In Good ‘Company’ – well yes!

Zak Muggleton-Gellas, Year 3

On the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th of March, LUU Musical Theatre society, in collaboration with Backstage society, performed the highly-anticipated Sondheim musical, Company. From start to finish, this production was bursting with talent, and definitely ‘could drive a person crazy’ out of sheer amazement. 

Company follows main character Bobby (played by Ajay Sahota) as he struggles to face his life of being a bachelor on his 35^th birthday, surrounded by all of his married friends. The story follows his escapades with various girlfriends, as well as him visiting each of the married couples individually. He has not met his ‘perfect’ match, and tugs with his necessity to settle down. This is all whilst the audience are forced to critique each of these married couple’s difficulties, as their issues seep through the cracks of the perfect image they try to present to Bobby.   

First and foremost, I’d like to say that the cast are some of the most talented performers ever to grace the Riley Smith theatre stage. Their acting, singing and dancing was nothing short of professional level, and the cast and production team should be infinitely applauded for this spectacular show. Ajay Sahota’s (playing Bobby) mesmerising tone, and expert comedic timing allowed for a cohesive and captivating show. His betrayal of Bobby was as realistic as feasibly possible, touching on every emotion needed to conquer such a physically and emotionally demanding role. Not only this, but his performance of ‘Being Alive’ became instantly iconic, accompanied by his incredible voice. Erwan Fayolle and Phoebe Coldron (playing Joanne and Larry) managed to portray an incredibly realistic chemistry between two characters in a marriage full of friction, but also deep affection and care for one another, and that is absolutely down to their expert acting abilities. In particular, Coldron’s vocal prowess swept the audience off their feet, especially as she nailed the iconic ending to ‘the Ladies Who Lunch,’ sustaining high notes on pitch, and with incredible technique. Freya MacTavish and Matteo Ferrari (playing Amy and Paul) as well as Sophie Tolson (playing Choir Girl) took on the infamous musical theatre classic, ‘Not Getting Married Today.’ All three of them sang with perfect diction and pitch, making the number an absolute showstopper, and spectacle to watch on stage. MacTavish also managed to portray the delusional bride with ease, as her acting excelled all expectations, as well as hitting every single word on the incredible verses. Harry Toye and Caitlin Etheridge (playing Sarah and Harry) began the show and set the bar high right from the start, as the two of them demonstrated incredible chemistry and talent. Toye’s smooth voice sailed through ‘Sorry-grateful,’ tugging on the audience’s heartstrings from the very first verse. Etheridge’s acting blew the audience away: she was captivating, hilarious, vibrant and showed off even more of her talent with her vocal solos later in the show. Mia Crockhart (playing Jenny) similarly taught the audience a masterclass in comedic acting, before hitting pitch-perfect soprano notes with crystal-clear vibrato. Her performance was only elevated by her perfect chemistry with Toby Bowen (playing David) as his controlling personality demonstrated a darker side to the story. It is not easy to convince the audience that the character is not inherently evil when acting in ways that make you feel empathetic for his partner, but Bowen managed to make the audience empathise as his character was imperfectly human. Emma Wilcox and Josh King (playing Susan and Peter) were memorable and important parts of the story, as their relationship showed the complexities of marriage, as their emotional connection extended beyond their divorce. They were funny, compelling, and brought life to every scene they were in. Last, and certainly not least, Lily Payton, Dalia Kay and Talia Goss (playing April, Marta and Kathy respectively) were invaluable members of the cast. ‘You could drive a person crazy’ was incredibly vocally complex, and a joy to watch. Especially with Goss managing to demonstrate perfect breath control, as she hit incredibly high notes with ease, and maintaining (a testament to all three) very complex choreography. Payton’s shining moment, in ‘Barcelona’ showed off that she is not only a standout dancer, but also a beautiful singer and actor. The audience got to understand that the character is more complex than presented by Bobby, as he himself comes to this realisation, and Payton made us feel emotionally connected to April. Kay’s performance of ‘Another Hundred People’ could only be described as perfection. The almost six minute song requires an actor with perfected vocal technique, breath support and a physical agility, and Kay has all three. For long moments, she had to keep the audience interested with her alone on stage, and she excelled at this challenge. 

Co-direction from Imogen Banfield and Ellen Corbett clearly elevated the show to an even higher level. Banfield’s intimacy workshops helped the cast to convince the audience of these couple’s relationships, and was invaluable in creating this incredible show. Corbett’s choreography was nothing short of incredible, with every ensemble number seeing the entire ‘Company’ shine in ways that only Corbett and Banfield’s expert direction could have led to. Not only the direction was amazing, but also Jennie Bodger’s production (assisted by Emma Wilcox). The costumes were faultless, with a particular highlight to the four black dresses worn for a portion of the show. Corbett’s use of white sheets and Bodger’s use of the black dresses lead to such a gorgeous sequence of dance, with the dancers also raising the bar. As the singing was so flawless, musical director (MD) Alex Boulton, and assistant MD Sean Lomas, accompanied by vocal coaching by Freya MacTavish, deserve a huge amount of praise, as they tackle such a complex score as is famous for Sondheim. 

Throughout the show, the set, sound, lights and music accompanied this talented cast expertly. This is entirely testament to the entire backstage team, with Backstage Society having a rightfully incredible reputation within the university. Their talent is as much the reason for the show’s success, as the incredible cast and production team. This is also testament to the band, for their ongoing commitment to musical theatre, as they continue to possess talent that should always attract a large amount of admiration. Company was no exception. 

I look forward to attending the next show by this incredibly talented society, and I am sure that Company will be another lasting success story.