A tribute to a legend

A year ago, Eric de Lora was sitting in the audience of the Western Wyoming Community College theater, watching the performance of "Once Upon a Mattress" that he directed, but he was already thinking ahead to future shows. De Lora's thoughts also kept returning to Stephen Sondheim, the legendary Broadway composer and lyricist who had died just a few months before at 91 years old.

"I just thought, we should do something because everybody's doing something as kind of a tribute to Sondheim," de Lora, the theater director at Western, explained.

Western's theater department is no stranger to Sondheim, having done several shows written by him in the past, including the classics "Into the Woods" (several times, under several theater directors) and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." As de Lora watched the students up on stage, he started thinking through which Sondheim shows they could do.

"As a teacher, I'm always trying to match the show to the students that I have right at that time," he explained.

Then it occurred to him - these students could do "Company."

"It's a show that I've always wanted to do, but you just kind of wait to have the right group of folks to do it," de Lora said. "And it just felt like they could handle it."

A show that stood out

"Company" is a show de Lora has been familiar with since he was young. Growing up in Fresno, California, de Lora went on a high school field trip to see a production of the musical just a few years after its 1970 Broadway opening. He remembers being "blown away" by it.

His love for the musical and its composer only grew during college, when he would go to the library to check out an album of a musical revue with songs by Stephen Sondheim, including songs from "Company."

The musical not only made Sondheim stand out to de Lora, but it helped establish his reputation in the world of Broadway.

"This is the show that sort of put him on the map as a composer," de Lora explained.

While he would go on to write musicals that have become even more famous and been adapted into films, like "Into the Woods" and "Sweeney Todd," it was "Company" that helped Sondheim become more well-known and establish a signature style. It also stood out as a unique show for the time.

"From a musical theater history standpoint, it sort of establishes a new way of thinking about musicals," de Lora said.

When writing "Company," Sondheim and George Furth, who wrote the book for the show, came up with something unlike the other musicals of the time. They took several small one-act plays and put them together into one story line, with one character and the music tying everything else together.

"They kind of, in their own accidental way, created something that was kind of unique," de Lora said, explaining that the new style was a mixture of the older vaudeville style of shows, with disconnected sketches and songs, and the newer concept of musicals that told a full story.

Even though he's been familiar with the show for a long time, de Lora said he has never actually had the opportunity to direct it until now. But with the "happy coincidence of all that converging" with wanting to honor Sondheim and having the right group of students to do it, the time to put "Company" on stage had finally come.

A theatrical challenge

While he was confident the current students in Western's theater program could put together a good production of "Company," de Lora also knew he could use it as an opportunity to challenge them and stretch their skills.

For one thing, the actors, who are all college students in their late teens or early 20s, have to portray middle-aged characters in different stages of their lives. Finding ways to connect to and portray these characters realistically helps them develop their acting abilities.

But perhaps the most challenging part of the production is the fact that it is a Sondheim musical.

"His shows are always challenging because the music is so difficult," de Lora said.

Music written by Sondheim is typically "not music you can dance to," according to de Lora, and has meters that are constantly changing and tricky rhythms. Because the score is so technically difficult, the cast members started working on it several months ago, around late November or early December, just so they could get familiar with it.

Despite the challenge, de Lora said it's been a rewarding process for the students now that they've mastered the music and can focus on the messages.

"They start really processing the lyrics, then that's when they start to feel the heart and soul, they start to find meaning and depth," he said. "Even though it's hard at the beginning there's a real pay-off in terms of what they can connect to."

The students themselves have told de Lora that the music was hard at first but now they love performing it and they have even cried over the lyrics.

"It's been a challenging journey, but I think we're there," de Lora said. "We just want an audience to come be rewarded with how hard they've worked."

A story to connect to

De Lora hopes people will come to the show, both to appreciate the hard work of the students and to appreciate the depth of a Sondheim musical.

"Company" follows the character of Robert as he interacts with five different couples who are his friends, and it explores the question of marriage and relationships as Robert wonders whether he should be married and what the meaning of love is. Because it explores a variety of people in different stages of relationships, de Lora believes it has something everyone can relate to.

"It's interesting for folks to come and kind of connect and identify with the characters because they see themselves in one of those characters," he said. "I think it kind of gives you a window into what could be or what has been, the future, the past, depending on where you are in your present. Come and be prepared to be moved and made to laugh and maybe made a little bit to think and ponder, but not too much."

While Sondheim's shows can be a challenge to produce and perform, de Lora also hopes their performance can help audiences realize the show itself isn't a challenge to watch or enjoy.

While he admitted Sondheim had a reputation for creating shows that make people think and may require a little more attention, he also wants to dismantle the notion that the show is too difficult.

Helping present the show in an accessible way by doing the best production they can is part of how de Lora hopes they can honor Sondheim's memory and pay tribute to his legacy.

"Somewhere, we hope he's listening and paying attention to all of this," de Lora said. "We like to think that he is."

"Company" will be performed March 2, 3, and 4 at 7:30 p.m., with a public matinee on Saturday, March 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors and are available online or by calling the Box Office at (307) 382-1721. Western notes that this production may not be suitable for those under 13 without a parent due to adult themes, alcohol, and strong language.