Pollard presents award-winning Company

(Guthrie, OK) Phone rings. Door chimes. In comes The Pollard Theatre Company's production of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical Company. Pollard’s Artistic Director W. Jerome Stevenson said, "This is a show we've wanted to produce for years and we've finally hit the right moment in time. All the stars aligned and we've been fortunate enough to marry Furth and Sondheim's show with a cast of extraordinary performers who are so passionate about this project that it’s palpable.

“We wanted to create a theatrical event for musical theatre fans and we feel confident that it'll be just that." The production is directed by Timothy Stewart, with James A. Hughes as scenic designer, joined by Jennifer Rosson as choreographer, and Todd S. Malicoate as music director.

The cast of fourteen features many of Oklahoma's most well-known talent in an enchanting, deeply funny exploration of love and marriage. Set in the heart of New York City, Company follows perennial bachelor Robert (Brown) on the occasion of his 35th birthday as his five married couple friends gather to celebrate and offer varying degrees of relationship advice. Their interactions are presented in a series of vignettes, primarily through Robert's eyes. The show's many Sondheim standards include Company, Side by Side by Side, The Ladies Who Lunch, Another Hundred People, Barcelona and Being Alive.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, Company first opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 26, 1970, produced and directed by Harold Prince. The show ran for 705 performances and received the 1971 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Lyrics, Best Set Design, and Best Direction of a Musical, among 14 nominations. It has returned in various revivals, most recently in 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, with Raúl Esparza as Robert.

The powerhouse cast includes (in alphabetical order) Renee Anderson (as Marta), Elin Bhaird (as Joanne), Matthew Alvin Brown (as Robert), Gwendolyn Evans (as Amy), Scott Hynes (as Paul), Cory King (as Sarah), Nakeisha McGee (as Jenny), Charlie Monnot (as Peter), Matthew Morales (as Harry), Harold Mortimer (as Larry), Susan Riley (as Susan), W. Jerome Stevenson (as David), Jennifer Teel (as Kathy), and Lexi Windsor (as April).

Presented with support from Vance Auto Group and the Oklahoma Gazette, Company opened June 19 and runs through July 11 at the Pollard Theater. Tickets are $27.25 with senior, military, and student discounts available. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Thursdays July 2 and 9 at 8pm and Sundays June 28 and July 5 at 2pm. There is no performance on July 4.

Tickets are available online at www.thepollard.org, by phone, (405) 282-2800 or at the Pollard Box Office at 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, Oklahoma. The Pollard Theatre Company is produced with additional support from the Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, the Kirkpatrick Foundation and the Inasmuch Foundation.

The Pollard Theatre was founded with the primary goal of producing a wide variety of quality theatrical experiences for the residents and tourists of Central Oklahoma. With an emphasis on creative story-telling that illuminates the shared human experience, the Pollard produces plays and musicals annually, enlisting the talents of skilled artists from all across the country through its season of diverse theatrical fare.

The Gayly – July 7, 2015 @ 6:50pm.