Company

Rebecca Varidel
29th Oct 2018

Originally programmed as part of The Depot Theatre's 2018 Season, COMPANY is the very first musical and only the second show to be staged at new boutique performance venue, Limelight on Oxford in Darlinghurst, playing this 14 Nov - 1 Dec 2018.

This ground breaking modern musical, is a mature, intelligent, and wildly funny look at relationships, vulnerability, and “being alive.”

On the night of his 35th birthday, Robert struggles to think of a wish to make as he blows out his birthday candles. He is uncertain whether he should simply be happy with his lot or whether he should wish for his own romantic partner.

Over a series of dinner parties, first dates, and thoughtful conversations, Robert attempts to understand the pros and cons of marriage from his diverse and frequently hilarious friends and begins to make sense of his own persistent bachelorhood.

American composer Stephen Sondheim is known for the startling complexity of his lyricism and music. He wrote the music and lyrics for COMPANY in 1970. Other major works include Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George and Into the Woods. The actor and playwright George Furth had a prolific career as a performer but will be best remembered for his collaborations with Sondheim. The original Broadway production of COMPANY was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards and won six. This production is directed by veteran indie theatre director Julie Baz. Spanish-born Sydney based pianist Antonio Fernandez is Music Director and Tracey Blankenship is the Choreographer. The show features a terrific line up of Sydney’s best emerging and seasoned musical
theatre performers: Heather Campbell, Maree Cole, Grace Driscoll, Emily Dreyer, Lincoln Elliott, Jacqui Greenfield, Michele Lansdown, Michael McPhee, Alexander Morgan, Bridget Patterson, Brendan Paul, Ileana Pipitone, Marcus Rivera and Richard Woodhouse.

http://www.limelightonoxford.com.au/Company.php

STEPHEN SONDHEIM
American composer Stephen Sondheim was born on March 22, 1930, in New York City. After early practice at songwriting, his knowledge of musical theater was influenced by master lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, who served as a mentor. Sondheim's contributions to West Side Story and Gypsy in the 1950s brought him recognition as a rising star of Broadway. Known for the startling complexity of his lyricism and music, his major works for the theatre also include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George and Into the Woods.

GEORGE FURTH
The actor and playwright George Furth had a prolific career as a performer, but will be best remembered for his collaborations with the composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, notably as librettist for the musicals Company (1970) and Merrily We Roll Along (1977). COMPANY, which has been revived twice on Broadway and once in London, won him a Tony award, and though Merrily We Roll Along was a disastrous flop initially, it has been revised and revived successfully several times, and its score is considered one of Sondheim's finest. Furth also had a hit with a play, Twigs (1971), and collaborated with Sondheim on a comedy-thriller, Getting Away With Murder (1995).

Housed in a beautiful old three level terrace, Limelight on Oxford provides an array of enticing entertainment and events, accompanied by tasty food and tantalising drinks. The Limelight Room on Level 2 is a boutique and intimate performance space. Along with theatre, Limelight on Oxford hosts live music, comedy, workshops and functions.