Paddy O'Connell to Host COMPANY Post-Show Q&A with Patti LuPone, Rosalie Craig & Marianne Elliott

To celebrate last week's successful release of the cast recording as well as two prestigious Critics' Circle Awards for Marianne Elliott's critically acclaimed production ofCompany, broadcaster Paddy O'Connell will be hosting a post-show Q and A at the Gielgud Theatre, with two of the show's stars - Rosalie Craig, who plays the central role of Bobbie and Patti LuPone, who plays Joanne. They will be joined by the Olivier and Tony award-winning director, Marianne Elliott who conceived and directed this extraordinary production, which has also received two Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Company runs in the West End until 30 March 2019.

Paddy O'Connell, who presents BBC Radio 4's Sunday morning programme, Broadcasting House said: 'I'm so excited to have the opportunity to speak to these three glorious women, all at the top of their game. This amazing and unique production of Company has been one of the theatre highlights of my year, and I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to ask them questions about the show, their careers and throwing the floor open to the audience.'

The Q & A is free to anyone who attends Company at the Gielgud Theatre on 11 February 2019.

The full cast of Company is: Rosalie Craig as Bobbie, Patti LuPone as Joanne, Mel Giedroyc as Sarah, Jonathan Bailey as Jamie, George Blagden as PJ, Ashley Campbell as Peter, Richard Fleeshman as Andy, Alex Gaumond as Paul, Richard Henders as David, Ben Lewis as Larry, Daisy Maywood as Susan, Jennifer Saayeng as Jenny, Matthew Seadon-Young as Theo and Gavin Spokes as Harry. Joining them are: Michael Colbourne, Francesca Ellis, Ewan Gillies, Grant Neal and Jaimie Pruden.

At Bobbie's 35th birthday party all her friends are wondering why she isn't married; why she can't find the right man and why she hasn't settled down to have a family. The multi-award winning musical comedy about life, love and marriage includes Stephen Sondheim's iconic songs include The Ladies who Lunch, Being Alive, Side by Side and You Could Drive a Person Crazy.

Rosalie Craig won the Evening Standard Theatre award for Best Musical Performance for her role as Bobbie in Company. Her theatre credits include: Jez Butterworth's award-winning play, The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre Marianne Elliott's production of The Light Princess, for which she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress in a Musical and was nominated for an Olivier Award, Rosalind in As You Like It, The Threepenny Opera and London Road - all for the National Theatre. Other theatre includes: City of Angels for the Donmar, Lady Macduff in Macbeth for Manchester International Festival, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Sylvia in the musical Finding Neverland and the title role in Miss Julie at Chichester Festival Theatre. Her film and TV credits include: London Road, Spooks, and Casanova.

Patti LuPone, who performed Don't Cry for me Argentina at the Grammy's last year returned to London to make her first appearance in a West End musical for over 25 years with this production of Company. Her previous London theatre credits include originating the role of Fantine in Les Misérables, an Olivier-award winning role in The Cradle will Rock and creating the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Her numerous Broadway credits include: originating the role of Eva Peron in Evita, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Anything Goes, and Master Class. Her many films include: Heist, Driving Miss Daisy and Witness. TV includes: American Horror Story, Glee, Ugly Betty, Will & Grace (as herself), Frasier (1998 Emmy nomination) and Law & Order. LuPone, who is a graduate of the first class of the Drama Division of New York's Juilliard School and a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company, is the author of the The New York Times bestseller Patti LuPone: A Memoir.

Marianne Elliott, Artistic Director of Elliott & Harper Productions, a Company she founded in 2016 with producer Chris Harper, was awarded an OBE in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honour's List for her services to theatre. Elliott is the first woman in Broadway history to win two Tony Awards for Best Director and her recent Broadway transfer of Tony Kushner's Angels in America received the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Angels in America at the National Theatre also received the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play. Marianne's ground-breaking production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time received 7 Olivier Awards in London, including Best New Play and Best Director and 5 Tony Awards for its run on Broadway, including Best Play and Best Director and is currently running at the Picadilly Theatre. Her production of Saint Joan earned her the Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play and Pillars of the Community earned her the Evening Standard Award for Best Director. War Horse, which she co-directed, and has been seen by over 7 million people world-wide, has now embarked on a new international tour for 2019/20.

Joining director Marianne Elliott on the creative team are: choreographer Liam Steel, musical supervisor and conductor Joel Fram, designer Bunny Christie, lighting designer Neil Austin, sound designer Ian Dickinson (for Autograph Sound), illusions designer Chris Fisher, orchestrator David Cullen, dance arranger Sam Davis and casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Charlotte Sutton CDG.

Company is produced by Elliott & Harper Productions, Catherine Schreiber, Grove Entertainment, Jujamcyn Theaters, LD Entertainment, David Mirvish, Aged in Wood Productions/Ricardo F Hornos, Bob Boyett/Tom Miller, Bruno Wang Productions/Salman Al-Rashid, Across the Pond Theatricals/Trio Theatricals and Greek St Productions/Christopher Ketner.

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff Mogenburg