NTC Stages the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth Musical COMPANY

Novato Theater Company continues its successful 2016- 2017 season with the musical comedy, Company, with book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show was originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince. The NTC production is directed by Patrick Nims, with musical direction by Andrew Klein and choreography by Kate Kenyon. It is produced by Vicki Martinez. Company runs March 24-April 16at the NTC Playhouse, 5420 Nave Drive in Novato.

Company is the story of Robert, a single man unable to fully commit to a steady relationship. On the night of his 35th birthday, he contemplates the state of his life. He knows that something is missing, but he can't fathom how being in a long-term relationship solves anything. In vignette after hilarious vignette, he weighs the pros and cons of married life as we are introduced to the women he is dating and "those good and crazy people," his married friends.

"Although Company was written in the late 60's, in our Tinder/ Bumble / Grindr society, a musical about why anyone would want to be in a committed relationship is more relevant than ever", said Director Patrick Nims. "Getting married is a pretty insane thing to do, and from Robert's vantage, a person would have to be crazy to take the risk and make the leap of faith that marriage requires."

NTC brings together a stellar production team for Company. Award winning director Patrick Nims directed NTC'sFiddler on the Roof, where he worked with choreographer Kate Kenyon. Kenyon herself has won nominations for Best Choreography for Marin Summer Theater's In The Heights and Anything Goes. Musical Director Andrew Klein also musical directed the recent NTC production of Into the Woods. He also wrote the original score and was musical director for NTC's December production of the original A Christmas Carol, the Musical, written by the late Blanca Florido.

CAST

Lorenzo Alviso - David

Steve Beecroft - Larry

Amy Deitz - Sarah

Sophia Ferar - Susan

Gillian Eichenberger - April

Paula Gianetti - Joanne

Paul Hogarth - Harry

Arielle Mandelberg - Kathy

Amanda Morando - Marta

Robert Nelson - Robert

Jennifer Rodway - Jenny

Rusty Thompson - Peter

Nicole Thordsen - Amy

Cordell Wesselink - Paul

PRODUCTION TEAM

Gillian Eichenberger - Make-up/Hair Designer

Simon Eves - Sound Design

Marina Nims - Costume Designer

Michael Walraven - Set Design

Electric Bill Weinberg - Lighting Designer

Kim Bromley - Production-Management

Renee Echavez - Stage Manager

Vicki Martinez - Producer

Kate Kenyon - Choreographer

Andrew Klein - Musical Director

Patrick Nims - Director

The Play and the Playwright

First staged in 1970, Company is a musical comedy based on a book by George Furth with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six. For the only time, the Tony Awards for Music and Lyrics were split into two categories. Sondheim won both awards.

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 put 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."

Stephen Sondheim's biography is littered with awards: an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer, including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. His best-known works as composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Assassins, and Passion. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.

To celebrate his 80th birthday, the former Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on September 15, 2010. Director Cameron Mackintosh has called Sondheim "possibly the greatest lyricist ever."

Furth had dual careers as both actor and writer. He made his Broadway debut in 1961 and appeared in dozens of films including The Boston Strangler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Myra Breckinridge,and Blazing Saddles. His many television credits included McHale's Navy, Ironside, The Odd Couple, Bonanza, Happy Days, All in the Family, and L.A. Law Furth won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical for Company, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play for Precious Sons. He died in 2008 at the age of 75.

CURTAIN TIMES AND TICKETS

Venue: NTC Playhouse, 5420 Nave Dr., Novato 94949

Preview: Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 pm

Opens: Friday, March 24 at 8:00 pm

Runs: Fridays and Saturdays: 8:00 pm; Sundays: 2:00 pm, through April 16.

Running Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes, with one intermission.

Tickets: $27 Adults, $21 NTC Members and Subscribers, $24 Seniors/Students, $12 Children 12 and under, $15 Preview. Online ticketing at www.novatotheatercompany.org; call (415) 883-4498 for questions/information only. No credit cards accepted at the theater box office for walk ups, cash or checks only. Open Seating • Free Parking • ADA Compliant

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