Colour & Light: Sondheim by Candlelight
It's been five years since the passing of Stephen Sondheim (22 March 1930–26 November 2026). To mark this anniversary, The Stephen Sondheim Society is delighted to continue their commitment to supporting young talent by partnering with with LIVEWIRE, an up-and-coming production company, for a uniquely special event for Sondheim lovers.
Colour & Light will celebrate the music, lyrics and storytelling of Sondheim with an amazing group of leading, acclaimed Sondheim interpreters, including Olivier- and Tony-award winners and nominees, and a Grammy -award winner.
We're also excited to platform a company of 14 young, emerging Sondheim performers, chosen from a highly competitive field of over 260 video submissions.
The evening will be hosted by, and feature, Tony- and Olivier-award-winner Jak Malone (Operation Mincemeat) fresh from his sold-out Sondheim cabaret residency at the Crazy Coqs, London.
Jak will be joined by seasoned Sondheim performers:
David Bedella, three-time Olivier award winner (&Juliet; In The Heights; Jerry Springer: The Opera). David has a long history with Sondheim, having recently played Judge Turpin and previously the title role in Sweeney Todd. He also played Wilson Misner in Road Show (Menier); and was one of the leads in Putting It Together.
Stewart Clarke is an Olivier nominee for Fiddler on the Roof (Menier and West End). Recently, he was a featured soloist for the televised BBC Proms: Enchanted - Alan Menken’s Music for Disney. He also played Giuseppe Zangara in Jamie Lloyd’s fantastic production of Assassins (Menier).
Clare Foster, twice Olivier nominated (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Travesties), Clare was acclaimed for her beautiful and sensitive performance as Beth in Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Maria Friedman (Menier and West End).
Lucy Schaufer is a Grammy-award-winning mezzo soprano. Her credits include Margaret in Light in the Piazza (Curve, Leicester); Clare de Loone in On the Town (ENO & Châtelet Paris) and guest soloist with The John Wilson Orchestra for Bernstein at the BBC Proms. Lucy played Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd at the DMMO Festival, and directed Side by Side by Sondheim at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews.
Also appearing are:
Alfie Friedman: Dorian Gray in Dorian: The Musical (Southwark Playhouse) and Connor Sparrowhawk in Laughing Boy (Jermyn Street Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath). Alfie also performed in Maria Friedman & Friends – Legacy (Menier Chocolate Factory and West End).
Georgie Lagden: Recent theatre credits include Understudy Mary Todd Lincoln and Mary’s Chaperone in Oh Mary! (Trafalgar Theatre). In training, Georgie played Sarah Jane Moore in Assassins (Susie Sainsbury Theatre). Georgie was a Finalist in The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year 2025, #SSSSPOTY2025 (Sondheim Theatre).
Chad St Louis: theatre credits include The Witch in Into the Woods (RAM, Susie Sainsbury Theatre), Cry-Baby (Arcola), After the Act (Royal Court), 50 First Dates (The Other Palace), Something Rotten (Manchester Opera House) and Mona Loser (Southwark Playhouse). Recently, he supported acclaimed US performer Aaron Tveit at the Royal Albert Hall.
Our company:
Top row (l-r): Isabel Askew, Samuel Louis Bennett, Paula Sarmiento Caceres, Tom Carroll, Adrianna Cordero Marino and Ruby Decent
Bottom row (l-r): Issey Dodd, Cait du Feu, Adam Haddour, Hudson Harden Scheel, Will Hopkins, Freya Mactavish, April Perrot and Olly Rymer.
In line with an ongoing commitment to support younger talent, The Stephen Sondheim Society is pleased to work with LIVEWIRE and their creative team of Emily Phillips as director and John Haslam, as musical director.
Colour & Light will present a carefully curated set list highlighting the genius of Sondheim’s music, lyrics and storytelling. Simple but beautiful arrangements will ensure that this glorious collection of voices and storytelling talent will shine, alongside a subtle accompaniment of piano, string and woodwind.
Selected arrangements will be provided from Society friend Jason Carr, the acclaimed Tony award nominee and Sondheim orchestrator.
All of this will take place in the wonderful, welcoming and reflective space that is St James’s, Piccadilly and by the light of candles and dimmed lights…
Craig Glenday, Chair of The Stephen Sondheim Society, 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 Prods 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 said:
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.
Colour & Light: A candlelit concert celebrating the music of Stephen Sondheim
St James’s Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL
Tickets: from £27.50, plus booking fee, to Premium £65, plus booking fee
Sondheim Society members should look out for emails with member discounts.
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