SRO Productions presents the Stephen Sondheim musical Company. Told through vignettes, Company tells the story of a bachelor named Bobby as he interacts with his married friends who throw him a 35th birthday party.
“They all are kind of wrapped around this idea that Bobby is looking to potentially settle down, move forward in his life and see if he's ready to be married and take that next step,” said Andrew Mextorf who plays Bobby.
Sondheim’s musicals are known for having difficult songs and Anna Tagliaferro who plays Amy has one of the more challenging numbers. “She sings the famous or infamous song, ‘Not getting married today,’ which I learned held the record up until Hamilton for the most words spoken per minute in a Broadway musical,” said Tagliaferro.
Company has been revised through the decades since it first debuted in 1970. Sondheim worked to make the show a more timeless story with updates in language and references making it vary depending on where it’s performed.
“We're getting pretty close to the original,” said Mextorf. “We're keeping it set in 1970. You'll notice by a lot of the clothing and styles that it's very early 70s. The script was revamped in 1996, so that's the one that is typically out there. However, you can play in a myriad of ways. The one that's touring right now as a female lead, it's set in modern day, but we're keeping ours rooted in the original.”
SRO’s production of Company runs from June 7th through June 16th at Schorr Family Firehouse Stage in Johnson City. Performances begin at 7:30pm with matinees beginning at 2:00pm.
Watch Bill Snyder’s full interview with Andrew Mextorf and Anna Tagliaferro below.