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Actress Beth Laird, a Delaware County native, keeping good ‘Company’

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Actress Beth Laird, a Delaware County native, keeping good ‘Company’


Wayne native Beth Stafford Laird really does enjoy the traveling aspect of her job. Well most of it.

“Can’t collect too many new items with you or else it’ll throw off whether your bag is 50 pounds at the airport or not,” said Laird, who is on the road with the Broadway musical “Company.”

The story of a New York bachelorette and friends will be coming to the Forrest Theater in Philadelphia Nov. 28 to Dec. 10. Visit http://www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information and tickets.

Stafford Laird has been on the road for 10 years. “Company” is her fifth traveling Broadway show, so she’s becoming an expert at living out of a suitcase.

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“Some of these cities I’m revisiting, but it’s been years since I’ve been here,” Laird said. “So, it’s always nice to sort of pull into a city and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. And, oh, oh, that’s different. I love checking out different coffee shops in every place. I like trying some of the local spots.”

The “Company” tour has a little extra special added to it for the Conestoga High School graduate.

“Some of my family and friends will be in town, so it will be great to see them around the holidays,” said Laird.

The last time Stafford Laird performed in Philly was as part of the show “Anastasia” five years ago at the Academy of Music.

“I am so excited to come home,” Laird said. “We have dates through mid-October 2024, but right after the Philly show we have a couple of weeks off. That’s the perfect time for a break. We meet back up in New York after the New Year.”

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This version of “Company,” the musical comedy masterpiece about the search for love and cocktails in New York, is a little different than the one that debuted on Broadway in 1970.

The original Stephen Sondheim musical followed a bachelor named Bobby around New York and dealt with contemporary dating, marriage and divorce. The original won six Tony Awards.

The new traveling show “Company” turns things around from the classic Tony Award winner. (Courtesy of Matthew Murphy)

The new touring “Company” is turned on its head in Marianne Elliott’s revelatory revival staging in 2021, in which musical theater’s most iconic bachelor is now a bachelorette.

At Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, all her friends are wondering why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man? And, why can’t she settle down and have a family?

This comedy, given a game-changing makeover for a modern-day Manhattan, features some of Sondheim’s best loved songs, including “Company,” “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Side by Side,” and the iconic “Being Alive.”

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Sondheim and Elliott collaborated to update “Company,” bringing Bobbie’s array of friends and lovers into the 21st century: Paul is waiting patiently for his fiancée Jamie to get over his frantic wedding day jitters; Sarah and Harry try jujitsu to keep their marriage alive; Joanne is on her third husband with younger man, Larry; Peter and Susan seem to have the perfect marriage, until perfection proves impossible; Jenny and her square husband, David, can’t understand Bobbie’s perpetually single status and are not shy about telling her.

All the while Bobbie juggles three men: sexy flight attendant Andy, small-town boy Theo trying to find his way in the big city, and P.J., the native New Yorker who is more in love with his hometown than Bobbie.

Laird plays Bobbie’s double in the show.

“There are a couple moments in the show when Bobbie, our main actress sort of steps outside of herself and is almost watching elements of her life play out in front of her,” Laird said. “There are short, fleeting moments in the show where I appear as her body double. I also am her understudy. So I’m prepared to play the role of Bobbie if, for whatever reason, our amazing lead Brittany Coleman, ever needs to not be in the show.”

For now, Laird, who has added some vocal teaching when she is back home in Brooklyn, will keep the suitcase packed and make sure no extra souvenirs get in there.

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“Growing up in the suburbs, the city was always so accessible, but I love getting to spend more concentrated time down in Center City,” said Laird.



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Delaware

String of car thefts in Delaware County linked to ‘same repeat offenders,’ police say

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String of car thefts in Delaware County linked to ‘same repeat offenders,’ police say


YEADON, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Police in Delaware County are warning residents about a string of car break-ins and thefts affecting drivers across the area.

The Yeadon Borough Police Department posted surveillance video of a group of suspects, who are all believed to be juveniles. It shows four people walking down Serrill Avenue and opening car doors.

The group can be seen rummaging through a red sedan before trying other cars.

Investigators say instances like this often become car thefts, which are a recurring problem in the borough.

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“It’s predominantly juveniles, all hours of the day and night breaking into cars,” said Chief Henry Giammarco.

Police say the suspects are going after Kia and Hyundai vehicles, which have been exposed on social media as easy to steal.

On Tuesday afternoon, two more juveniles struck again a few blocks away.

“My heart was just broken, it just happened not even more than a month ago, so I couldn’t speak,” said a victim who didn’t want to be identified.

She says her Kia has been targeted three times this year. The most recent left her feeling unsafe in her home.

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“I was like really, really scared because my mom had just left the house, so it has me thinking like, ‘Are they waiting out there?’” she questioned.

Investigators say the victim called 911 and police quickly found the two suspects.

“We were able to stop the individuals that broke a window and they left the scene,” said Giammarco, who added that the suspects are repeat offenders.

“I hate to use this term, but it’s a catch-and-release program. We catch the same repeat offenders, we call the district attorney’s office, they charge them, but unfortunately, there’s no place to house these children. So, they’re being released to their parents,” he said.

Police are recommending all Kia and Hyundai owners visit the department to get a free steering wheel lock.

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“If they see this, it might give them pause,” Giammarco said, holding up the tool.

The victim from Tuesday’s break-in has a different solution.

“I really have no clue what to do at this point. We tried everything. I’m just going to get rid of the car,” she said.

Apart from the steering wheel lock, police are also recommending drivers lock their cars at night and remove valuables.

Police are also encouraging residents to call 911 immediately if a crime does occur. Investigators are crediting the victim’s quick action in calling the police as the reason officers apprehended the suspects so quickly.

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Delaware State Police identify 74-year-old woman killed in Sunday crash near Seaford

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Delaware State Police identify 74-year-old woman killed in Sunday crash near Seaford


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A 74-year-old woman who was killed in a crash that injured multiple others near Seaford Sunday afternoon has been identified by Delaware State Police as Anna Cannon.

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Cannon, of Seaford, was in a 2018 Nissan Versa going northbound on Sussex Highway about 4:15 p.m. when police said she failed to stop at a red light. Cannon drove through the intersection with Middleford Road and into the path of a westbound 2014 Honda Odyssey, according to police.

Cannon was taken to a hospital, where she later died, police said.

The Odyssey driver, a 47-year-old Seaford woman, and her passengers were also taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Delaware State Police continues investigating this crash and asks anyone who witnessed it to contact investigators at (302) 703-3266. Information may also be provided by sending a Facebook message to Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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More: Police identify 88-year-old man killed after he got out of his van and was hit by car



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Bayhealth Medical Staff Donates Plaque in Memory of Delaware’s First Licensed Physician Assistant

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Bayhealth Medical Staff Donates Plaque in Memory of Delaware’s First Licensed Physician Assistant


















Bayhealth Medical Staff Donates Plaque in Memory of Delaware’s First Licensed Physician Assistant | Cape Gazette

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