Written by orange• January 18, 2026• 5:22 pm• Cabrillo Playhouse, Musical, Review, San Clemente, Uncategorized

Company @ Cabrillo Playhouse – Review

photo credit: Modyman Photography

Written by Patrick Chavis

Company, at the Cabrillo Playhouse in San Clemente, is playing now from January 16 – February 8, 2026.

Cabrillo Playhouse presents Sondheim’s comedic and insightful take on relationships, marriage, and love through the eyes of a 35-year-old unmarried bachelor, Bobby (Eric T. Anderson). From this production, you can expect a slightly unbalanced blend of whimsy and humorous banter mixed with deeper, more existential lyrics (which Sondheim’s musicals are known for) and varying ranges of singing, though the whimsy is most definitely highlighted by Director and Choreographer Michael Lopez.

Story:

As mentioned before, we follow Bobby as he turns 35 and navigates various encounters with his coupled friends and romantic relationships. Through song and funny, relatable moments, we encounter not in a particular, straightforward timeline, but rather in the vibes of everyone. We learn more about Bobby’s deep fear of marriage, loneliness, and a lack of connection. There’s something very grown-up about Company, even with some of the lackadaisical comedy. The more sexually suggestive scenes are most definitely part of that as well. For this showing, they’re rather playful, but still clear in intent.

It’s a show that is less about a person and more about a time in your life. I could see someone who watched this when they were younger, rewatching and finding something more meaningful. That said, much of the slapstick comedy is woven into the songs and comedic sequences, which adds an entertaining element to the production. Company, the musical, is a long piece. I believe it’s warranted, but for those with small attention spans, this will be a challenge.

Acting/Music/Set Design:

This will be the first production performed on Cabrillo Playhouse’s reconfigured space. Thanks to community donations, the playhouse now has a new roof. The extra space allowed the performers in this production to stand on these marble-like steps, a feat that was far less feasible before construction, as shown in the photo above. That’s actress Sophie Matossian (Amy) in a white wedding dress singing her song, the quick-tempo piece “Getting Married Today,” with a mouth full of lyrics (which is an understatement). Mastossian leaves no vowel unarticulated, and the ensemble followed along swimmingly with this showing. A three-piece live band led by Conductor/Musical Director David Diiorio made me check my playbill to confirm how they filled this space with such sound. George Brown on the sax is creating all kinds of chaos, in the best possible way, back there.

Choreography:

While nothing extravagant, the choreography had to be tight due to the size of the cast and space. I found many of the dance sequences, particularly because of the actors’ blocking, effective at keeping the story and songs focused on either Bobby or the show’s main singer at the time.

Acting:

This is very much a musical about Bobby. Eric T. Anderson does a great job not only vocally and in capturing Bobby’s very amenable personality with his friends and relationships, as well as the deeper disconnect and detachment he has when it comes to connecting with his emotions.

If Katie Nicol (Sarah) and Marc Marger’s (Harry ) karate exhibition doesn’t bring a smile to your face, their back-and-forth bickering about drinking surely will. Nicol’s delivery is infectious!

Sammy Spiegler (April) is a flight attendant and one of Bobby’s love interests. Spiegler captures the character’s lack of self-confidence with such a genuine performance. It’s hard not to feel for the character, and their duet in Barcelona is more than humorous; it’s surprisingly poignant.

Overall:

The biggest issues arise from vocal projection in some cases and occasional live flubs. Overall, though, this is a fine showing of a piece that, in this reviewer’s opinion, is a tad too long.