McLean Community Players to Present 'Company'

PHOTO: Peter (Patrick McMahon), Robert (Matt Liptak), and Susan (Sharon Grant). Photo courtesy of McLean Community Players; Photo by Irish Eyes Photography by Toby

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- The McLean Community Players will present George Furth and Stephen Sondheim’s ground-breaking musical "Company," opening Friday, Feb. 3 and running weekends through Feb. 19. After its Broadway debut in 1970, "Company" was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six. Director Sharon Veselic leads an award-winning cast and crew in bringing this production to the Alden stage.

The plot revolves around Bobby—a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage—the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, George Furth’s book for "Company" features a series of interlocking sketches, in which the audience sees the ups and downs in the marriages of Bobby’s friends. The sketches are connected by the dazzling Sondheim score, which consists of fifteen musical numbers including "Getting Married Today," "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive."

Director Sharon Veselic says: “This is a new 'Company' that will take the '60s mannequin characterizations, and bring them into the present time. Every show evolves, changes, adapts and recreates itself within the original script. The time period will remain, but the characters are now more thoughtful, sensitive and searching within. In this production, the goal is to give the audience a ‘thinking’ cast of New Yorkers—not the version of the hard, unlikable, bitter characters of the past.”

The Mclean Community Players are proud to announce that they are offering performances with accessibility for both the hearing impaired and the visually challenged. For "Company," audio description for the visually impaired will be offered by the Metropolitan Washington Ear at the matinee performance on Sunday, Feb. 12. The final Saturday performance on Feb.18 will have American Sign Language interpretation by First Chair Interpreted Productions, LLC. See the Accessibility page at www.McLeanPlayers.org for more information.

"Company" opens Friday, Feb. 3, and runs weekends through Feb. 19. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Alden Theatre in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, VA 22101.Tickets are $23-$25 and are available at McLean Players.org or through OvationTix at 866-811-4111. Company is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com With mature themes, "Company" is most suitable for ages 17 and older.

The McLean Community Players, based in McLean, celebrate both the musical and dramatic theater traditions. Performing four shows a year – two musicals and two plays – MCP is committed to doing theater for the community, in the community, with the community and sustained by the community. MCP is funded in part by the Arts Council of Fairfax County.

The Creative Team of "Company"

• Producers: Jerry Gideon, Claire Tse
• Director: Sharon Veselic
• Stage Manager: Shayne Gardner
• Choreographer: Melanie Barber
• Assistant Stage Managers: Adrian Steel, Carol Strachan
• Music Director: John Edward Niles
• Vocal Director: Rosemary Dyer
• Costumer: Richard Battistelli
• Set Designer: Bill Glikbarg
• Construction Chief: Bill Glikbarg
• Sound Designer: Bob Zeigler
• Lighting Designer: Lynne Glikbarg
• Construction Crew: Stephen Dennett, George Farnsworth, Bill Glikbarg, Bob Schroth
• Chief Electrician: Kimberly Crago
• Light Board Operator: Hansel DSouza
• Backstage: Anne St. Jacques
• House Manager: Columba H. Brumby
• Auditions Desk: Adrian Steel, Carole Steele, Carol A. Strachan
• Publicity: Cathy Farnsworth, Tula Pendergrast
• Logo: Annie O’Neill Galvin

The Cast of "Company"

• Robert (Bobby): Matt Liptak
• Harry: Scott Graham
• Sarah: Carla Crawford
• Peter: Patrick McMahon
• Jenny: Cara Giambrone
• David: Gary DiNardo
• Amy: Kate Keifer
• Paul: R. Kieth Flores
• Joanne: Alana Sharp
• Larry: Rick Kenney
• April: Melissa Pieja
• Marta: Kristina Friedgen
• Kathy: Vanessa Miller
• Susan: Sharon Grant
• New Yorkers: Nikki Arbiter-Murphy, Christopher Borton, Julie Edwards, Matty Montes
• Church Singer: Lucia LaNave