Theater Latte Da to Open its 15th Season With COMPANY, Beginning 10/25
By: Kelsey Denette
Theater Latté Da announced today they will produce Company, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth, this fall at the Ordway Center's McKnight Theatre. Company will preview October 25 and October 26, open on October 27, and run through November 18, 2012.
As Minnesota grapples with defining marriage, Theater Latté Da presents Stephen Sondheim's insightful and hilarious examination of marriage in contemporary society. On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert Contemplates his unmarried state. Surrounded by "those good and crazy people, his married friends," Robert weighs the pros and cons of married life, leading to one of the most profound conclusions in the American Theater. Company showcases Sondheim at his brilliant, witty best; songs including "Another Hundred People," "Side by Side," "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive." Company is the winner of 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Lyrics and Best Book.Robert will be played by Dieter Bierbrauer. Dieter is currently starring in Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's production of Xanadu. His Theater Latté Da credits include Violet, Parade, Floyd Collins, A Man of No Importance and A Christmas Carole Petersen. "I have long respected Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's concept musical about the institution of marriage, but I have never chosen to produce it because it spoke to another time, place and ideology," said Theater Latté Da's Artistic Director Peter Rothstein. "However, today we as a nation are radically re-examining our ideas around marriage, and Furth and Sondheim's insightful, humorous and artful exploration feels more relevant than ever.""I think Company also has new relevance today because of the drastic shifts in our communication systems. Technology has transformed the way we meet one another, the way we communicate with one another and the way we express intimacy. Our production will strive to illuminate this dramatic shift."Tickets for Company are available starting at $19 and are on sale through the Ordway Center at www.Ordway.org or by calling 651-224-4222. Group discounts are also available through Theater Latté Da by contacting groups@latteda.org or 612-339-3003. Company is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.