We are currently in the third week of rehearsals for Company and just finished our first run through of Act One. Thom Miller, who plays our protagonist Bobby, is incredibly engaging as the 35-year old bachelor and completely embodies Bobby’s charisma. And wait till you hear him sing those beautiful Sondheim melodies.
Speaking of music, it is a pleasure to watch our music director (Tom Vendafreddo) work with the cast. He is a true coach, helping the actors navigate the intricate Sondheim rhythms by giving them an intention to attach to as well as imagery to help them produce the best sound that they are capable of. I learn something new from him every day!
This is my first time working with Director Bill Brown. He has really created an open, friendly environment for the actors to explore their characters organically. He has so many years of experience, as an actor and as a director, that he seems to know just what to say to an actor to free them up and connect them to each other and to the scene work. He has definitely done an amazing job of casting this show. Each actor is perfectly cast and the chemistry is palpable.
For this isn’t just a story about Bobby the bachelor, but also about his closest friends and their opinions of his single-dom. Five married couples who argue and debate their reasons for why marriage is a good thing… or not.
Sara and Harry (Alexis J. Rogers and James Earl Jones II) feel like they’ve been married for years;
Peter and Susan (Gabriel Ruiz and Tiffany Scott) are the couple who has moved into a new phase of their relationship and what that means;
David and Jenny (Patrick Martin and Blair Robertson) are the yuppie couple with kids who know each other inside and out;
neurotic Amy and her grounded counterpart Paul (Allison Hendrix and Bernard Balbot) are discovering how getting married can affect a long term committed relationship;
and the alcoholic Joanne and her third husband Larry (Lia Mortensen and Patrick Sarb) and their enabling partnership.
Add in the oddly charming April (Jess Godwin), the lovely Kathy (Chelsea Morgan) and streetwise Marta (Christine Mild) as the three “girlfriends” of Bobby and the cast is complete.
Hearing Christine Mild belt out the song “Another Hundred People” is worth the price of admission alone!
Company is not a show that is done very often and I am curious as to why that is. I feel that any adult can relate to the relationship dynamics of this show—whether they are married, divorced, single, dating or just friends. It is universally archetypal in that way—we all long to feel validated by connecting to another person in our own unique way.
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