Pittsburgh Public Theater Company 2013

Transcription

Pittsburgh Public Theater’s education and outreach programs are
generously supported by BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern
Pennsylvania. Funding for Open Stage is provided by the Grable
Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, and Mike & Steffie Bozic.
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 1
Contents
Characters………………………………………………….……………3
The Character of Bobby…………………………...…………………….5
Company and the Concept Musical……………………...……………….8
Further Thoughts on Company……………...…………………………11
Stephen Sondheim……………………………………….……..………13
Other Musicals by Stephen Sondheim……………………...………….15
A History of Musical Theater…………………………………………21
Meet the Director……………………………..……………………….25
Meet the Cast…………………………………..………………………26
Theater Etiquette………………………………………………....……34
Discussion Questions……………………………………………..……35
P.A. Academic Standards……………………………………………....37
References……………………………………………………………...40
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2013-2014 Season
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Characters
Robert : The main character of the show, Robert is thirty-five years
old and has never been married. Bobby has ten friends, who break down
into being five married couples. Throughout the musical, Bobby tries to
both validate and criticize his opinions of marriage as he visits his
friends who are all experiencing different points of marriage (or
divorce).
Couple #1:
Sarah and Harry: Sarah is unsuccessfully trying to diet as Harry
is unsuccessfully trying to give up drinking. They argue about small,
insignificant things with each other very often, but never get too
heated and are still quite happy together.
Couple #2:
Susan and Peter: Now that they are getting divorced, Susan and
Peter are happier with each other than they have ever been.
Couple #3:
Jenny and David: Jenny is straight-laced, but David is not, which
causes some tension between the two of them in their marriage.
Couple #4:
Amy and Paul : Paul is extremely excited to be marrying Amy.
Amy, on the other hand, is extremely anxious about her up-coming
wedding.
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2013-2014 Season
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Couple #5:
Joanne and Larry : Joanne is loud, assertive and opinionated.
Larry is wild and confident. Larry is completely in love with Joanne,
but Joanne remains cautious.
From the 2010 New York Philharmonic Version of
Company, seen here are Marta, April and Kathy (l-r)
Bobby’s Three Love Interests:
Marta : Wild and young, she relates to the excitement and energy of the city.
Kathy : She wanted to marry Robert at one point, and he wanted to marry her as
well, but their (continuing) lack of communication led to nothing ever coming of
it. Kathy is now planning on leaving New York City to get married to someone
else.
April : A flight attendant who has the tendency to be a bit dim-witted. She is
naïve and sweet.
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2013-2014 Season
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The Character of Bobby
by June Abernathy, writer for Sondheim.com
With the recent revivals of Company in NYC and now London, many old
debates and a few new ones have surfaced regarding Bobby. Hal Prince has said
that Bobby was, at least originally, a device used to link a series of vignettes
about marriage. As originally directed, the whole evening is a "flashback" on the
occasion of Bobby's 35th Birthday, and as such, happens in his head. Although we
see everything through Bobby's point of view, or perhaps because we do, we don't
get much opportunity to examine HIS feelings and motivations in detail. One
reviewer (Mel Gussow of The New York Times) felt that Bobby's part was
"intentionally underwritten" and therefore, "especially difficult to play".
Sondheim has said that the whole score is "Brechtian" in nature - the songs
standing outside the action and commenting, rather than being born within the
scene from a character's intense emotion. This can make the show, (and Bobby)
seem very cold and remote. Exactly what to do with Bobby was evidently as
much a question with the creators as it has remained for fans. Perhaps the most
telling evidence of this is the three separate numbers written for Bobby's final
"anthem" - "Marry Me a Little", "Happily Ever After" and finally, "Being Alive".
It is in that song, many contend, that Bobby finally becomes a character - finally
establishes a point of view. Both Sondheim and Prince have said that "Being
Alive" is not the end they wanted, but Prince knew that the show needed some
kind of resolution at the end, and if the book wasn't going to provide it, then the
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2013-2014 Season
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score would have to. Of course, in the recent revivals, "Marry Me a Little" has
been reinserted, but at the end of Act I - to sort of define a halfway point for
Bobby. What this also does is to make Bobby more of a three dimensional and
realized character much earlier in the play. It almost forces an actor and director
to weigh Bobby's character with more importance than in the original
production.
The actor who originates a role often has a great effect on what the
character becomes, and it is interesting to note that the character was conceived
with Tony Perkins in mind, developed with Dean Jones in the role, and refined
with Larry Kert. Three quite different takes on the role, which can only add to
the trouble everyone has in defining it.
One of the central questions in an audience
member's mind is "Why won't/can't Bobby commit?"
Perhaps in the 90's the answer seems obvious, and he
doesn't seem so unusual, but in the 70's, to be antimarriage and commitment implied that there was
something "wrong" with you. Audiences and critics
began inventing reasons - that Bobby was a closet
homosexual was the most obvious. This would not work, of course, since such a
pat reason for Bobby's doubts and fears would negate much of the message of the
play. Sondheim and all of the original creators have repeatedly said that this isn't
the case, but the rumor continues. Apparently, early drafts of the show had a
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2013-2014 Season
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scene where Bobby mentions past liasons with men to Peter, who promptly
propositions him, and is turned down. One can imagine that the scene was
originally there to give Bobby the opportunity to examine, and remain unfulfilled
by, ALL forms of romantic committment. One can also imagine several dozen
reasons why the scenes may have been cut, but the least inflammatory and
probably most true would be that to drop a bomb like that without examining it
would be too distracting, and that examining it would pull the play off course.
