden Scheel, Will Hopkins, Freya Mactavish, April Perrott and Olly Rymer will complete the company.
Directed by Emily Phillips, with musical direction by John Haslam, the concert will feature selected arrangements by Society friend, Tony Award nominee and Sondheim orchestrator Jason Carr.
Colour & Light will present a carefully curated set list highlighting the genius of Sondheim’s music, lyrics and storytelling with the vocal talent showcased by a subtle accompaniment of piano, string and woodwind.
Announcing the event, the chair of the Stephen Sondheim Society, Craig Glenday, said: “Having staged our own competition, The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (affectionately known as #SSSSPOTY) – now in its 18th year – we’re rightly proud to have launched the careers of an astonishing family of finalists who populate the West End, regional theatre, TV and film, in the UK and beyond. Our alumni of finalists include Cynthia Erivo, Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Molly Lynch, Dónal Finn and Jamie Bogyo; and winners include Alex Young, Taron Egerton, Erin Doherty, Stuart Thompson, Desmonda Cathabel, Izuka Hoyle and Courtney Bowman.
“We’re excited to extend our aims of encouraging young talent by partnering with LIVEWIRE Productions on this project. It’s a thrill to be working with the creative team of Emily Phillips and John Haslam, plus a fabulous company of 14 emerging young performers too. We’d like to sincerely thank our Sondheim friends Jak Malone, David Bedella, Stewart Clarke, Clare Foster and Lucy Schaufer for giving their time and talent to support this wonderful celebration of the great man, Stephen Sondheim, together with Alfie Friedman, Georgie Lagden and Chad St Louis. We’re honoured to have this opportunity to collaborate with such an amazing team of people on Colour and Light.”
Issey Dodd of LIVEWIRE productions added: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Stephen Sondheim Society for our most ambitious project to date. At the heart of LIVEWIRE’s work is a commitment to bringing artists together and creating spaces for emerging talent to thrive. This mission feels particularly fitting when celebrating Stephen Sondheim. His work continues to inspire generations of performers and whose legacy remains rooted in artistic curiosity, collaboration and the encouragement of new voices.”
Angela Thomas
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