Oklahoma City University’s Bass School of Music will premiere the award-winning dark musical comedy “Company” by Stephen Sondheim at 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee in the Burg Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder.
“Company” made its Broadway debut in 1970 and earned a record-setting 14 Tony Award nominations. The show, which centers around the 35th birthday party of Bobby, a jaded New Yorker, won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Lyrics. Classic songs include “Ladies Who Lunch,” “Getting Married Today” and “Side by Side by Side.” The work marks the OKCU directorial debut for Brian Cowing.
“At the heart of ‘Company’ is love,” Cowing said. “Love in all forms, the good, the bad and the ugly. Our story takes place from the mind of Bobby, a bachelor who sees love on a surface level. He sees the picture, but doesn’t see what’s behind it. With each memory of his married friends, he examines and questions marriage, commitment and what relationships are all about.
"As an alum, it is a dream come true to return to the Bass School of Music to direct a work like ‘Company.’ These students are absolutely fantastic, taking on roles that are gritty and complex and they do it with honesty and precision. It is a true ensemble piece that requires a cast that not only are fantastic singers, but exquisite actors, movers and storytellers.”
Oklahoma City University’s 66th season of opera and music theater continues with Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” set for Nov. 17-19; the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri’s American opera “The Vaudevillian,” Feb. 16-18; Bedrich Smetana’s operatic comedy “The Bartered Bride,” March 2-4; and Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Town,” set for April 20-22 as part of the Bernstein centennial celebration. For tickets and additional information, visit okcu.edu/tickets.