The new British production is said to be restoring this scene. We'll have to wait
and see what comes of it.
There has been a trend in the more recent revivals to humanize Bobby
more, making the show more about him than about his friends. While this was
not the original intention, it is certainly a valid choice, and one which allows for
some fresh perspective on an old show. "And that's what it's all about, isn't it . . ."
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2013-2014 Season
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Company and the Concept Musical
By Thomas Hischak, for pbs.org
"What is a "concept musical"? Difficult to define, and
consequently even harder to trace historically, this form of
stage musical has sometimes been described as any show that is
bold and original in some aspect. A better definition might be
any musical that puts as much importance on the unique
manner of its presentation as on
its content. Concept musicals
tend to be less linear and more
thematic than the usual fare,
which suggests that the plays
and musicals by Bertolt Brecht
might be the source of the genre.
Looking specifically at
Broadway, many point to "Lady
The cast of a 2011 Production of Company
in the Dark" (1940) as the
granddad of the concept musical. The show was highly
expressionistic and took a psychological approach to characters;
the plot was secondary in importance. "Allegro" (1947) was a
less successful musical, but one that also used a bold method of
telling a rather conventional story. "Love Life" (1948), another
box-office disappointment, may be the best candidate for the
first concept musical; it disregarded the traditional use of time,
interrupted its action with jolting vaudeville numbers that
commented on the story, and even tried to illustrate
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2013-2014 Season
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sociological ideas by paralleling them to a long-term personal
relationship. "Anyone Can Whistle" (1964) was so disarming in
its presentation and "Hallelujah, Baby!" (1967) was so allencompassing in its scope that they have also been pointed out
as fledging concept shows. The allegorical "Celebration" (1969)
was similarly offbeat and unconventional; the fact that all three
shows failed at the box office also indicates something
conceptual about them.
Wherever it may have come from, the concept musical truly
arrived with Company (1970), which managed to be palatable to
audiences even as it broke just about every rule of musical
comedy. Company was expressionistic and psychological, it
played around with time and place, and it was unabashedly
contemporary. The show was successful in its own right, but
more importantly, it opened doors for similarly adventurous
musicals: "A Chorus Line" (1975), "Nine" (1982), "Assassins"
(1990), "Tommy" (1993), "Seussical" (2000) "Movin' Out"
(2002), "Spring Awakening" (2006), and others. Some of the
techniques of the concept musical would work their way into
even traditional, escapist Broadway musicals, such as "Barnum"
(1980), "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991), "Jersey Boys" (2005),
and "Tarzan" (2006). One never knows when the effects of the
concept musical will pop up again; its unpredictability and
tendency to surprise are among its strongest characteristics.
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Were George Furth, the author
of the book for Company, and
Stephen Sondheim, its
composer-lyricist, aware that
they were creating a concept
musical? The show started as a
series of short playlets about
New Yorkers that Furth envisioned as a nonmusical piece.
Producer-director Harold Prince saw them as a musical even
though there was no through plotline. The character of Bobby
was a unifying element thematically and was in most of the
scenes, but there still was no traditional story. By the time the
musical was finished, scenes overlapped in an expressionistic
manner. Characters who had never met each other appeared on
the stage at the same time. Past memories and regrets
combined with the present and they all were part of the whole
collage. Prince staged the musical unconventionally as well.
The action took place on different levels and various locales
sometimes merged on scenic designer Boris Aronson's
sculpture-like setting that used steel, Plexiglas, and projections.
Michael Bennett choreographed, and although there were few
conventional dances as such, the whole show moved like a
frantic urban ballet. Even the costumes were conceptual; each
character wore only one defining costume throughout the
performance: wedding dress for Amy, stewardess's uniform for
April, and so on. But a concept musical is more than just a
conceptual presentation.
Sondheim (r) with George Furth (l), who wrote the book
for Company
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Further Thoughts on Company
A Musical for City People by David Olivenbaum
Roundabout Theatre Company Study Guide
When Company was first produced, in 1970, it showed its
audiences their own lives on stage in a way that musicals had never
done. That doesn’t mean every previous musical fit the stereotype of
silly Broadway fluff. Some—such as West Side Story, Carousel, or
Fiddler on the Roof—were as moving or thought provoking as any good
play. Besides, Company isn’t “serious” at all. It is funny, sarcastic, and
full of the high energy we associate with musicals.
But its nervous rhythms, and its rather nasty tone—especially its
very unromantic view of marriage—gave it a modern, New York flavor
at a time when many people thought musicals were old-fashioned and
out of touch. It wasn’t a fantasy, or set in a distant time and place, or a
romance raised to operatic heights. Instead, it depicted New Yorkers
just like the audience sitting in the theatre—even if the reflection
wasn’t too flattering.
Of course, these people aren’t typical of everybody. For one thing,
they all seem to live in expensive high-rises. But Stephen Sondheim and
George Furth depict characters who—like anyone—get into
arguments, or are jealous of their husband or wife, or say one thing
when they mean another. And they try hard to be hip. They’re terrified
of not being sophisticated or cool enough. In Company, this feeling—the
pressure to be in on the latest thing, even if you’re not really
comfortable with it—is seen as part of the insistent pace of New York.
Characters in a musical had never sung this way before. Sondheim
conveys the sense of being a little off balance not just in the urgent
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2013-2014 Season
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pulse of his music, but also in his sometimes unbelievable rhymes. And
the characters often express their confused feelings in big, brassy
musical numbers—the way someone who’s trying to convince you of
something can be too wound up, too “on”.
