Q&A: Company

Photo by Riyad Mustapha.

Artist-led company Theatre 20 is staging Sondheim and Furth's Tony Award-winning musical Company in Toronto for the first time in almost 30 years. Now playing at the Berkeley Street Theatre (Downstairs), the new production directed by Gary Griffith features an all-star cast including Brent Carver, Dan Chameroy, Louise Pitre, Carly Street and Nia Vardalos. The story follows Bobby (Chameroy), a single man unable to commit to a steady relationship, the married couples who are his best friends, and his three on-again, off-again girlfriends.

Here, we chat with company member Nora McLellan about her role in the show.

Theatromania: How would you describe Theatre 20’s production of Company in a few sentences?

NM: Our director Gary Griffin really wanted us to showcase who we are as a company and why we decided to become a company. We picked the show because we thought it would represent who we are and how much we love each other as a group and collective. It is an artist-led production!

Theatromania: You play Sarah. Tell us about your character and her motivations. How did you prepare for this role?

NM: I play Sarah who is married to Harry played by Brent Carver. Brent and I are very dear friends and we have a very solid relationship! This piece is about examining relationships and our characters are very competitive. I am not eating, he is not drinking and therein lies a bit of tension which Bobby is witness to.

Theatromania: What are some of the challenges in staging this particular musical?

NM: Sondheim is huge in terms of his music and lyrics. His work is so detailed, and Furth wrote a series of one act plays that Sondheim comments on or completes. It's wonderful and difficult! We are doing the play together, as if Bobby is remembering his interactions with his girlfriends and his married friends, so that he can ultimately move in a different direction than he is at the start...so in this production we quite literally do not leave him!

Theatromania: Have you learned anything new from this experience?

NM: I am learning a lot about Sondheim and Furth from Gary Griffin. He is a master at this material and it's a pleasure to be in the room with him!

Theatromania: What's next for you?

NM: Anything that comes my way!

See Nora McLellan in Theatre 20's Company until 13 at the Berkeley Street Theatre. Visit theatre20.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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