sa国际传媒官网网页入口

鈥淐ompany,鈥� the Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim, is taking the stage at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Little Theatre from Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 28.

Stafford Douglas, who plays the main character Bobby, is returning to the stage after a decade. He said Bobby is a role he has always wanted, and it felt like the right time.

鈥淚t felt like the universe was kind of calling me to it,鈥� Douglas said.

The show tackles the question of 鈥渨hy relationships,鈥� he said. Through a series of interactions with married couples and three different girlfriends, Bobby figures out the purpose of relationships and marriage.

鈥淭hese scenes sort of come together to try to tackle essentially that idea,鈥� Douglas said.

Director Theresa Carson said 鈥淐ompany鈥� follows a young man struggling to find connection and overcome his fear of emotional commitment.

She said Bobby, despite spending a lot of time in the company of others, is feeling very lonely.

While the music is older, originally produced in 1970, 鈥淐ompany鈥� is important and relevant to audiences today with its timeless and universal messages, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also that fear when you do commit to someone and you commit into a relationship that you will lose your freedoms, you鈥檒l lose your independence,鈥� Carson said. 鈥淲here really, sometimes those are the things that you find.鈥�

While the show explores the emotional journey of connection, Douglas said it is not a linear narrative.

鈥淚鈥檓 not tracking my emotional arc from A to Z,鈥� Douglas said.

He said it goes all over the place and through rehearsals, Douglas tackled each scene individually to see how Bobby was growing. Douglas grew up with musical theater and said it was his first love. Returning to the stage as Bobby has been a wonderful experience, he said.

Douglas said while Bobby struggles with the idea of marriage, Douglas has been happily married for several years and was still able to bring personal experience to the role.

鈥淚 think everything is naturally a little bit autobiographical, you鈥檙e always pulling from experience,鈥� Douglas said.

The show, he said, does not tackle the idea of marriage in a Shakespearean way, but it is more nuanced and relatable.

鈥淚 think every human being alive, myself included, has gone through moments of wondering, you know, is this pain or this hurt worth it?鈥� Douglas said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.