Stephen Sondheim’s Company opens January 16 at The Cabrillo Playhouse, running through February 8, and brings together a cast uniquely suited to one of musical theatre’s most intimate and ensemble-driven works. Told through a series of sharply observed vignettes, Company follows Robert, a bachelor surrounded by friends whose marriages, relationships, and contradictions force him to confront his own fears about connection and commitment.
This production marks the first show in Cabrillo Playhouse’s newly renovated space, a fitting setting for a musical that lives or dies on closeness, honesty, and the chemistry between performers. While the updates expand what is possible onstage, the heart of the production remains firmly with the people telling the story.
Eric T. Anderson stars as Robert, or Bobby, bringing depth and vocal strength to the role. Anderson’s past work includes leading roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Sweeney Todd, Something Rotten, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and he also performs with the OC Gay Men’s Chorus.
The couples who shape Bobby’s world are portrayed by a deeply experienced ensemble of performers. Katie Nicol and Marc Marger play Sarah and Harry, a sharp-witted, tightly wound pair whose affection is inseparable from their friction. Nicol is a longtime Cabrillo favorite whose credits include Anything Goes and Ordinary Days, while Marger brings decades of Orange County theatre experience and has recently appeared at Cabrillo in Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and The Rocky Horror Show.
Susan and Peter are played by Kathy Villanueva and Jason Pascual. Villanueva, an AMDA graduate returning to Cabrillo, has appeared in roles ranging from Next to Normal to Avenue Q, while Pascual has performed across South Orange County in productions at Cabrillo, Camino Real, No Square, and Laguna Playhouse.
Mackinzie Rummell and Jeff Tierney portray Jenny and David. Rummell makes her Cabrillo debut after a hiatus from performing, with past credits including Into the Woods. Tierney returns to Cabrillo after appearing in The Rocky Horror Show, with additional credits including Heathers, Chess, and Something Rotten.
Amy and Paul are played by Sophie Matossian and Robert Krattli Jr. Matossian is a San Clemente-based performer, writer, and director who recently appeared in She Loves Me and also leads youth theatre work locally. Krattli makes his Cabrillo debut and brings a strong choral background from ensembles including GMCLA and MenAlive, with theatre credits in The Rocky Horror Show, The Full Monty, and Beauty and the Beast.
The women in Bobby’s life bring three distinct perspectives on independence and intimacy. Ariana Nin plays Marta, returning to Cabrillo after completing the Stella Adler Summer Intensive in New York City. Elana Harnack appears as Kathy, with favorite credits including Curtains, Nunsense, Barefoot in the Park, and The Rocky Horror Show. Sammy Spiegler plays April and returns to Company after previously appearing in the show at Saddleback College. Her recent credits include Heathers, Next to Normal at Cabrillo, and Little Women, and she also teaches children’s theatre while studying at UC Irvine.
Juliet Fischer takes on the iconic role of Joanne, bringing Broadway, touring, and off-Broadway experience that includes Chicago, On the Town, Kiss Me, Kate, and her one-woman show My Midlife Cabaret. Her husband Larry is played by Will Minton, who makes his Cabrillo and Sondheim debut after returning to acting last year in The Sound of Music and Cinderella at JStage Irvine.
Together, this cast forms the company at the center of Company, a group of performers whose collective experience, vocal strength, and chemistry drive a musical that is as funny and sharp as it is quietly devastating. Stephen Sondheim’s Company runs January 16 through February 8 at The Cabrillo Playhouse.