That’s why some songs in Company seem like numbers we might
see in another type of musical. But these aren’t lighthearted singers and
dancers performing them—these are mixed-up people who act out their
problems musical comedy style. And that gives the songs an anxious
quality, as if the characters are straining to measure up to what they’re
singing about.
At the time that Company was first produced, society seemed to be
changing faster than some people could handle. Even a few years
earlier, many issues that these characters contend with—smoking pot,
or having a lot of sex before marriage, or being afraid to commit
themselves to marriage at all—hadn’t been talked about openly. Now,
marriages were falling apart more than ever before; some women
asserted their independence from their husbands for the first time.
People sometimes felt liberated, sometimes just confused. That’s the
background that Company is set against, and it’s the source of its
slightly hysterical tone.
Traditionally, people thought of musical comedy’s high energy as
the expression of an optimistic, wholesome attitude—a cliché of what
“American” is supposed to mean. In Company that energy is more the
result of a bad case of nerves. In this high-strung world, we can
recognize our own.
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2013-2014 Season
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Stephen Sondheim
March 22, 1930-Stephen Joshua
Sondheim is born in New York City
1937-Sondheim begins piano lessons
1945-Sondheim and his friends write
the school musical
1948-Phinney’s Rainbow is performed
at Williams College
1950-Sondheim graduates from Williams College
1956-After a few failed Broadway
attempts, Sondheim is chosen to write the lyrics for West
Side Story
1957-West Side Story opens on
Broadway
1959-Gypsy opens on Broadway
1962-A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum opens
1970-Company opens on Broadway
1971-Follies opens on Broadway
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1973-A Little Night Music opens on Broadway
1979-Sweeney Todd opens on Broadway
1984-Sunday in the Park with George opens on Broadway
1987-Into the Woods opens on Broadway
1990-Assasins opens Off-Broadway
1993-Sondheim is a recipient of the Kennedy Center
Honors
2008-Sondheim is presented with a special Tony Award
for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater.
2010-Sondheim’s 80th birthday is
celebrated by the New York
Philharmonic. Over the past 25
years, his shows had been revived
dozens of times, leaving Sondheim
a strong presence on Broadway.
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2013-2014 Season
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Other Musicals by Stephen Sondheim
West Side Story
Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, this musical with book by Arthur
Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and choreography by Jerome Robbins was
a breakthrough for the Broadway theatre for many reasons. Like On Your Toes
and Oklahoma!, it contributed to the pioneering use of dance in musicals as a
major story-telling device. Unlike the predecessors, its score juxtaposed many
styles for a much more dissonant and vibrant show, and the subject itself involved
more somber issues than previously tackled on
Broadway.
The show concerned rival gangs, one of
Puerto Rican immigrants, the other of second- and
third- generation Polish-Americans, and their
reactions when Tony, the ex- leader of the Jets (the
Polish-Americans), falls in love with Maria, the
sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks (the
Puerto Rican immigrants). Includes the songs
"Tonight," "Maria," and “Something's Coming."
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Based on the plays of Plautus, this musical with a book by Burt Shevelove
and Larry Gelbart reveled in "low comedy" without playing off anachronisms.
The plot concerned a young hero, named Hero, who has fallen in love with a
courtesan from next door. He promises freedom to his slave, Pseudolus, in
exchange for the girl. Out of the ordinary in that the songs' function was not to
advance plot or illuminate character, but rather to give the audience a
vaudevillian break from the breakneck pace of the farcical plot. Includes the songs
"Comedy Tonight," and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid."
Gypsy
Gypsy is based on the memoirs of Gypsy
Rose Lee, a famous burlesque stripper. The
musical focuses on her overbearing mother,
Rose, the quintessential stage mother, as she
pushes Gypsy (then known as Louise) and
her sister June into life on the vaudeville circuit,
forever trying to break into the
The Cover of the New Cast Recording of Gypsy, starring
Bernadette Peters (2003)
big time. One of the greatest musicals of all
time, Gypsy features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Sondheim, and a book by
Arthur Laurents. It was directed by legendary director/choreographer Jerome
Robbins and the original 1962 production starred Ethel Merman as Mama Rose.
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Into the Woods
Into the Woods blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a
childless Baker and his Wife, who catalyze the action of the story by attempting
to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.
In the first act, the characters set out to
achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever
After" through familiar routes - Cinderella
goes to the Ball and captures the heart of
Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk
and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little
Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the
wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel
Into the Woods Original Cast Recording
manages to escape her tower with the aid of a
handsome prince who climbs her long hair. The Baker and his Wife move
through their stories while pursuing their own goal - the witch who keeps
Rapunzel (revealed to be the Baker's sister) has put the curse on his house, and
agrees to lift it if the Baker and his Wife can find the ingredients to help her
reverse a spell which her mother has laid on her, keeping her old and ugly. Those
ingredients are: A Slipper As Pure As Gold, which the Baker's wife gets from
Cinderella, A Cow As White As Milk, which the Baker buys from Jack in
exchange for the fateful magic beans, A Cape As Red As Blood, which the Baker
gets from Little Red Riding Hood in exchange for freeing her and Granny from
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the Wolf, and Hair As Yellow As Corn, which they get from Rapunzel. The
ingredients are gathered, and the spell works, stripping the Witch of her power,
but restoring her beauty. At the end of Act I, all characters seem poised to live
"Happily Ever After".
Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales
conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does
marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf
the solution? Is the Giant always wrong? In Act Two, all the characters must
deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After". As they face a genuine
threat to their community, they realize that all actions have consequences, and
their lives are inescapably interdependent, but also that that interdependence is
their greatest strength. Featuring such great songs as “No One is Alone,”
“Agony” and “I Know Things Now.”
Sunday in the Park with George
A musical with book by James Lapine, based on the painting "A Sunday
Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for
Drama. George, a painter, has trouble connecting with his lover, Dot, when he
thinks he has to choose between her and painting because he can't balance them
both. The second act reveals that his great-grandson has similar problems, but he
is able to start working through them when he returns to the island (now covered
in condos) and is visited by a spectral vision of Dot.
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"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte"
Like Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday employs evolving musical motifs such as
Dot's first act showstopper, "We Do Not Belong Together," which eventually
becomes her message to the 1984 George: "Move On," in which she and George
realize, "We have always belonged together." Includes the songs "Finishing the
Hat," "Putting It Together," and "Children and Art."
A Little Night Music
Based on the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, this musical
with a book by Hugh Wheeler, concerns three mismatched couples. Desiree
Armfeldt, an actress, is seeing Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm who is married to
Charlotte Malcolm. Frederik Egerman, Desiree's past lover, is married to the
still-virginal Anne, who is half his age. Henrik Egerman, Frederik's son who is
also a divinity student, loves his stepmother Anne, who is a year younger than
him. Petra, Frederik and Anne's maid, Madame Armfeldt, Desiree's mother, and
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2013-2014 Season
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Frederica, Desiree's daughter round out the action which occurs in town and at
"A Weekend in the Country" at Madame Armfeldt's house in the land of the
midnight sun. The musical features a lieder quintet as a Greek chorus.
Sweeney Todd
Based on Christopher Bond's retelling of the Victorian pennydreadful The
String of Pearls, (which was itself a retelling of a British myth, possibly rooted in
truth) this musical (with a book by Hugh
Wheeler) tells the tale of Sweeney Todd, a
murderous barber, and his partner in crime,
Nellie Lovett, a baker who disposes of the bodies
by baking them into her pies. Meanwhile,
Anthony Hope, a sailor who saved Todd's life,
falls in love with Todd's estranged daughter,
Johanna, who is being brought up as the ward of
the twisted Judge Turpin. Includes the songs
"Not While I'm Around," "Pretty Women," and
A Sign for the Original Production of Sweeney Todd
"A Little Priest."
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A History of Musical Theater
The Broadway musical's history is a fascinating one. While Broadway
was a popular destination for theatre-goers for many years, it wasn't
until the end of the 19th century that plays featuring music and dance
became an entertainment staple on the Great White Way. Here is a
brief history of the musical on Broadway.
Early Years
The Seven Sisters opened in 1860 and was the first ever musical
performed on Broadway. The musical production ran for 253
performances. There are no known copies of the play or its score still in
existence.
The Black Crook, which premiered in 1866, is thought by many to be the
first real Broadway musical. It was a huge success, running for over a
year. There were eight revivals of the show on Broadway. Initially, the
show was a melodrama. A fire at a nearby theater displaced a ballet
troupe and its orchestra, so the producers of The Black Crook decided to
add the group to the show to create what they called "A Musical
Spectacular."
Burlesque was popular Broadway fare during the 1800s. In 1868, Lydia
Thompson brought her Burlesque troupe The British Blondes to New
York. The elaborate production, filled with comedy, extravagant sets
and risqué costumes, was a huge hit.
Broadway's theater district was one of the first areas in America to get
electric light. By 1880, one mile of the street was lit electrically,
earning the nickname, "The Great White Way."
Early 20th Century
In 1907, a new Broadway phenomenon was born. Originally called
Follies 1907, Flo Ziegfeld's lavish production would become a
Broadway staple for many years to come. New productions were
mounted each year until 1925, with additional productions produced in
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1927, 1931, 1934, 1936 and 1943. A final Ziegfeld Follies show was
produced in 1957, but was a failure.
When Showboat opened in December 1927, it was unlike anything The
Great White Way had ever seen. The early part of the 1920s had been
filled with lighthearted comedies, such as No No, Nanette and Funny
Face. Showboat featured dramatic themes and the first-ever completely
integrated book and score.
In 1935, the Gershwin brothers and DuBose Heyward debuted Porgy
and Bess. It featured an all African-American cast, which was quite
controversial at the time. While considered a masterpiece by many, it
has also been criticized for its racist portrayal of African-Americans.
The Golden Age
In 1943, Rodgers and
Hammerstein's first show,
Oklahoma!, was produced. The
duo would go on to write some
of the most beloved Broadway
Musicals in history, including
Carousel, South Pacific, The King
and I and The Sound of Music.
The Sound of Music
When Brigadoon premiered in 1947,
this show marked the first major
success of one of Broadway's other
power duos, Lerner and Loewe. They
had been collaborating for about five
years when Brigadoon premiered, and
they would continue to work
together for many years, creating
such memorable shows as My Fair
Hayden Tee as Arthur and Kimberly Burns as Guenevere in the
Pittsburgh Public Theater's 2011 production of Camelot
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Lady in 1958 and Camelot in 1960.
A New Era
Produced in the midst
of the politically
turbulent 1960s, Hair
was quite a departure
from the musicals of
the '40s and '50s, with
its counter-culture
themes and rockinspired score. With
high energy and a
HAIR
sparse use of costumes and sets, it opened the door for a more
aggressive, nontraditional form of musical, compared with the elaborate
song-and-dance shows that dominated previous decades.
