'Company'

The guy:

Bobby, friend to all the other characters. It is his birthday. He hasn't avoided marriage, he claims; it's avoided him.

The gals:

(all romantic interests for Bobby)

• Marta, hip New Yorker.

• Kathy, small-town kid who feels lost in New York.

• April, a flight attendant.

The couples:

• Sarah and Harry, married. He hasn't had a drink in a year, he claims, though he sneaks sips when she isn't looking. Sarah is on a diet, she claims, but she keeps sneaking brownies when his back is turned.

• Peter and Susan, a seemingly happily married couple. They are getting a divorce.

• Jenny and David, married. David has low regard for Jenny's intelligence. She's a square, he's hip.

• Paul and Amy. They have long lived together but are now getting married.

• Joanne and Larry. She's acerbic, a drinker and has married often. Larry, her latest husband, adores her and is willing to take her verbal abuse.

The story:

Bobby is a 35-year-old bachelor living in 1972 New York and keeping company with five couples, married, about to be married, or divorced. He has never been in a long-term relationship. But the relationships of his friends are presented in a series of vignettes seen through Bobby's eyes. "Company" was a groundbreaking musical — the first concept musical, rather than a narrative one with a well-defined plot.

The creators:

Stephen Sondheim, below, did the music and lyrics. George Furth wrote the book for the musical.

Director Samantha Wyer has kept "Company" in the time period in which it was written, 1972.

Those were the days of sexual freedom and before AIDS.

Bobby is a player in the early-1970s sense, with an inability to commit and a different woman to entertain every night.

"Going to bed with a guy was like tasting a highball," said Wyer of those days.

"Swinging as a lifestyle was more common. And all you had to worry about with sex was getting pregnant or an STD."

So familiarizing her student actors, whose own parents may barely remember the '70s, with the times was Wyer's first duty.

"For me, there's an innocence and a beginning of a relationship revolution that was starting in the early '70s," she said. "We've given the actors a lot of social context."

And while the time slot may date the play some, it's minimal, added Wyer.

"There's maybe 3 percent of the play that dates it," she said, "but everything else feels universal to me."

Then there's the music: Sondheim is known for his complexity.

"His music is very hard," agreed Wyer.

"It has colors and details in the score; it is very hard."

And each of the songs in this production is a mini-story; the play's narrative is found in the music more than the dialogue.

"The songs are where you find out the emotional truth of the characters," said Wyer.

This play is about relationships, she said, and complex music and outdated mores don't infringe on that at all.

"Company," said Wyer, shows "it's worth the fight to invest in intimacy with another human being, letting them know all of you."

The songs:

● "Company" — This song is full of the sounds of comfort to Bobby — his friends calling and wishing him happy birthday, inviting him over, telling him they love him.

● "The Little Things You Do" — Sung by the cynical, multi-married Joanne, who explains it's the small things that keep a marriage alive.

● "Sorry — Grateful" — Sung by Harry, who explains marriage changes everything. And nothing.

● "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" — Bobby's girlfriends sing this number about his inability to commit.

● "Have I Got a Girl For You" — While the wives try to fix Bobby up, the husbands wonder why in the world he would want to give up the ability to bed a different woman every night.

● "Someone Is Waiting" — Bobby's sure there's a woman out there with all the best qualities of his friends' wives.

● "Another Hundred People" — Marta sings about New York City.

● "Not Getting Married Today" — Amy lists all the reasons why she should not marry Paul, while he interjects loving snippets.

● "Marry Me a Little" — Bobby's wish for a commitment-free marriage.

● "Side By Side By Side"/ "What Would We Do Without You" — Bobby's friends go over his attributes as a friend, and then whip into a song about what they would do without him.

● "Poor Baby" — The wives sing about Bobby's need for a real woman.

● "Barcelona" — Bobby's girlfriend Kathy, a stewardess, gets out of his bed to go to work — a flight to Barcelona. He begs her to stay.

● "The Ladies Who Lunch" — Joanne sings this song of disdain about the women who waste their lives doing nothing.

● "Being Alive" — Bobby faces the truth about what he wants out of life.

Preview

"Company"

• Presented by: Arizona Repertory Theatre.

• By: Book by George Furth; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

• Director: Samantha Wyer.

• When: Previews at 1:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Monday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Nov. 15. Continues through Dec. 7.

• Where: Marroney Theatre in the University of Arizona Fine Arts Complex, North Park Avenue and East Speedway.

• Tickets: $31, with discounts available.

• Information/reservations: 621-1162.

• Et cetera: Adult language and themes.