Marquette Theatre explores the fear of commitment in “Company.” The musical premiered at the Helfaer Theatre April 9 and performances will continue until April 19. “Company” revolves around a New York City bachelor, Robert, on his 35th birthday, as he contemplates the pros and cons of a committed relationship with ten of his married friends and three girlfriends.
“Company” is a musical comedy written by Stephen Sondheim in 1970, originally based on a book by George Furth with the same title. The original production won six Tony Awards.
The Marquette Theatre’s reenacting of “Company” is in part directed by Niffer Clarke and performed by several student actors, including Anna Otto. Otto is a sophomore in the College of Communication. She plays Kathy, one of Robert’s girlfriends.
As a Theatre Arts major, Otto is required to audition for all the main-stage shows.
“Everyone spent a lot of time preparing for the auditions, and it was a really exciting process,” Otto said. “I love musicals, so I feel really lucky to be having this experience and would not trade it for anything.”
Throughout the rehearsal process, the cast tried an approach where actors would be called in to perform at different times in the evening. This approach is intended to make sure everyone in the cast could work with a different director, at different times. “I found that this was really efficient and really helped with the rehearsal process,” Otto said. “This helped me to really become confident in my choices and learning everything that the directors wanted me to. “
The show also allows students a higher level of flexibility. “I have loved learning about my character, Kathy, and developing her back story and relationship to Robert,” Otto said. This flexibility promoted a rather unique essence to Marquette Theatre’s performance. “It’s also been really fun seeing how everyone developed their character and seeing how that plays out in the show,” Otto said.
The show is not only comedy. According to Otto, there are also some parts that are “genuinely very sad and some parts that really just warm your heart.” Otto further encourages everyone to watch the show, saying it is a great performance. “The show is really fun, with a lot of awesome scenes and dance numbers! The last song is a showstopper, Peter (Robert) really nails it.”
Performances of “Company” will continue at the Helfaer Theatre until Sunday, April 19. Tonight, Friday and Saturday, performances are at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The cost of tickets ranges from $20 for the general public to $10 for Marquette students. Tickets can be purchased online at(http://www.showclix.com/events/marquettetheatre) or by calling the Helfaer Theatre at 414- 288-7504.
