Dorset Players closing 97th season with dazzling ‘Company’

Scenes from the musical “Company” now on stage at the Dorset Players through May 25. Photos by Angela Merwin.

By Telly Halkias, Manchester Journal

Ninety-seven seasons is the stuff of legend, whether in the world of theater or any other public interaction endeavor. That’s the campaign the Dorset Players are looking to wrap this coming week with a giant cast taking on the song and dance modern classic “Company.”

The 1970 six-time Tony-award winning show’s music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, with book by George Furth and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Directing for the Players are Tom Ferguson and Paul Michael Brinker, musical direction is by Michael Gallagher, and choreography by Susi Thomas.

The story is set in New York City in 1970. There, Robert (Michael Nicholas-Pate), a confirmed bachelor, is on the eve of his 35th birthday, and contemplates his unmarried state.