British star quits Broadway for cancer treatment

Maria Friedman, the British star of the US production of The Woman in White, will be out of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical for six weeks to complete treatment for breast cancer, producers said.

The actress will be replaced between February 14 and March 26 by Judy Kuhn, a veteran musical theatre performer who has appeared on Broadway in such shows as Les Miserables, Chess, Rags and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Kuhn is also the singing voice of the title character in the Disney animated film Pocahontas.

“While Maria was eager to remain in the show and perform as much as her health allowed, we prevailed upon her to take this time to complete her treatment and return at the end of March,” producer Bob Boyett said in a statement.

In the musical, based on Wilkie Collins’ Victorian mystery novel, Friedman plays Marian Halcombe, its spirited heroine.

The 45-year-old star has missed several performances because of treatments since the musical opened on November 17 at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway. Her cancer was diagnosed in October.

Meanwhile, the London production of The Woman in White announced it is closing on February 25 after a 19-month run at the Palace Theatre.

It will be replaced by Monty Python’s Spamalot, which will begin performances on October 2.