Company

Stephen Sondheim shows are renowned for their idiosyncratic phrasing and vocal gymnastics. Any company brave enough to take them on is either very talented or very stupid. KW Productions had a resounding success with last year's staging of A Slice of Saturday Night at Upstairs at The Western so it was no surprise that this evening's tale of a perpetually single 35 year old's friends extolling the virtues and demerits of couple-dom was just as funny, musical and energetic.

Company is one of the first concept musicals that didn't conform the to the linear dialogue format of previous shows. Linked by Robert's (Keiran Whelan) 35th birthday party, this is a series of vignettes of the lives of his ten best friends, five couples ostensibly happily married but each of them, on closer inspection, just papering over the cracks in their relationships in order to hold them together. While there are several heartbreaking moments these are counterbalanced by some hilarious set pieces. Amy's (Victoria Price) hysterical, high speed bride being one of the best. Also worthy of note is Joanne's (Karen Gordon) drunken rendition of The Ladies Who Lunch. A delicious homage to Elaine Stritch's show stopping performance, but actually in tune!

Although originally written by Sondheim and George Furth in 1970 it was updated in the early 90's to make it more uptodate. The current production is further modernised by making one of the couples lesbians. A nice touch which makes their karate wrestling scene very believable. Adding in mobile phones also allows the director, Leigh White, to poke gentle fun at the current obsession with selfies.

Throughout the evening each of the various couples take centre stage and we watch as their relationships are revealed to be much less than the perfect couplings Robert assumes.

With a huge (for the Western) cast of 14 they amazingly manage to avoid bumping into each other unintentionally and even squeeze in a couple of production numbers.

While Sondheim's cynicism of marriage and long term relationships shines through the story shows that despite the ups and downs, dramas and divorces friends are always company and company is always friends

Company is on at Upstairs at The Western until Saturday 29th August (Saturday matinee sold out) and then at Little Theatre from 2nd to 5th September.

First published in Western Gazette
© Paul Towers 2015

Sweet Charity

Curve's Studio space is home to National Youth Music Theatre's production of Sweet Charity until Saturday 22nd August. A huge cast of incredibly talented (and young!) actors/singers/dancers swamped the stage with enthusiastic performances. Every single one of the actors can easily go on to a career in musical theatre, if that is their aim.

Sweet Charity is the story of Charity Hope Valentine, the eternally optimistic, uneducated dance hall hostess who desperately wants to marry someone, anyone who can take her away from the flea-bitten hell hole that is only half a step up from a cat house. Her story takes her form the bottom of the pile to, well, several rungs up the ladder. Playing the title role is local actor Jade Johnson,a powerhouse performer who easily takes ownership of the character. This 18 year old has a great future on the stage. Amongst the other stand out performances in this show is 17 year old Stuart Thompson as Herman, the club owner, a sleazy comical man who finally shows his emotional side with an hilarious rendition of 'I always cry at weddings'.

Backing up the onstage cast is a live band/orchestra of equally talented musicians, again an amazingly talented bunch of youngsters ranging from 13 to 22.

While Sweet Charity, the film, has long been a favourite musical of mine this is the first time I have been lucky enough to catch it live on stage. Staged with an adaptable 'wire frame' set incorporating Curve's very own 'dancing stairway' this colourful show with its many many costume changes is a feast for the eyes and ears and will leave you exiting the theatre with several very hummable tunes ear worming you for days.

© Paul Towers 2015