In 1977, the hugely successful Annie debuted. Its young star, Andrea
McArdle, drew much acclaim for her portrayal of the charming redhaired orphan. Broadway show tickets sold fast for this optimistic,
upbeat musical, which represented a return to happier shows following
a decade of grittier, more dramatic musicals.
Cats began its successful
18-year run in 1981.
Composer Andrew Lloyd
Webber, already well
established with shows
like Jesus Christ Superstar
and Evita, would later go
on to write Phantom of the
Opera, the longestrunning show on
Broadway.
Jesus Christ Superstar
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In 1987, Les Miserables opened on Broadway. This popular show
continues to be one of the most-performed musicals worldwide. Les
Miserables is a sung-through musical, where all dialogue is sung, as in
operas.
Les Miserables
The '90s and Beyond
In recent years, the trend on Broadway has been to adapt films and
books into musical productions. Mel Brooks found huge success with a
musical version of his
comedy, The Producers.
Off-Broadway plays have
also found mainstream
success, led by Jonathan
Larson's hit show, Rent.
The original Broadway cast of Rent
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Meet the Director
TED PAPPAS celebrates his 14th season as
Producing Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Public
Theater and his 21st year of close association
with the company as a director. He has staged
more than 40 productions for The Public,
including the works of Euripides, Shakespeare,
Schiller, Wilde, Gilbert & Sullivan, and
Sondheim. Some highlights include Sophocles’
Electra, Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Kaufman &
Ferber’s The Royal Family, Peter Shaffer’s
Amadeus, Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses,
Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, the American premiere
of Alan Ayckbourn’s RolePlay, and the world premiere of Rob Zellers &
Gene Collier’s The Chief, which played The O’Reilly for seven seasons and
was filmed. His career began in New York City where he worked at
Playwrights Horizons, Joseph Papp’s Public Theater, John Houseman’s The
Acting Company, New York City Opera under the leadership of Beverly
Sills, and shows on and off Broadway. His regional credits are numerous and
varied and include productions for Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena
Stage in Washington DC, the Kennedy Center, the Canadian Opera
Company, Toronto’s Royal Alexandra, and Goodspeed Musicals. He staged
a hip-hop concert hosted by Harry Belafonte which galvanized the Cannes
Film Festival, directed a Las Vegas extravaganza for impresario Steve
Wynn, and served as choreographer for NBC’s legendary series “Saturday
Night Live.” He studied Shakespeare with Samuel Schoenbaum and modern
drama with Eric Bentley, and holds degrees from Northwestern University
and Manhattan’s Hunter College. He is a past president of the Stage
Directors and Choreographers Society, the national labor union.
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Meet the Actors
NANCY ANDERSON (Sarah) Broadway: Wonderful Town
(Helen, Eileen), A Class Act (Mona). West End and Tours: Kiss
Me Kate (Bianca - Olivier nomination, Helen Hayes nomination,
"PBS Great Performances"), Doctor Dolittle (Emma). OffBroadway: Eleanor in Far From Heaven (starring Kelli O'Hara),
Fanny Hill (Drama Desk nomination), Jolson & Co. (Drama
Desk nomination), Yank!, Ionescapade. Encores!: No, No,
Nanette, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Concerts: Carnegie Hall with Michael Feinstein,
92nd Street Y, Atlanta Symphony, and Birdland. Regional: Oolie in City of Angels
(Goodspeed), Peter Pan in Peter Pan and Gloria in Damn Yankees (Papermill), First
Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare Theater), Side by Side by
Sondheim (Signature Theater DC - Helen Hayes nomination), She Loves Me (Westport,
Papermill), The Women (Old Globe), By Jeeves (Kennedy Center), The Black Monk
(Yale Rep), Johanna, Crazy for You (Pioneer Playhouse). CD, Ten Cents a Dance.
Upcoming cast albums: Far From Heaven, Yank! Mesmeralda (singing voice) on
Skylanders: Swapforce video game. www.nancyanderson.name.
COURTNEY BALAN (Amy) has appeared in the original Broadway
companies of [title of show], Cry-Baby, and In My Life. OffBroadway: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; I Love You
Because; Rated P for Parenthood; The Extraordinary Ordinary; [title
of show]; The Marvelous Wonderettes; How To Save the World;
and Stars of David. Her most recent regional roles include Funny
Girl (Fanny Brice) at Riverside Theatre in Florida; Into the Woods
(Baker's Wife) at the Alliance in Atlanta; The Music Man (Marian) at
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 26
Connecticut Repertory Theatre; Urinetown (Pennywise) at Theatre Raleigh; and A
Grand Night for Singing (Alyson) at Bucks County Playhouse. Courtney is originally
from New Jersey and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre
department. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association. For more information
please visit www.courtneybalan.wordpress.com
PAUL BINOTTO (Peter) is very glad to be back at
Pittsburgh Public Theater. His Pittsburgh credits
include The Public's 1776, American Radio Company
of the Air with Garrison Keillor at Heinz Hall, Starlight
Express at the Benedum Center, Miss Saigon with the
Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Peer Gynt at the
Playhouse REP, and several shows at the University
of Pittsburgh a long time ago! His Broadway credits include: the original cast of
Dreamgirls, the first revival of Hair, Starlight Express, King of Schnorrers, One Night
Stand, and It's So Nice To Be Civilized. Off-Broadway credits include: Forever Plaid,
Enter Laughing, and Ionescopade. Earlier this year Paul played Gustav Mahler in Love,
Genius and a Walk in the Midtown International Theatre Festival (Outstanding Lead
Actor in a Play nomination). He also played a rogue FBI agent in the soon-to-bereleased movie, Cold in July. Originally from Canonsburg, Paul makes his home in New
York.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 27
JUDY BLAZER (Joanne) Broadway: Love Musik, 45
Seconds from Broadway, Titanic, Me and My Girl, A Change
in the Heir. Off-Broadway: Whida Peru; Resurrection Tango;
New York City Opera's Sweeney Todd and Candide; The
Torch Bearers, Hurrah at Last, Bernalda Alba, and Hello
Again (Lincoln Center Theater); Connecticut Yankee (Encores!); Twyla Tharp's Everlast
(Metropolitan Opera). Regionally: title roles of Funny Girl, The Night Governess, The
Miracle Worker, Peter Pan, and My Fair Lady. Additional: Twelfth Night, On the 20th
Century, Lend Me a Tenor, The Thomashefskys with Michael Tilson Thomas (for "PBS
Great Performances"). Television: "Law & Order," "As the World Turns," "Guiding Light,"
"Bernstein's New York," and "In Performance at the White House."
