Company

Robert is a New York guy, celebrating his 35th birthday surrounded by his good, crazy,kind, interfering 'married' friends, who are all determined to see him married off, or do they? This is the premiss of Stephen Sondheim's 'Company', presented by LIDOS in the studio of the Carriageworks Theatre. This intimate performing space was just perfect for this sophisicated musical play, I think, one of Sondheim's best.

The cast of fourteen performers was of the highest calibre - the singing, notoriously difficult, was handled extremely well, as was the acting - there is a lot of humour in the dialogue which is not always easy to get right, but here, was carried off with aplomb. It is quite terrifying to perform in such close proximity to the audience, but this did not faze the cast one iota! I do love to see team work on stage and this was obvious in performance - they really were a 'Company'.

The Director, Kimberley Lyon, captured Sondheim's wit and transferred it to her cast - a lot of preparation and thought had gone into her work and I congratulate her for working her cast into this relatively small performing area without making it look cramped - not an easy task. The Musical Director, Lucy Eyre, had also worked hard on this very difficult score - her cast  sang note-perfect and completely in harmony with Sondheim's vision. Again, it was no easy ride for her - she conducted the piece from a remote position, with her very talented pianist, Beth Blundell, in the opposite corner - I was so impressed with that!

The well dressed cast remained on stage for the majority of the performance and I was delighted to see they remained focussed on the action - Robert and the four married couples were well-cast in their various roles, along with three of Robert's ex-and current girlfriends - with some really difficult solos, duets and trios to contend with. I am amazed that Sondheim's contemporary dialogue has not dated at all - in comparison with many musicals, where we often wish the lib could do with an overhaul!

Overall, a fabulous evening's entertainment which will echo with me for some time - as has been said before, Sondheim has a love-hate relationship with musical fans, but here is one who admires and respects a brilliant composer and song-maker - judging by the audience remarks as we left the theatre, I think this production will be remembered for a very long time. Congratulations to everyone, including the unsung heroes working backstage, on a fine performance.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.