Company

Any company taking on a Sondheim musical should be applauded for their ambition, and being able to produce something of this high a quality needs recognition indeed. Sondheim is difficult: the juxtaposition of the notes in unusual places and music often going in a counter intuitive direction; yet BHOS have made this look easy, as if it’s as simple as breathing. This is an incredible achievement.

BHOS are making their new Community Arts Hub a very welcoming place, and the walk from the bar area to the theatre lit by coloured strung ceiling lights plus blue bottle decorations filled with tiny lights on windowsills are exactly in keeping with the flavour of the musical on show, which was a lovely added attention to detail.

The mostly black and white set is lovely, serving as locations for all the scenes without needing changing. It looks easily like a ‘bachelor pad’, with the bed almost leaping into centre stage at one point accompanied by the change to red lights while in seduction mode was laugh out loud funny, while the kitchen area became the kitchen area stage left for many scenes, and the terrace stage right became different areas. The black and white echoed the simple existence of a man living alone in a very straightforward world, giving a very male feel which was exactly right for the world surrounding the central character Bobby.

A screen above the bed in centre stage held what looked like a view out over New York, setting the scene at the start. The changes on the screen with a film of all of Bobby’s friends singing his name over and over was a lovely touch yet almost sinister. Some of the projections of backdrops, such as a terrace, on the screen which looked to be the size of a large TV didn’t quite work as they were too small in perspective. The speeded up film of the train station was a lovely touch. When it was used as a window it worked well.

This was a great ensemble piece where everyone fitted together beautifully. The camaraderie coming from the performers was lovely and added to the audience enjoyment. There were some fabulous moments that stood out, such as the performance of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" by Bobby’s three love interests: Marta, April and Kathy. The choreography and togetherness of the three was super, and the added humour Grace Riach brought as April was hilarious, showing the importance of small details. Maya Kihara’s performance of "Another Hundred People" was gorgeous: rich and pitch perfect vocals with a physical story-telling which drew the audience in.

Everyone suited their roles in terms of acting and singing. While voices were different in tone, from Chris Parke’s low operatic notes to Bertie Purchese’s pitch perfect high falsetto in places, they all blended and were a joy to listen to, with some stunning harmonies in places. Similarly the choreography was tight and created lovely pictures. Aaron Coomer in the central role had lovely stage presence and conveyed Bobby’s emotional journey with authenticity.  Charlotte Moroney in the unenviable role of Joanne gave a stunning performance of the famous "The Ladies Who Lunch", feeling every bitter word, and through it we could see her vulnerability, her disgust, as well as her anger and frustration.

Another standout moment was David, Jenny and Bobby getting stoned – Bertie Purchese in these moments was so funny there were ripples of laughter in the audience all the way through. The "Getting Married Today" song where the choirgirl kept appearing from different places and surprising Katherine Johnson-Miller as Amy was super: her appearing out of the cupboard suddenly and Katherine looking in after her in a bemused way was possibly the loudest guffaw moment in the whole show.

All at BHOS should be congratulated for such a super production, and finding the humour in every little segment possible, which kept it light as it should be. When it came out in 1970 it was lauded and one of the first musicals with a non-linear story line and no plot to speak of, except for someone examining their life. It is seriously dated yet not far enough away for us to be looking back at a previous time as ‘vintage’, and there is some debate as to whether modernising it works because of the out-dated values on marriage and relationships in the specific way that they are presented in this writing, including the bachelor with a string of women he dates at the same time. The men all look to Bobby with envious eyes of his single life and the women don’t want him to settle down either as it would disrupt his place in all their lives. Bobby vacillates throughout the piece which seems hugely self-indulgent coming from a place of wealth and privilege. Yet this production is glitteringly good, and nothing should be taken away from that.

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