ELIZABETH BROADHURST (Susan) is delighted to be
performing in Pittsburgh, her second home, having married into
the Altman Family, natives of Brookline! New York has seen
Elizabeth as Grace in Annie (Theater at Madison Square Garden)
opposite Kathie Lee Gifford and Conrad John Schuck. Most
recently, Elizabeth toured the country for four years with the
National Tour of Mary Poppins, understudying Mary, Mrs. Banks,
and Mrs. Andrew (the evil nanny), and eventually taking over for Mrs. Banks in her final
years. Other touring credits include Annie, 30th Anniversary Tour (Grace) and Hair
(European Tour, Jeanie U/S). Regional credits include: 1776 at The Guthrie Theater
(Martha Jefferson), Two Gentlemen of Verona, the rock musical at Baltimore Center
Stage (Milkmaid), and Kiss Me Kate at Gateway Playhouse (Ensemble). Elizabeth can
be heard singing Grace on the Annie, 30th Anniversary Cast Recording (Time Life
Records) and holds a BFA from The Boston Conservatory.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 28
DARREN ELIKER (Larry) most recently appeared at The Public as
John Dickinson in last season's production of 1776. Past PPT
performances include ART (Serge), Metamorphoses (Midas), The
Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Syracuse), with appearances in
Oedipus the King, The Tempest, and Broadway. Other local roles
include Pittsburgh Irish & Classical's Copenhagen (Heisenberg),
Hamlet (Claudius), The Seagull (Aston), The Cripple of Inishmaan
(Babbybobby), The Rivals (Jack Absolute), Translations (George), and leading roles in
She Stoops to Conquer and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Macbeth, All My Sons, The
Grapes of Wrath, and Death of a Salesman (Starlight Productions); The Underpants
and Picasso at the Lapin Agile (City Theatre); The Lion in Winter (Unseam'd
Shakespeare); and Take 2 Interactive's Black Dahlia (VG-1998). He is a prolific voiceover artist with numerous awards for his work in radio advertising and a graduate of
Carnegie Mellon University's drama program.
DAINA MICHELLE GRIFFITH (Jenny) is thrilled to
begin the New Year back at The Public! Company
marks her sixth production with PPT, having previously
been seen in Circle Mirror Transformation (Theresa),
Metamorpheses (Aphrodite), Amadeus (Constanze),
Cabaret, and Broadway. Most recently, Daina appeared in Well at Off the Wall Theater
and The Motherf**ker With the Hat with barebones productions. She's performed with
theaters across the country including Kansas City Starlight, Gateway Playhouse,
Human Race Theater, NYC International Fringe, and heXtc, to name a few. Locally,
she's performed with Quantum Theatre, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical
Theatre, The REP, Bricolage, No Name Players, Carrnivale Theatrics, Prime Stages,
Pittsburgh CLO, and Pittsburgh Musical Theater. Televions: "Guidng Light," "Munhall."
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 29
Film: Civilians, Love and Other Drugs, The Dark Knight Rises (Foley's wife). Daina was
recently named Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's 2013 Performer of the Year.
LEE HARRINGTON (Kathy) is excited to be making her
Pittsburgh Public debut in Company! Favorite credits
include Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati Playhouse in
the Park), Marvelous Wonderettes (Stoneham Theatre),
Man of La Mancha (Shakespeare Theatre of New
Jersey), Fiddler on the Roof (West Virginia Public), and 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee and Dead Man's Cell Phone (Carnegie Mellon). Lee also has a onewoman show, Jellybean, directed by Daniel Jenkins, that she performs at the PIT in
New York. Training: Carnegie Mellon University. Represented by Stewart Talent.
LARA HAYHURST (April) is thrilled to be performing with
Pittsburgh Public Theater, where she was an intern and
Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest participant 10 years
ago! Now a New Yorker with a BFA from Pace University, some
favorite credits include Kim in the National Tour of Bye Bye
Birdie, Clara in The Light in the Piazza (Carbonell nomination,
Best Supporting Actress), Dainty June in Gypsy and Amber in
Hairspray (both at Fulton Theater), and Margot in Legally Blonde (Maine State). Locally
she has been seen as Elle in Legally Blonde and Maria in The Sound of Music, both
with Pittsburgh Musical Theater. LaraHayhurst.com for more!
