Review: 'Company' makes for an entertaining, if not perfect, evening
Published in Entertainment News
ORLANDO, Fla. — Phone rings, door chimes, in comes “Company,” as the Tony-winning Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical finds a home at Theater West End.
Directed by Laurel Hatfield, the Sanford theater’s production is stocked with plenty of entertaining moments, from laugh-out-loud funny to beautifully sung to sharply poignant, and in the magic of “Company,” sometimes all of that at once.
But as with a typical social engagement, there are also slower moments, when the clock seems to drag, and the thought creeps in: “Why am I friends with these people?”
That’s always been one of my issues with “Company,” which was considered groundbreaking at its 1970 debut for its frank look at modern relationships. The show follows perpetually single Bobby as he observes the good and the bad of his married friends’ relationships. The storytelling is not linear; it’s a series of vignettes — Bobby’s memories, really — on the occasion of his 35th birthday.
That format doesn’t bother me; it’s fun and inventive, but it has always struck me as an odd omission that we never get a clue as to why Bobby is friends with these people, some of whom don’t even seem very, well, friendly at first.
Actors David Bracamonte and Sophie Shahbazi (who later gives us a dynamic solo dance) lean into the aggressiveness of their married couple, as Bobby gets an up-close, awkward look at the competitiveness and power dynamics of some marriages. Taty Arroyo, as world-weary Joanne, plays up the character’s more hostile edges, as well, not only belting but bellowing the famed “Ladies Who Lunch.”
Lighter moments provide balance: “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” in which three of Bobby’s girlfriends lament his lack of commitment, is a delight — with the facial expressions of Zoe Lin Rosas, Sarah Joyner and Jennifer Tindall — each of whom also shines in individual moments — matching the bemusement in their voices.
A night of pot smoking, to demonstrate what someone will do to make a spouse happy, lets Elina Moon and Darren Escarcha Cajipo display a gentle sense of humor.
And handed one of the show’s best-known segments, “(I’m Not) Getting Married Today,” Alli Belinkoff makes every rat-a-tat reason tumbling from nervous bride Amy’s mouth ring true and funny. She is perfectly matched in that scene by Seth Walker, who, despite a less showy part, proves he is just as adept with comedy, albeit in a totally different style, as the unflappable and loving groom.
As Bobby, Shanden Vance does fine work in making his character — who so often just reacts to others — feel more active than passive. And his singing voice lets you into Bobby’s heart with his two big numbers, “Marry Me a Little” and “Being Alive.”
Music director Justin Adams gets great sound out of the eight-piece band, and Hatfield really scores with her choreography. The aforementioned “Drive a Person Crazy” is all kinds of fun in large part because of the movement, and “Side by Side by Side” in particular is also a visual treat, with a parade of rotating character combinations — and Bobby left out in the cold.
Sondheim and Furth updated “Company” in the 1990s, and the most recent Broadway and London revivals experimented with further changes — swapping Bobby’s gender and making one of the couples gay — to make the show feel more contemporary. (Those changes, obviously, are not in Theater West End’s licensed version.)
You can see why updates could be needed: A “Baby Yoda” plush toy and cellphones place this production in modern times, but the script still refers to phone lines being busy. Maybe that’s a sign that no matter the era, we humans are always going to be confounded by the mysteries of marriage.
‘Company’
• Length: 2:40, including intermission
• Where: Theater West End, 115 W. 1st St. in Sanford, Florida
• When: Through April 19
• Cost: $28 and up
• Info: theaterwestend.com
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