Company

‘Company’, which was originally called ‘Threes’, is a two and a half hour long, contemporary musical. It was based on a collection of eleven vignettes by George Furth, with the music and lyrics added by Stephen Sondheim. The musical has won half a dozen Tony Awards and a dozen Drama honours. This wonderful production is being presented at 8.00 pm each evening by the Old Mill Theatre Company, Mend Street, South Perth. Shows until 16^th April, with one matinee on the 10^th at 2.00 pm.

        In a New York apartment, bachelor Robert (Scott Burns) is focusing on his midlife crisis of wanting to share his life with someone. It is his 35^th birthday, and by mistake he gets a message on the answer-phone regarding the organising of his ‘surprise’ party.

       He thinks back and recalls his visits to five very different, upper middle-class couples who, although they are his main friends, have never met. First are tee-total Harry (Matthew Kiely) and his domineering wife Sarah (Cicely Binford), who is struggling to diet and keep fit. He then visits the ideal couple, Peter (Timothy How) and Susan (Julia Hern) living blissfully in a flat overlooking the river.

        His next port of call is the home of priggish Jenny (Vanessa Vance – fabulous voice) and her marijuana smoking husband, David (David Wallace), where he finds them both high as a kite. Is this the kind of married life that Rob is missing out on?

         In another flashback, Robbo recalls his arrival at the wedding of love struck Paul (Gareth Jay) and pleasant, but nervous, Amy (Casey Edwards) only to find the ceremony in disarray. Later in a night club he is being propositioned by the insanely jealous Joanne (Lyn Atterton), who, feeling her age, ignores her devoted husband Larry (Charles McComb). Could this be the marriage Rob should aim for? Rob is totally disillusioned.

          As the couples gather at the party, they discuss and worry about Rob’s lonely lifestyle, unaware that he has three regular girlfriends on the go. There is the quiet Kathy (Emma Davis, alternating with Molly Johnson) whom he meets in the peace of a shaded park. Then the spicy, full of life, Marta (Rachel Monamy) is taken to Peter and Susan’s apartment. Last but not least, is the rather dim-witted flight attendant, April (Bonnie Coyle) whom he lures back to his apartment before trying his best romantic approach, only to find that she has ‘butterflies’.

         After seeing how the couples exist, will Robert get the girl of his dreams?

The eleven stories have not been particularly well blended together by Sondheim, this slows the pace, but the overall effect is still most enjoyable.

The Musical Director (Matt Austin) has expertly taken a fairly raw set of actors and produced a good set of singers. The songs range from the quiet romantic style, through to two tongue twisters performed admirably by Rachel Monamy and Casey Edwards. The orchestration was excellent, plenty of bounce from the superb 15-piece orchestra – where did they put them all? Matt was on piano, successfully conducting everyone with head nods. Sorry, but as in ‘Reefer Madness’, I found the keyboard far too loud and this unfortunately, again drowned out some of the tricky lyrics. Literally half the volume would be adequate. As I suspect the piano was at the back of the stage centrally facing the audience, perhaps a thick blanket or if electronic turn down the volume and give the singers a chance.

Merri Ford had each couple dressed in a different colours (green, pink, orange, blue and the wedding couple in white) this colour scheme was carried through to their home furniture, the cake tiers, wrapped gifts and the extremely effective ‘neon’ signs indicating the couples names. These signs were most effective, having been routered out of wood, with a coloured gel and light behind.

The choreography was amazing, as ABC radio newsreader, Claire Nichols got a chance to do what she loves. The styles ranged from soft-shoe shuffle, through to nightclub hop – there was even a bit of 1930s Busby Berkeley thrown in by the congregation in church.

Thanks to Molly Johnson, the accents were all the same New York twang, and delivered extremely convincingly.

The stage manager, Stephen Carr, did a sterling job. The whole stage was used on five levels; with the front of stage curtains and the wings removed he must have found entrances and exits tricky.

A first-rate 12-sided A4 programme, with print large enough to read and clear photos. You would be amazed how many theatres have 5 point fonts crammed in the middle of A5 sides.

Incidentally, the show opened on Broadway in April 1970. The lyrics were updated for the 2007 Australian production which starred David Campbell as Bobby. Sondheim travelled to Australia to attend the opening night. However, the production caused major controversy when an actor was sick for one performance. With no understudy the show was performed anyway, which, with no explanation, involved cutting several numbers and scenes, Sondheim threatened to revoke the production rights for the show.

Director Danni Ashton has very successfully added yet another new string to her bow, and with her capable assistant director, Shelley Ormerod, has come up with an extremely entertaining production. It is clever, witty, filled with action and with gorgeous costumes and Lewis Johnson’s quality lighting the cast sparkled. Often the final chorus can be flat as everyone tires throughout the night; here it was filled with life sending everyone in the audience home with a smile on their faces. Most enjoyable, very professional.