The theatre department’s first show of the semester, Steven Sondheim’s “Company,” opened at Augustana College on the Brunner Mainstage.
With a full principal cast opening on March 12, and an understudy cast performing on March 13, the classic musical explored the annoyances, risks and beauty of human relationships.
“Company” follows Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor in New York City surrounded by dozens of friends – all married. The role was played by principal actor senior Kaden Micklos and understudy junior Brennan Hampton. Each brought their own take to the central character in his plea for someone to “Marry [him] a little, love [him] just enough.”
Sondheim is known for his complex melodies and emotionally demanding music, with a penchant for actors who can sing rather than singers who can act. With a lightning-fast five-week rehearsal process, actors put in many hours outside of rehearsal, perfecting their craft.
Junior Jensen Stoneking, Amy’s principal actor, said she started practicing the infamously difficult song “Getting Married Today” last summer despite not knowing if she would get the role. That work paid off, and she performed the notorious patter song with a live pit, wedding dress and all.
“Knowing that we had such a short amount of time to get everything done really pushed me to work hard outside of rehearsal to make sure that my lines and songs were memorized and on point, so that when I came into rehearsal, I was able to focus,” Stoneking said. “Everything that I was able to do on my own, I did on my own.”
Many cast members said that both the technical aspect of the music and figuring out how to get into the heads of middle-aged, married characters were complex work for the college-aged, unmarried cast. To make their unique relationships with Bobby and their spouses believable, in-depth character work took place for every actor.
At first, sophomore Avery Denius, David’s understudy, said he didn’t know how he would be able to relate to his character, a married father. However, Denius found that looking at the show in the sense of relationships instead of simply marriage made the mature themes more approachable.
“This show is about relationships and opening yourself up to being vulnerable. If I were to say one thing to audiences, it would be to try and find parallels to your own life,” Denius said.
A non-linear, episodic musical, “Company,” takes place in what Stoneking said is a “liminal space.” There is no one storyline, and all interpretations are correct.
But by the end of “Company,” the audience realizes how deeply relationships shape us. People are frustrating, annoying and hard to deal with, but, as Bobby’s friend Harry (played by Dimitry Bilanciz and understudy Joshua Nelson), notes in the final song, “You’ve got so many reasons for not being with someone. But … you haven’t got one good reason for being alone.”
It’s no easy task for actors in college to navigate the age-old questions of marriage, divorce and everlasting love. But through four nights of music, song and dance met with raucous applause and standing ovations, the cast of “Company” did just that.
