Company
Company
Directed by: Ed MacMurdo
Produced by: Mac Warren
May 7-9 & 14-16
Production Photography by Donna Lounsberry
About the Show:
Company was originally an evening of eleven one-act plays George Furth had written for actress Kim Stanley; some of the plays centered around the marriages of Furth’s Southern California friends. In early 1969, Furth showed the plays to Stephen Sondheim who, in turn, sent them to Harold Prince. Prince suggested turning the plays into a musical about contemporary marriage, structuring the show as a type of revue – using a small cast in a series of episodes.
Sondheim and Furth decided the show would focus on the relationship of Robert (who is single) with his friends (five couples) and three of his girlfriends. Because the show is a series of vignettes, without a driving plot line, Sondheim decided against using a traditional structure where songs expanded a character’s feelings. Instead, he wrote songs which occur unexpectedly and which comment on the theme of the show. The vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, are linked by a celebration for Robert’s 35th birthday.
Company is said to have inaugurated the modern era of musical theatre. The show contains adult themes.
Company opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 26, 1970 and ran on Broadway for 706 performances. In 1971 it was nominated for 14 Tony Awards, winning for Musical, Book, Score, Lyrics, Direction and Scenic Design.
The Cast:
Robert: Greg Donathan
The Couples:
Sarah: Carolyn Otten
Harry: Eric Huber
Susan: Mary Young
Peter: Kellen Fant
Jenny: Jennifer Allen
David: Greg Floyd
Amy: Cassie Poe
Paul: Jeremy Goeckner
Joanne: Cynda Wrightsman
Larry: Randy Dunham
The Girlfriends:
April: Selina Pritchard
Kathy: Shelley Simon
Marta: Mary Jo Curry
Matthew Vala – Musical Director