Sondheim Musical Company Closes UW Theatre and Dance Season

Legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy “Company” closes out the 2016-17 University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance production season.

“Company” runs April 25-29 at 7:30 p.m. on the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts main stage. The production is directed by UW Department of Music lecturer Sean Stone and conducted by Michael Griffith, UW Symphony Orchestra conductor and professor.

Tickets cost $14 for the public; $11 for senior citizens; and $7 for students. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk, by calling (307) 766-6666 or going online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

The comedy by George Furth (book) and Sondheim (music/lyrics) explores love, relationships and marriage through the eyes of Bobby, a New York bachelor with several girlfriends, who is celebrating his 35th birthday with his 10 closest friends. These friends just happen to be couples.

“Company” includes some of Sondheim’s best-known songs, including “Marry Me a Little,” “Ladies Who Lunch” and “Being Alive.” Stone chose to produce this musical because it was an ideal fit for current student performers.

“We have a lot of really strong students right now, and ‘Company’ has a big ensemble cast that features many characters,” Stone says.

He also was enticed by the musical’s brilliant orchestration and score, which is essentially orchestral pop music with a humorous bent.

“Company” was originally a one-act play written by Furth, but it has experienced many transformations and revivals. The main transformation came after a suggestion made by director Harold Prince to rework the piece into the pros and cons of marriage, tying it all together through one character, Bobby.

The musical premiered in 1970, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Lyrics and Best Book. Stone says the UW Department of Theatre and Dance has given the musical a contemporary setting, but holds true to the script otherwise.

“Issues surrounding love and relationships don’t change much,” Stone says. “Whether it is better for someone to be single or to partner up with someone else is a timeless question, and whether a relationship ends happily ever after or not, it keeps going. ‘Company’ is not afraid to examine the challenges that relationships bring.”

“Company” contains language, themes and scenes with sexual content that some might find objectionable.

For more information, call Kathy Kirkaldie, UW Fine Arts coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or email kirisk@uwyo.edu.