Ep. 8: Alison Langer

*All podcasts formerly on SoundCloud have now been redirected to Anchor.* Last month, I was very lucky to see the first preview of the National Theatre's revival of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical Follies. As well as starring rising young talents and the cream of British musical theatre, the wonderful soprano Alison Langer plays the role of Young Heidi Schiller (an opera singer), with Heidi Schiller currently being played by Dame Felicity Lott, one of the finest sopranos of our time.* I met Alison between a two-show day to talk about her experiences of playing Young Heidi Schiller, as well as musical theatre, opera, and of course, singing Sondheim's amazing music in the stunning setting of the Olivier Theatre. Originally published on 13th March 2019. Interview recorded on 9th March 2019. *The equally fine Dame Josephine Barstow will take over the role of Heidi Schiller later in the run. British Soprano Alison Langer is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her most recent and future engagements include Oscar Un ballo in maschera (Opera Holland Park)‚ Violetta La Traviata for Opera Holland Park’s Christine Collins Performance‚ a Whistlestop tour for Opera North‚ Musetta La Boheme with Iford Arts‚ Bridesmaid Le Nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne and Young Heidi Follies at the National Theatre. Alison is grateful to be the recipient of a Richard Angas Memorial Award. Alison made her professional debut as Lisette La Rondine (Opera in the Open‚ Dublin)‚ since when she has appeared as Edith The Pirates of Penzance (Opera Holland Park)‚ Norina I Pazzi per Progetto‚ title role Erodiade‚ The Countess The Cunning Peasant and the New Queen in the world premiere of Snow in an inaugural production by The Opera Story. On the concert platform‚ she has sung most recently in Mozart’s Requiem at St Martin in the Fields‚ with other concert venues including Buxton Opera House‚ Barbican Centre‚ Birmingham Symphony Hall‚ Queen Elizabeth Hall‚ Royal Albert Hall‚ The House of Lords and The Ritz. Book your tickets to see Follies at the National Theatre: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/follies. SoundCloud – @talkingclassicalpodcast Twitter – @tc_podcasts Facebook – @talkingclassicalpodcast Blog – talkingclassicalpodcast.wordpress.com