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 30
BILLY HEPFINGER (Paul) is ecstatic to make his debut with The
Public in one of his favorite musicals. A graduate of Princeton and a
Pittsburgh native, Billy's local credits include Pittsburgh CLO (Plaid
Tidings, Side By Side By Sondheim, A Musical Christmas Carol),
Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (Three Sisters, Ivanov),
Pittsburgh Musical Theater (The Sound of Music, Hairspray), City
Theater (2011 Young Playwrights Festival), the REP (Antarktikos),
and Carrnivale Theatrics (Next to Normal). NYC: workshop of
Tamar of the River (Prospect Theater Company).
BENJAMIN HOWES (Harry) hails from Australia where
his credits include Les Miserables, Beauty and the
Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, and Grease. Here in the
U.S., his credits include Broadway: Scandalous, Mary
Poppins, [title of show]. National Tours: Mary Poppins,
Shrek the Musical. Off-Broadway: Mint Theatre
Company, Vinyard, Encores!, and many regional theaters. His television credits include
"Flight of the Conchords," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and a small but glamorous
recurring role on "One Life to Live" as a Shakespeare-reciting drag queen, Alma
Children. Full scoop at www.benjaminhowes.com. Twitter: @benjthestar
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 31
DANIEL KRELL (David) is happy to return to The Public for his
22nd appearance with the company. His performances here
have encompassed contemporary works, classics, and musicals
and include such favorites as Born Yesterday, As You Like It,
Circle Mirror Transformation, A Moon for the Misbegotten,
Metamorphoses, Amadeus, Cabaret, Oedipus the King, Much
Ado About Nothing, Sweeney Todd, and most recently the
acclaimed Our Town. He has played a variety of major roles with
the region's professional theaters, such as City Theater, CLO, Quantum, Bricolage,
Pittsburgh Irish & Classical, and The REP as well as with theaters around the country,
including Clarence Brown Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, and Gateway Playhouse
among others. Mr. Krell is also a veteran of many films, commercials, industrials and
voice-overs.
HANNAH SHANKMAN (Marta) is thrilled to be making her
Pittsburgh Public debut! Broadway: Hair, West End: Hair,
National Tours: Rent and Les Miserables. Regional: Side Show
(La Jolla Playhouse), The Last Goodbye (Westside Theatre and
Joe's Pub), Tommy (Berkshire Theatre Group), After the
Revolution and Golden Gate (Williamstown Theatre Festival),
Rent (Syracuse Stage), Pippin (ReVision Theatre). Other NYC
credits: Beauty Queens (The Lark), Kaspar Hauser (The Flea),
Girls in Trouble (The Flea). Film/TV: "The 85th Annual Academy Awards"
Singer/Performer for the film Les Miserables.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 32
JIM STANEK (Robert) is a Cranberry Township native
who's been a working actor in New York City (but still
rooting for the Pirates, Penguins, & Steelers!) for the last 20
years, living with his wife, Beth, and their three boys. He
couldn't be happier to be "home" playing Bobby in his
Pittsburgh Public Theater debut! He got his start at Seneca
Valley, Comtra, and Pittsburgh CLO. After graduating from
Carnegie Mellon, he made his Broadway debut going on
(nude) for Jude Law in Indiscretions. He then played Hero (not nude), for two years in A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Other Broadway: The Rivals, Little
Women, Lestat, and The Story of My Life. Besides multitudes of Off-Broadway/Regional
shows, commercials, and voiceovers, his TV/Film Credits include: "Law & Order",
"Guiding Light," "As the World Turns," "The Good Wife," Borough of Kings, and Bella,
recordings of ...Forum, Frankenstein, 3hree Musketeers, Sweet Bye and Bye, Kitty's
Kisses, Lestat and songs on Out of Context and Love on a Summer Afternoon. He most
recently played "Son" opposite Marlo Thomas' "Mother" in the world premiere of Clever
Little Lies at George Street Playhouse. His last performance in "The 'Burgh" was Leo
Bloom in Pittsburgh CLO's The Producers.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 33
Theater Etiquette
When you visit the theater you are attending a live performance with actors that
are working right in front of you. This is an exciting experience for you and the
actor. However, in order to have the best performance for both the audience and
actors there are some simple rules to follow. By following these rules, you can
ensure that you can be the best audience member you can be, as well as keep the
actors focused on giving their best performance.
1. Turn off all cell phones, beepers, watches etc.
2. Absolutely no text messaging during the performance.
3. Do not take pictures during the performance.
4. Do not eat or drink in the theater.
5. Do not place things on the stage or walk on the stage.
6. Do not leave your seat during the performance unless it is an emergency.
If you do need to leave for an emergency, leave as quietly as possible and
know that you might not be able to get back in until after intermission.
7. Do clap—let the actors know you are enjoying yourself.
8. Do enjoy the show and have fun watching the actors.
9. Do tell other people about your experience and be sure to ask questions and
discuss the performance.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 34
Discussion Questions
1) We see Robert’s surprise party happen at three different points in
the musical. Each occasion the events go differently. When the
musical ends, the third surprise party is underway, but Robert
never shows up. Stephen Sondheim has created an interesting
structure. What is Stephen Sondheim getting at by structuring
the plot this way? What message is an audience deriving?
2) What do you think are Robert’s priorities in life? How do these
priorities compare to his friends’ priorities?
3) How would you describe Robert? What would you say are his
positive and negative personality traits?
4) Why do you think getting married is so important to all of the
characters in Company? Why do all of Robert’s friends worry
about him not get married?
