“PHONE RINGS, DOOR CHIMES, IN COMES COMPANY.”
In comes ‘Company,’ indeed. Coming into Cleveland, that is! The revival of the five-time Tony Award winner will open on Tuesday, April 30, at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace Theater, with performances through Sunday, May 19. {Details and tickets}
The show features the legendary Steven Sondheim’s award-winning songs, including“You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Side by Side by Side” and “Being Alive.”
Actress Kathryn Allison, who portrays “Sarah” in the national touring production of Company, phoned CleveRock from Providence, Rhode Island, to give us the scoop about the show!
“Company is about a woman named Bobbie. She’s turning 35. This is the eve of her birthday party, and she is friends with five couples,” she explained. “Over the course of the evening, she goes on an Alice in Wonderland trip through a series of vignettes of each of the five couples that she’s friends with. She gets the chance to observe their relationships and kind of decide for herself whether she wants to join in their excitement about being married or if she wants to go off and choose her own path in life, which you hear that, and you’re like, ‘Wow, that sounds like a lot!’ But it’s also an incredibly funny evening. It almost feels like each vignette is a different sitcom. That’s kind of how I like to describe it. Each couple is so unique in their own specific way. I feel like a lot of the audience members in Cleveland might see a lot of themselves in each of these people. So that’s the short version of the show.”
Music makes a musical—it’s quite literally in the name. Steven Sondheim’s name resonates with people who are well-versed in musical theater.
“I was so fortunate to be a part of the Broadway production,” she said. “To perform his music every night is such an honor. And what I love about his music, in general, is how present you have to be within the text. His lyrics are so beautiful and poignant, and they are just a thrill. And the music is so exciting. It’s so fun! You have songs that make you cry. You have songs that make you laugh. And I think he was really able to capture the ins and outs of marriages and relationships and friendships all in one beautiful score.“
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Major touring productions of Broadway classics have great stories and great music brought to life by a phenomenal cast. Unfortunately, most audience members incidentally overlook other elements of the show, such as the choreography, lighting, wardrobe, and more. Who better to give theatergoers a heads up on what to be on the lookout for at Company than a cast member?
“I think you should definitely be on the lookout for Bunny Christie’s set,” Allison recommends. “I think she did an incredible job of bringing Bobbi’s world and her wildly Alice in Wonderland journey to life, and the way that they’ve traveled a set like this, I personally don’t think I’ve seen a set like this travel on tour. There are surprises everywhere. She’s added these really magical elements. I think that’s what people should be on the lookout for. I think people will be pleasantly surprised. I think she just did a beautiful job.“
Every show has a moment or moments that the audience loves collectively. Company is no exception. Allison could not narrow it down to just one number!
“‘(Not) Getting Married Today’! They are on their feet every night. Matt Rodin [‘Jamie’] is absolutely amazing,” she said. “And ‘Being Alive,’ Britney Coleman’s [Bobbie] performance of that is just otherworldly. Those are the two I feel are big showstoppers. And Judy McLane’s [‘Joanne’], ‘The Ladies Who Lunch.’ Those three points in the show people should really, really look out for.”
MEET KATHRYN ALLISON
New York City-born and New Jersey-raised, Kathryn is excited to be part of her first national touring production.
“I’ve been really enjoying tour life,” she said. “I’ve actually never done a national tour before, so this has been my first experience, and I haven’t been able to see much of the United States before this. It’s been really nice going to all these different cities and experiencing their awesome, fervent theater communities. It’s just been really exciting. Some cities, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I get to experience this place I’ve never been to before, and I’ve always wanted to see.’ It’s been really, really fun.”
This will be the actress’ first time in Cleveland. This interviewer put Cleveland staples on her radar, including the Rock and Roll of Fame and the Cleveland Museum of Art, and some restaurant recommendations. (Of course, words can’t do justice to Cleveland’s vibrant theater district.)
As a working actress, Allison could have auditioned for many roles, but she chose “Sarah” in Company. What attracted her to Company and, specifically, the role of “Sarah”?
“I did the Broadway show, and I understudied three of the wives in the show, and I always loved Company,” she explained. “I actually did the show in college, the original version. When I got the chance to audition for this, I was like, ‘Man, oh man, I would love to be a part of this production.’ I think it’s very rare that we get a chance to reinvent something. And the fact that Sondheim himself was so willing to change things around and update it for today’s audience made it even more appealing to me.”
For most aspiring performers, the buck stops with high school drama club or show choir. Many are limited by their abilities in such a competitive field, while others limit themselves by not dreaming big enough. Finding an inspiration to spark the drive and desire to make a career out of performing arts can be a key element in the development of one’s success. Allison was asked what inspired her to follow her dreams of making a career out of acting.
“That’s a great question! I can say that there was a specific performer that really sparked my love for theater, and that was Audra McDonald,” she said. “Hearing her sing Ragtime, watching the Tony performance, and then being able to go down her career at the time really inspired me. My parents were really good about trying to see theater or dance pieces that had people of color and black people in them, but she was the first person that I was like, ‘Oh my God, I want to be her. I want to figure out how I can do this.‘”
“I knew I wanted to pursue performing arts as a living in high school. In middle school, I was introduced to musical theater by my childhood best friend and her sister at the time. They were very into Broadway, and they gave me a mix tape that actually had all the hit Broadway songs from the musicals on Broadway at the time,” she continued. “I just absolutely fell in love. And it was around that same time that my choir teacher actually was begging my mom to reach out to her. She’s like, ‘Why is your mom not calling me?’ And my mom finally reached out, and she said, ‘I think your daughter has some talent, and I think you should put her into voice lessons.’ So it was kind of just, I don’t know, a divine accident when I was falling in love with musical theater and that, I guess, had a natural talent for singing at the same time. But yeah, high school was when I realized that, ‘Oh, that’s something I can go to college for, and then I could actually get a job and be paid to do what I love to do!’ So yeah, that’s when I started taking it seriously.“
One last question!
Before letting Kathryn off the phone and letting her prepare for her show that evening, she was asked why Cleveanders should spend money on a ticket to see Company.
“You should see Company if you’re looking for an evening to not only have a night of laughter, but in light of just self-reflection and wanting to come away with being able to talk with your partner or your friends or whoever who you came with after the show to kind of dissect it afterward,” she said. “I feel like it’s a really wonderful conversation piece. If you want to have some fun and a little community afterward, this is the show for you to see!”
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