Raúl Esparza to Star in John Doyle-Helmed Company Revival
Raúl Esparza will play Bobby in the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park mounting of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company, directed and designed by John Doyle currently represented on Broadway by Sweeney Todd.
Esparza is currently starring on Broadway in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which will end its run at the Hilton Theatre on December 31. He received a 2004 Tony nomination for his performances as nightclub impresario Philip Sallon in Taboo. The actor made his Theatre World Award-winning Broadway debut in 2000 in The Rocky Horror Show. He went on to star in the off-Broadway production of Jonathan Larson's tick, tick… BOOM! and as the Emcee in Broadway's Cabaret. Although he is best known for his musical theater work, Esparza has appeared off-Broadway in two plays: Trevor Griffiths' Comedians and Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart. Regionally, Esparza had a major role in the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Festival a few years back, starring in both Sunday in the Park With George and Merrily We Roll Along.
Company takes an unconventional look at love and commitment in a complex modern world. The show is a sophisticated portrayal of five married couples as seen through the eyes of their mutual friend Bobby Esparza, a bachelor weighing the pros and cons of wedded life. The original Broadway production, which opened at New York's Alvin Theatre in 1970, was honored with the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical as well as six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
