BWW Previews: In Comes COMPANY At Actor's Playhouse

Actor's Playhouse and Fondren Theatre Workshop are proud to be partnering on yet another exciting musical this season after their explosive co-production of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret in 2010. This August, the duo will be bringing Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, Company, to the metro area for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Originally titled Threes, its plot revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, Company is a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday.

Company was among the first musicals to deal with adult themes and relationships. As Sondheim puts it, "Broadway theater has been for many years supported by upper-middle-class people with upper-middle-class problems. These people really want to escape that world when they go to the theatre, and then here we are with Company talking about how we're going to bring it right back in their faces."

The winner of 5 Tonys and 5 Drama Desk Awards in its original 1971 production, COMPANY was among the first musicals to deal with adult themes and relationships. As Sondheim puts it, "Broadway theatre has been for many years supported by upper-middle-class people with upper-middle-class problems. These people really want to escape that world when they go to the theatre, and then here we are with Company talking about how we're going to bring it right back in their faces."

The show features some of Sondheim's best-loved numbers, including "Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side," and "Being Alive."

PRODUCTION STAFF:
Directed by Richard Lawrence
Musical Direction by Harlan Zackery Jr.

CAST:
BOBBY: Neill Kelly
MARTA: Sydney Blackwell
APRIL: Leslie Ann Harkins
KATHY: Jennifer Moss Smith
SARAH: Lavonne Bruckner
HARRY: Cory Squires
JOANNE: Denise Halbach
LARRY: James Anderson
JENNY: Arian Thigpen
DAVID: Clif Hogan
AMY: Mandy Kate Myers
PAUL: Chris Moore
SUSAN: Jennifer Allyn Abernathy Wilder
PETER: Cameron Pitre
VOCAL MINORITY: Amanda Dear, Claire Kinsey Mayronne, Tommy Pittman, Erick Julian Weeks

The show is set to run from August 13th-17th at Actor's Playhouse 121 Paul Truitt Ln, Pearl, Mississippi 39208

Tickets are now on sale via brownpapertickets.com, and will range in price between $15 and $20.

SHOWTIMES: WED, THU, FRI, AND SAT AT 7:30 P.M.; SAT AND SUN MATINEES AT 2:00 P.M.

For tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/739499

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