Company to star Patti LuPone in London from September 2018
Company, directed by Marianne Elliott, is to star Broadway legend when it runs at the Gielgud Theatre in September next year.
Stephen Sondheim's musical follows single man Bobby who is unable to hold down a steady relationship, and sees his interactions with his best friends (five married couples and three girlfriends) on his 35th birthday.j
This production will see the roles gender-swapped (the first production allowed to do this by Sondheim), and will star Broadway legend Patti LuPone and Rosalie Craig.
During a talk ahead of the National Theatre run of his musical Follies, Stephen Sondheim called Marianne Elliot "one of the best directors in the world", and said "if it doesn't work, it's not going to kill Company...to me, it's exciting." Sondheim has also allowed minor revisions to the musical.
Patti LuPone's illustrious stage career includes originating the roles Fantine in the London production of Les Miserables, Eva Peron in the Broadway production of Evita and Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. She has most recently appeared in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in New York, and as Helena Rubinstein in the musical War Paint. Read more about Patti LuPone's career.
Rosalie Craig is known for her work in musical theatre including the world premiere of Tori Amos's musical The Light Princess at the National Theatre in 2013, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. Other credits include City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Finding Neverland (Leicester Curve), Ragtime (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and London Road at the National Theatre.
Marianne Elliott is probably best known for directing War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time for the National Theatre. Teaming up with producer Chris Harper, Eliot and Harper Productions' first venture together will be Heisenberg, starring Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff at Wyndham's Theatre.
The last major London revival of Company was in 1995 when Sam Mendes directed a production at the Donmar Warehouse. It starred Adrian Lester as the first black actor to play Bobby in a major production of the show, and the majority of the cast reunited for a special concert to celebrate Sondheim's 80th birthday in 2010.
Company will run at the Gielgud Theatre from 26th September 2018 until 22nd December 2018.
Company Tickets will be available from 3pm today (22nd September).
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