Company. To 21 May.
Derby
COMPANY
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth
Derby Playhouse to 21st May 2005
Mon-Sat 7.30 pm. Mat 7, 11, 14, 18 May no performance 2 May
Audio described 14th May 2.30pm, 18th May 7.30pm.
BSL Signed 14 May 2.30pm, 19 May
Runs 2hr 40min. One interval
TICKETS: 01332 363275.
boxoffice@derbyplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Jen Mitchell 27 April 2005
A slick, perfectly executed production of Sondheim's musical. Company is everything that a traditional musical is not.There is no linear plot, no happy ending. One is never quite sure where one's sympathies lie, if they lie anywhere at all. And yet we feel affection, frustration and humour at the various states of the relationships of the couples we meet.
The stage in Derby Playhouse seems to have grown to accommodate Steven Richardson's stylish New York skyline, into which various sets glide in and out.
The event of Robert's 35th birthday heralds a watershed for him as he receives conflicting advice from the males and females among the mixed bag of couples who are his friends. These people are at once both a source of fascination and confusion to him. Each relationship is shown with its affections and flaws, like David's slightly menacing instance on the bubbly Jenny's squareness'. The comfort and compromises involved in coupledom contrast with the freedom and loneliness of singledom.
Every performance from the fourteen strong cast is worthy of particular mention but Amy's (Eliza Lumley) rendition of Getting Married Today', is spot on as she demonstrates rising panic at the thought of her impending nuptials. The glitzy razzmatazz of 'Side by Side By Side' contrasts harshly with the realities of modern city life in Another Hundred People'. The songs all stand outside their specific situation, adding further conflict; most reflect characters' unspoken thoughts.
As an audience we are never sure how much of the action is real and how many of the scenes are played out in Robert's own head as he questions his own single state and the marital status of his friends. But that becomes almost irrelevant as we tap along to the musical numbers and later examine our own relationships. Exactly, you imagine, what Sondheim was aiming for.
Kathy: Sarah Annis
David: John Barr
Peter: Michael Cahill
Robert: Glenn Carter
April: Sophie Caton
Paul: Iain Davey
Sarah: Melissa Jacques
Amy: Eliza Lumley
Larry: Nicholas Pound
Harry: Craig Purnell
Joanne: Liz Robertson
Marta: Laura Sanchez
Jenny: Gabriella Santinelli
Susan: Annette Yeo
Director: Karen Louise Hebden
Designer: Steven Richardson
Lighting: David Plater
Sound: Matt McKenzie
Musical Arrangements: Andrew Synnott
Musical Director: Moira Hartley
Choreographer: Caimin Collin
2005-05-02 03:14:14