5) Robert often says he’s ready to get married, but his friends
disagree with that conviction. Why do they have conflicting
views? In what ways do you think Robert is ready to get married
and in what ways might he not be?
6) Company is a show about marriage. Attitudes and practices
regarding marriage have changed since its premiere in 1970, but
in some ways it is still the same institution. Explain.
7) Company is a non-linear musical, meaning that it does not follow a
straight-forward storyline. Instead, it is made up of vignettes, or
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 35
short, somewhat unrelated stories. What does this add to the play
and why did Sondheim choose this style of story-telling?
8) The following conversation happens between Joanne and Robert
towards the end of the musical.
“Joanne: There’s my place. It’s free tomorrow after two. Larry
goes to his gym, then right to the office. Don’t talk. Don’t do your folksy
Harold Teen with me. You’re a terribly attractive man. The kind of a
man most women want and never seem to get. I’ll take care of you.
Robert: (pause) But who will I take care of?
Joanne: Well did you hear yourself? Did you hear what you just
said, kiddo?
Robert: I didn’t mean that.
Joanne: Oh, I just heard a door open that’s been stuck a long time.”
What revelation has been made by Robert? How does this affect
how the musical ends?
9) In the final song of the play, Robert contemplates “Being Alive.”
What conclusions does he arrive at? What other things are
similarly part of “being alive” for you?
10) Do you think the various married couples presented in Company
are realistic? If you could add another type of couple into the
musical, what would they be like?
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 36
Pennsylvania Academic Standards
The plays of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 39th season, subtitled the
Masterpiece Season, are a wonderful celebration of some of the
greatest works in theatrical history, with rich benefits for school
students. The 2013-2014 line-up features a six-play subscription series,
all by world renowned composers and playwrights that hold a special
place in any theater enthusiast’s heart. The Masterpiece Season will
provide examples of the wittiest dialogue, the sharpest characters, and
the most captivating scores.
Applicable to All Plays and Productions:
Arts and Humanities Standards and Reading-Writing-Speaking-Listening
Standards
Attendance and participation by students at any play produced by
Pittsburgh Public Theater bears direct applicability to the PA Education
Standards in Arts and Humanities and Reading-Writing-SpeakingListening (RWSL). These applicable standards are summarized first.
Then, each play for Season 39 is taken in turn, and its relevance to
standards in other Academic Content Areas is cited. All standards are
summarized by conceptual description, since similar concepts operate
across all the grade levels served by The Public’s Education-Outreach
programs (Grades 4 through 12); the principal progressive difference is
from basics such as Know, Describe and Explain, moving through grade
levels towards more mature activities such as Demonstrate,
Incorporate, Compare-Contrast, Analyze and Interpret.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 37
9.1: Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and
Visual Arts
Elements

Scenario • script/text • set design • stage productions • read and write
scripts • improvise • interpret a role • design sets • direct.
Principles





Balance • collaboration • discipline • emphasis • focus • intention •
movement • rhythm • style • voice.
Comprehensive vocabulary within each of the arts forms.
Communicate a unifying theme or point of view through the production of
works in the arts.
Explain works of others within each art form through performance or
exhibition.
Know where arts events, performances and exhibitions occur and how to
gain admission.
9.2: Historical and Cultural Contexts
 The historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in the arts.
 Works in the arts related chronologically to historical events, and to varying
styles and genres, and to the periods in which they were created.
 Analyze a work of art from its historical and cultural perspective, and
according to its geographic region of origin.
 Analyze how historical events and culture impact forms, techniques and
purposes of works in the arts.
 Philosophical beliefs as they relate to works in the arts.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 38
When Company hit the Broadway stage in 1970 it swept the Tony Awards and in
one master stroke propelled the American musical into a completely new era.
Company was hailed as the first musical play about adults, for adults, and it
marked the beginning of Sondheim’s ascendency as a master expositor of inner
character through music and lyrics that continually conjure far more than the sum
of their parts. Sondheim’s re-visioning of meaning in musical idiom over the
course of a 60-year career can well be compared to Thornton Wilder’s quest a
half-century earlier to illuminate and amplify meaning through the stripping away
of distracting externals.
Family and Consumer Sciences
 Justify the significance of interpersonal communication skills in the practical
reasoning method of decision making.
Student Interpersonal Skills
 Evaluate the emotional responses in relation to the impact on self and
others at home, school, work, and community.
 Demonstrate personal traits leading to positive relationships and life
achievements.
 Actively engage in creating and promoting an environment that encourages
healthy relationships (upstanders vs. bystanders) and positive responsibility
as an observer of negative behavior.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 39
References
Abernathy, June. "Bobby Baby." Stephen Sondheim Stage. N.p., n.d. Web.
Summer 2013.
<http://www.sondheim.com/discussions/bobby.html>
Cheever, Jenney. "A Brief Broadway Musicals History." Life123. N.p.,
n.d. Web. Fall 2013.
Hischak, Thomas. "Company and the Concept Musical." PBS. PBS,
2008. Web. Summer 2013.
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/company/essay1.html>
Hutchins, Michael H. "Sondheim: A Chronology." The Stephen Sondheim
Reference Guide. N.p., 17 Aug. 2010. Web. Summer 2013.
Pope, Deborah. “Company NYNEX Family Series Study Guide.”
Roundabout Theatre Company. Print.
"Shows." Sondheim.com. N.p., 2004. Web. Summer 2013.
Company
2013-2014 Season
Page 40

Pittsburgh Public Theater Company 2013

Transcription

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