Hoof ‘n’ Horn is known for immersive shows capable of transporting audiences—to the heart of Egypt in Aida, deep into our fairy-tale fears in Into the Woods or back to the Cold War era in Chess. In the celebration of its 75th anniversary this fall, Hoof ‘n’ Horn takes us to the biggest musical stage of all: the Big Apple.
This year, the student-run theater company is presenting the musical Company, written by George Furth and composed by Stephen Sondheim. The story follows bachelor Robert, his three best girlfriends and five married couples in the chaotic world of New York City. Unlike other shows with a set storyline, Company relies on character strength to tell its tale in short vignettes.
The musical, which has been on and off Broadway since the 1970s and won six Tony awards, was chosen by Hoof ‘n’ Horn executives for its cast of 14 main characters, which allows for a number of featured roles.
“Company was chosen mainly because of its unique, challenging musical score and its small cast size,” said proofreading chair Drew Klingner, who also plays Peter, one of the main characters.
Klingner also emphasized that the play’s relevance comes through in its humor, which matches up well with the type of comedy Duke students already know and use.
“Company is also not a Disney musical. The humor in this show is much more suited for a Duke audience than many musicals,” Klingner said.
Director Lindsay Samuel believes that Hoof ‘n’ Horn met the challenge of producing the play.
“On a personal level, I chose to direct this show because when I saw it on Broadway, I fell in love with everything about it,” she said. “I absolutely love the insight it gives us into each of the characters…we’ve really had to do a lot of work in terms of music and acting, but we’ve gotten to push the actors to their boundaries.”
Six of the 14 main characters are first-year students, and the show promises to bring both the experience of Hoof ‘n’ Horn and the fresh young talent of a new group of students to the stage. Given the fierce competition for spots, audiences will see the best and brightest of Duke’s rising actors.
“We had over 50 students audition for the show with a 14-member cast,” producer Vivek Patel said. “The talent pool was one of the best I’ve ever seen in my four years with this organization.”
Production for the show began in May 2011, when Patel selected the director and students to fill behind-the-scenes positions. This semester, though, time constraints meant actors had only one month to learn their lines and choreography.
Cast members noted the difficulty of executing such a character-driven show. With so much to learn, students had to channel their attention in new and demanding ways.
“Company is opening a week earlier than the usual fall musical, so we had to consider the difficulty of the set and choreography as well,” Klingner said. “Having less time than normal to create a production has made the process seem rushed, but productive.”
Despite the ensemble’s crunched rehearsal time, the cast and crew are determined to get the show off the ground. With an orchestra and set put together by technical directors David Oberst and Ophelia Chua, and even more Duke students behind the scenes, all that the show needs now is an audience to perform for.
“At this point I think most of what the actors need is people to laugh and clap and cry – to give them the energy to be on stage,” Samuel said.
Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s Company will run Oct. 14, 20 and 21 at 8pm, Oct. 16 and 23 at 2pm and Oct. 15 and 22 at 2 and 8pm in Sheafer Theater. Tickets are $8 for students.
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