“Side by Side by Side,” the cast of Company to deliver laughs, hard lessons this weekend
The critically acclaimed Broadway show is Yale’s second Sondheim production of the year and is slated to run from Jan. 23 to 25 at the Off Broadway Theater.

Courtesy of Melany Perez
Phone rings, door chimes, in comes company! Directors AJ Walker ’26 and Emiliano Caceras Manzano ’26 invite audiences to witness tales of good chums, party games and deep talks in their production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.”
The show is slated to run on the weekend of Jan. 23 to 25 in Yale’s Off Broadway Theater. The production boasts a cast of experienced Yale actors.
“Even though the show is about adults, it’s about 30-something year olds, it actually has a lot to say about people our age,” said Caceras Mazano. “As much as it’s a show about relationships, it’s about finding a sense of direction in your life … it’s about learning to live with uncertainty and ambivalence, and I think that those are all beautiful things that I think are eternal.”
The show follows Robert, a 35 year old, perpetual-bachelor man surrounded by his married friends who constantly pester him about his singleness. Through vignettes of marital squabbles and comedic platitudes, “Company” will delight audiences with Sondheim’s signature wit and strategic score.
But underneath the tongue-in-cheek slights and playful nods lies a deeper examination of the pressures of marriage and the challenges of maintaining human relationships.
“The way that the show goes about achieving [these themes] is particularly exciting,” said Caceras Manzano. “It uses the structure of musical comedy to make people feel open and receptive to all of these big life questions … It’s also a very strong ensemble show which allowed us to build a strong, cohesive group of actors that worked off of each other.”
Tasked with bringing good and crazy characters to life are a collection of Yale’s best actors and actresses. Taking on the quintessential role of “Robert” is Ben Heller ’27. Playing the highly neurotic “Amy” is Sadie Pohl ’26; Peter Sykes ’25 takes on the sorry yet grateful “Harry” and Isabella Walther-Meade ’25 playing the bright-eyed, adventurous “Marta.”
The delightfully-cynical “Joanne” is brought to life by Hannah Kurczeski ’26. Kurczeski, who starred in “Into the Woods” earlier this year, is no stranger to Sondheim. According to her, she was delighted in digging into the script.
“Spending so much time with Sondheim’s style has helped me so much with finding the clues he hides in the music for a character’s interpretation,” she said.
The role of Joanne is that of a woman scorned by love. The thrice-divorced socialite sings the show’s more scathing, yet honest songs. Any sustained note or intentional rest in the score is important, as Kurczeski explains that they convey “integral parts” about the character.
Playing any Sondheim role requires diligence that not all actors can muster. However, Kurczeski and her cast mates embrace this notoriously difficult score; the cast began rehearsals in September.
Coming together to complete the company are the talented musicians that prop it up. Led by Coco Ma ’25, prolific Yale musicians — Tony Ruan ’25, Zoe Frost ‘27 and Ana Rodrigues ’25 — have banded together to form the musical backbone of the show: the pit orchestra.
“Sondheim’s score is pretty bare,” says Lizzie Seward ’27, one of the pit saxophonists. “ It allows for certain sections to shine really well.”
Each instrumentation is given “countermelodies and fills,” according to Seward, that weaves between the different sections and ultimately makes its way to the actors on stage. The ensemble setting allows each actor to demonstrate their vocal caliber.
The Sondheim classic is at times clever, biting and vulnerable; audiences can expect to leave the show pondering what it means to be alive.
“Company is a hilarious show but also shows us how much we need our friends,” said Frost.
Currently, all four shows are sold out, but students are invited to join the waitlist.