Southwark Stages Sondheim Company, 9 Feb

The show, which marks the Southwark Playhouse’s first musical production since it was founded in 1993, will run from 9 February to 12 March 2011 (previews from 2 February) with a cast led by Rupert Young and Siobhan McCarthy.

Company, which has a book by George Furth, centres on the exploits of Robert (Bobby), a 35-year-old bachelor living in New York. When his (mostly married) friends throw a surprise party for him in his apartment, it sparks a series of vignettes examining the pros and cons of marriage, each featuring one of the couples and Robert. The score includes “Marry Me a Little”, “Being Alive”, “Side by Side” and “You Could Drive a Person Crazy”.

The original Broadway production in 1970 won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Lyrics, and transferred to the West End in 1972.

It received a major revival at the Donmar in 1995, the cast of which reunited for a celebratory concert performance at the West End’s Queen’s Theatre earlier this month (7 November 2010). It will receive a major revival next Christmas at Sheffield Theatres when Daniel Evans stars in Jonathan Munby’s production.

The forthcoming Southwark Playhouse production will be directed by Joe Fredericks (associate director on Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi) and star Rupert Young (National Theatre’s Afterlife and Never So Good) as Bobby. The supporting cast will include Siobhan McCarthy, who originated the role of Donna in Mamma Mia! (for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award), as Joanne.

Company is produced by Joe Fredericks and Holly Reiss for MokitaGrit Productions and Danielle Tarento, in association with Southwark Playhouse.