Addy Pittenger/The Denisonian
ADDY PITTENGER, Arts & Life Editor—After two years of theatre productions being either pre-recorded or in various outdoor locations, the Denison Singers’ Theatre Workshop was proud to present their production of “Company,” a musical comedy written by iconic American composer, Stephen Sondheim, and George Furth
The story follows 35 year old Bobby, played by Max Wisnefski ‘24, and his journey of navigating life as a single man while the rest of his married peers carry on with theirs. As he approaches the complications of relationships through three women, Bobby continues to reluctantly strain from the idea of marriage and commitment despite his friends trying to convince him to do so. Bobby’s journey of coming to terms with his loneliness and isolation allows him to realize that his friends and loved ones are the only people he needs to keep him company and feel alive.
Kevin Wines, the director of the production, stated that he chose this show for the student body. He stated that “even though the show was written 50 years ago, it speaks to peoples’ lives now… after covid and everything, what we all need is company.”
With this being the first inside in-person production since 2020, a couple cast members shared some of the things that they were grateful for during the run of the show. Katherine Barbour ‘22, ensemble member and wedding soloist, mentioned that everything has been running smoothly despite the covid protocols, that everyone is taking precaution to hopefully see things go back to as normal as they can be.
“I think a lot of us just really miss performing on stage together, so we’ll do anything to make sure that happens,” Barbour stated.
Anna Buescher ‘24, ensemble member, expressed the gratitude that she felt to be able to sing with everyone again, that it was weird being masked up around everyone until then. “The show highlights our singers very well, being together in itself is one of the best things that we all could have asked for.”
Every member of the cast had their shining spotlights throughout the whole production with numbers to highlight each cast member. One outstanding performance was Bridget Welch ‘22 who out-sung any fast rapper with her outstanding number “Getting Married Today” as her character, Amy, panics about marrying her fiancé, Paul, played by Sam Fujikawa ‘22.
The most iconic song from the production, “Being Alive,” (sung by Wisnefski ‘24) blew the audience away while also leaving them to shed some tears. The song is a love song, not to a significant other, but rather oneself. Instead of conforming to the example of his friends, “Being Alive” is about understanding what an individual’s own values are and what really matters to them. It’s the simplest things that can make one happy by simply being alive and just living, a very bitter-sweet ending ballad to a remarkable show about loving oneself.
If you didn’t have the chance to see company this weekend, hopefully you take the chance to listen to the musical on your own. After two years of having to stay distant with friends and loved ones, we all need a little company in our lives to show us what we are grateful for. “Company” brought not only singers and performers back together again to do what they love, but it also brought the Denison community back together as we cheered on our fellow students, and enjoyed a wonderful, meaningful production all together again.
