Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’ is a musical comedy based on the failing love life of ‘Robert’. Upon turning 35 Robert reflects on his encounters with his best friends who are 5 married couples. This provides an interesting storyline as the play doesn’t take place in chronological order but rather in a series of short scenes with each couple. Robert also reflects back on the failings of his relationships with his 3 girlfriends. The play is witty and hilarious with quick one liners and everyday marriage problems that most couples could probably relate to.
The show at Belfast’s Grand Opera House opened with the song ‘Company’ itself which was so catchy that almost everyone went home singing along to the words “Bobby baby…”. The dynamic of Bobby with the five couples was interesting and could have been a familiar scene for many people in the audience. The asides with each couple proved entertaining and shed new light upon marriages and relationships themselves with the underlying message that besides their differences they still had each other. Some particularly hilarious moments were the interaction between Sarah a karate chopping wife and Harry a ‘recovering’ alcoholic. As well as the ‘I’m not getting married’ scene between Amy and Paul.
The stand out stars of the show however were Bobby’s girlfriends. The hilarious, air headed air hostess April, played by Louise Fahey, really made the show. Her long winded stories and a comical bedroom scene between her and the main character ‘Bobby’ made for a hilarious performance. Another stand out character was ‘Marta’ played by Katie Shortt, the 18-year-old was fantastic in her role as this typical millennial who was in love with New York only slightly less than she was with herself. Her performance of ‘Another Hundred People, was simply fantastic and a real stand-out moment of the show. Her eccentric and wild personality really came alive on the stage.
The most impressive thing about the show was the high level of production and staging, provided by LSFX Productions. The set was reminiscent of what you would expect to see in a west end show and not an amateur production. The set was transformed with a back drop of changing visual graphics to represent different scenes which helped with the concept format of the show, as it changed the set for each individual couple’s story. During the song ‘Another Hundred People’ the set was transformed into a subway, which was quite spectacular.
Overall the show was a great mix of comedy and theatrics with the musical numbers being very catchy and entertaining. The level of performance from all the actors was of a very high standard and the choreography was sharp and precise. One thing that stood out in the show was the relevance to everyday life and the reliability that much of the audience could have with elements of the story. It is definitely a must for any avid theatre goers, married couples and singles alike.