COMPANY
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
May 22 - 23, 2009 - 8:00 P.M.
May 24, 2009 - 2:00 P.M.
CanWest Performing Arts Centre (at the Forks)
| Director |
Mariam Bernstein |
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| Music Director |
Danny Carroll |
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| Set Designer |
Grant Guy |
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| Lighting Designer |
Scott Henderson |
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| Stage Manager |
Georgette Nairn |
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| Apprentice Stage Manager |
Nik Dethmers |
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| Assistant Director |
Heidi Malazdrewich |
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| Apprentice Music Director |
Joseph Tritt |
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| Cast |
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| Kevin Aichele |
Bobby |
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| Graham Ashmore |
Peter |
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| Sharon Bajer |
Amy |
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| Tim Bandfield |
Paul |
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| Wayne Buss! |
Harry |
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| Dorothy Carroll |
April |
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| James Durham |
Larry |
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| Donna Fletcher |
Susan |
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| Derek Leenhouts |
David |
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| Laura Lussier |
Jenny |
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| Kimberley Rampersad |
Marta |
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| Chelsea Rankin |
Kathy |
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| Jan Skene |
Joanne |
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| Melanie Whyte |
Sarah |
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| Musicians |
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| Danny Carroll |
piano |
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| Nenad Zdjelar |
bass |
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| Rob Siwik |
drums |
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When first produced in 1970, COMPANY was a milestone in musi-cal theatre history. It was the first Stephen Sondheim/Hal Prince collaboration and by the time of its 1995 revival, it was being re-vered as one of the “handful of greatest musicals ever written”, hav-ing paved the way for large-scale acceptance of concept shows like A Chorus Line and Cats.
The plot of COMPANY revolves around Bobby, the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals COMPANY is a concept musical composed of short vignettes linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday and his friends‟ concern for his single status. COMPANY was among the first musicals to deal with adult problems through its music. As Sondheim put it, "they are middle-class people with middle class-problems." It is also one of the first musicals where the songs com-mented on the characters in the play instead of furthering the plot, a device which became a Sondheim standard.
After seven previews, the Broadway production, directed by Hal Prince, opened on April 26, 1970 at the Alvin Theatre, where it ran for 705 performances. For the first and only time, the Tony Awards for Music and Lyrics were split into two categories. Sondheim won both awards. COMPANY was nominated for twelve Tony awards, winning six of them, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musi-cal and Best Original Score. That original score includes some of Sondheim‟s most powerful songs, including The Ladies Who Lunch (first performed by Elaine Stritch), Sorry-Grateful, You Could Drive a Person Crazy and the tour-de-force Getting Married Today.
We‟re very excited to have Mariam back for her fifth Dry Cold show after her master-ful direction of The Secret Garden and She Loves Me and her performances in Nine and Into The Woods. Danny was with us as music director for Nine and we‟re de-lighted he can join us again.