Broadway's rising star Jasmine Forsberg recently graced the iHeartRadio Broadway studio for an insightful interview, sharing her experiences in the upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. This tribute revue celebrates the legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, featuring a stellar cast including Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, and Beth Leavel.
Forsberg, known for her powerful portrayal of Jane Seymour in Six: The Musical, reflected on her journey from the high-energy pop world of Six to the intricate melodies of Sondheim's repertoire. She expressed excitement about the opportunity to delve into Sondheim's complex characters and collaborate with Broadway icons.
Check out the full interview in the video player above and Spilling The Tea in the video player below.
The cast of Old Friends, starring two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Jacob Dickey, Jasmine Forsberg, Kate Jennings Grant, Kevin Earley, Bonnie Langford, Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, two-time Tony Award nominee Gavin Lee, multiple Olivier Award nominee Jason Pennycooke, two-time Olivier Award winner Joanna Riding, Jeremy Secomb, Kyle Selig, Maria Wirries,Daniel Yearwood, Paige Faure, Alexa Lopez, Greg Mills, and Peter Neureuther. The creative team: producer/devisor Sir Cameron Mackintosh, MTC Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, director Matthew Bourne, choreographer Stephen Mear.
Old Friends is a great big Broadway show born out of Cameron Mackintosh and Stephen Sondheim’s lifetime of friendship and collaboration. The two of them came up with the idea during the pandemic, drawing on the many shows that they had done together in collaboration with their good friend Julia McKenzie. Once theatres reopened in London and New York in the fall of 2021, Mackintosh was able to visit Sondheim again and this new show remained something they continued to discuss; but, sadly, shortly after, Sondheim passed away in November 2021. It fell to Mackintosh to pick up where he and Sondheim left off, collating their notes, and structuring the show that would initially become a spectacular star-studded gala at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End in May 2022 to celebrate Sondheim’s life and work, and also raise funds for the newly formed Stephen Sondheim Foundation. The gala won Best Theatre Event at the 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards and was subsequently broadcast on TV by the BBC.
Mackintosh, who both produced and devised the evening, directed by his long-time collaborator Matthew Bourne, was encouraged by how brilliantly the material held together. They decided to rework the show for a run at the Gielgud Theatre from September 2023 with an all-star ensemble cast headed by legendary Broadway stars Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, alongside a dazzling array of West End co-stars drawn from many of Mackintosh’s old friends who had been featured in his productions. The Old Friends company performed some of the greatest songs ever written for musical theatre by one of theatre’s greatest geniuses. Old Friends at the Gielgud became an instant legend and an unforgettable evening that earned a bevy of five-star raves and was hailed by The Times as “unmissable musical theatre.”
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends begins performances March 25, 2025 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, prior to opening night on April 8, 2025. The production will play February 8-March 9, 2025 at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The production features musical supervision by Alfonso Casado Trigo and Stephen Brooker, musical arrangements by Stephen Metcalfe, and conducted by Annbritt duChateau, set design by Matt Kinley, projection design by George Reeve, costume design by Jill Parker, lighting design by Warren Letton and sound design by Mick Potter. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting. The production Stage Manager is David Lober.