The characters have no names; highlighting the simplicity that the plot is aiming for. A golden chandelier hangs on the ceiling of a lavish house where girl one and boy one eat a humble dinner.

While the story is lightly set, there’s nothing mundane about the cast.

This February, for the first time ever, two Tony Award-winning actors, Lillias White and Chuck Cooper, will perform at Syracuse Stage, staring in ‘Putting It Together,’ a show that explores the ups and downs of a pair of relationships.

Set in an upscale home, five characters take the stage to a collection of Stephen Sondheim’s dynamic songs, from various hit musicals.

The characters include an elderly couple at the end of their successful relationship, a new couple just at the brink of starting their marriage and a narrator.

‘Broadway is going to be jealous of us this time,’ said Patrick Finlon, public relations director of Syracuse Stage.

‘Putting It Together’ features 30 selections from Sondheim’s songbook, from a variety of musicals, including, ‘Sunday in the Park with George,’ ‘Assassins,’ ‘Company’ and ‘Merrily We Roll.’ The songs are taken in a different context for this show than they were for the shows for which they were written; the method aims to give a different spin to the production.

‘Being Alive’ a company production number toward the tail end of the show, is director and choreographer Rajendra Ramoon Majaraj’s favorite song in the play. It features all five characters standing in a straight line harmonizing, reminiscent of the cast of ‘Rent’ singing ‘Seasons of Love.’

Tyler Hanes and Stephanie Youell are newcomers to the Syracuse Stage. This was also their first time working with not only one, but two Tony Award-winning actors.

‘Lillias and Chuck are a blast to work with, they have all these great credits and they are still so down-to-earth and so fun to be in a show with,’ Youell said.

‘Putting the production together has been great,’ Hanes said. ‘Stephen Sondheim’s material is a dream for any actor. He gives you so much meat to work with and the cast has been outstanding.’

The tech process is often the actor’s least favorite part of the show. For ‘Putting it Together’ it was 12 hours of standing on a stage, having the lighting and sound people work while the cast is supposed to be standing around.

‘It usually gets really tedious, but for our production Lillias White, the pianist and the drummer played us a 12 hour private jazz concert while we were on the stage. People were calling out songs and she would just start singing them. It was one of the greatest moments of putting together the show,’ Youell said.

The show relates to the trials and tribulations of being in love, with the hope that the older couple will enrich the younger couple with the do’s and don’ts of creating a successful relationship.

Advance tickets range from $24-$31. Tickets are available at a student discount for $9. Discounts will also be available for seniors, groups and subscribers. The show starts Friday.

‘The material alone is one of the last living icons of theater. Sondheim helped to revolutionize theater and I believe students will be able to relate with the characters taking a journey through the show with each other,’ Hanes said. ‘The show is appealing to both young and old audiences and is an opportunity to be exposed to some seasoned actors.’

rltoback@syr.edu

Published on January 27, 2009 at 12:00 pm