"Company, Sondheim’s sixth Broadway musical, was his breakthrough to serious credibility. It received 14 Tony Award nominations, a record at the time. It’s a minimally plotted collection of songs and stories (more like a revue than a traditional musical) about a single man, his married friends, and several girlfriends. Robert wrestles with relationships and commitment. The show’s title has multiple facets, all important to appreciating its complexity. “Company” is the opposite of solitude and loneliness. It means being surrounded by friends and loved ones. It’s also the tightly knit ensemble of actors performing a show.” - Rick Pender, Everything Sondheim
Company at Phoenix Ensemble was exactly as Rick has suggested above. A tight knit, and truly excellent, ensemble of actors performing this show. Director Tammy (Sarah Linde) and assistant director Luke (O’Hagan) are responsible for the set design and the simplicity of form and function they have elected for in the set for this show was commendable. The space is occupied by several plain blocks which are utilised in various ways throughout the performance. An elegant backdrop of empty white frames on a black wall tell two stories through metaphor, the first, when it is called for, alludes to the full walls of a couple’s home, covered in happy memories for that couple.
The second, in the very short time we spend in protagonist Bobby’s home, suggest that these empty frames represent the void in his own life. Two small cabinets provide ample context and storage for the limited number of props which need to be accessed during scenes of the show. As mentioned, the simplicity of the set is reflected in the colour choices, or more specifically the lack of colour, a two-tone black and white motif allows for the colour to be displayed through the costumes and personalities of the characters.
One final detail in the set is a single light switch which is used sparingly and very effectively throughout to signal changes in the scene, but also as a physical representation of Bobby’s own mind changing as he considers the progress of his life. The costumes provide a splash of welcome colour to the stage. Each of the five couples of Bobby’s friends have their own distinct style and colour palate, which aids in storytelling twofold. The uniformity of the couple’s choices together represent a collaboration which Bobby is lacking and the clear definition between each couple helps the audience instantly recognise which characters pair up with each other, ensuring that the audience remains immersed in the story. Bobby himself has a nice assortment of neutral coloured, semi-formal costumes which fit nicely with the recurring idea and setting of his birthday party, but also never seem out of place with other locations he visits during the show. The costumes of Bobby’s three girlfriends, all very different to one another, also reinforce the differences in their respective characters and the vast differences in the types of people Bobby is trying to form relationships with in an effort to settle down, a feat which all of his friends have already achieved.
The lighting design in the production fit well with the simple tone of the set. There was a nice variety of lighting techniques used, but none so bold as to remove us from the scene, special mention must be drawn to the effective use of very soft and close spotlighting to really focus on a character’s facial expression and emotion, particularly on Bobby himself. The colour of lighting was also worth noting with mostly plain white and warm yellow lights to provide a sense of comfort and avoid distraction, but also the occasional use of strongly coloured down- lights, matching with the associated colour of a couple’s costume to further emphasise their colour-identity motif.
As with all Stephen Sondheim musicals, the music in this show is extremely challenging and both the cast and band rose to this challenge with aplomb. Sondheim is famous for music which is lyric-heavy, filled with sudden tempo changes, odd key changes, unconventional time signatures and strangely placed notes, words and harmonies. The cast all did an excellent job of meeting those expectations and it is clear that a lot of hard work has gone into making the vocals, particularly the ensemble parts, as tight as possible. The sound design was also testament to hard work, the volume levels throughout were generally balanced and consistent with only a few moments where the vocals could’ve been boosted slightly to help match the power of the band. Delightfully, there was not a single microphone issue during the performance and it was a smart choice to see that Cameron Rollo (Bobby) was very sensibly equipped with a backup microphone, as he had to spend long periods of time without leaving the stage.
Company’s particular style doesn’t really lend itself to any kind of large scale choreography. That being said, the full ‘couples’ ensemble taking up top hats and canes for the rather tongue-in-cheek “Side by Side” was very funny indeed and came at a really good moment in the show where the silliness was a welcome shift from the growing melancholy which seems to be enveloping Bobby. There were other group dance numbers in the show which were full of funny moments and wonderful ideas but could’ve done with a tiny bit more polishing to ensure that all of the held positions and sight-lines were uniform. One particularly eye catching moment of choreography was an extremely technical and elegant solo number performed by Ruby Thompson. This number takes place during a sex scene between Bobby and April (Sarah Engelsmann), with Ruby and Sarah wearing similar costumes to evoke the idea of sexuality and sensuality through the dance number. This metaphor worked particularly well and helped distract attention from what otherwise can be a very difficult and awkward thing to portray on stage.
Finally The wonderful performances of this extremely talented and experienced cast, there were aspects of each person’s performance that I enjoyed at different moments and the group of 14 performers as a whole brought the rich texture and variety of personalities to the stage brilliantly. Cameron Rollo as protagonist Robert, almost universally known throughout as Bobby, portrayed the character’s humble and selfless nature excellently. He did a great job of demonstrating how likeable and relatable Bobby is and how he functions as the pillar of support in each of the relationships of his friends. Vocally, Cameron showed a very gentle and soft tone, matching Bobby’s personality very well. In particular he demonstrated excellent control in the use of his falsetto. I personally would have liked to hear a little bit more power and tone in the top end, perhaps some belting or mixing to add in some variety for some of the big emotional numbers like the finale “Being Alive”. I don’t know whether this was the performer’s choice or if the musical direction was for it to be this way, but given his training I assume he has that option in his arsenal.
Sarah Engelsmann as April had excellent comic timing and was great playing the air- headed air-hostess. Her vocals as part of the trio of girlfriends in “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” were a particular highlight. Ruby Thompson as Kathy showed a range of sensitivity and self-assuredness and demonstrated how the character had matured beyond Bobby and moved on with her life. The interactions between her and Bobby invoked the feelings of disappointment associated with being ‘the one who got away.’
Samantha Paterson as free spirited Marta embodied the wistful and eccentric energy of her character. Her vocals were delightful and angelic, but I’m not sure that her classical style really fit with the persona of Marta, her voice almost seemed too clean, which was in contrast to the character’s bohemian and down-to-earth style and personality.
Genevieve Tree as dieting suburban housewife turned karate expert Sarah demonstrated a wonderful range of emotions through facial expression and tone of voice. In particular the physical comedy surrounding the karate demonstration with husband Harry (Dugald Lowis) was extremely funny and their scene, as the first taking place at a couple’s home, really set the tone for the whole show nicely. Dugald as Harry was an excellent counterpart to Genevieve and played into the sober suburban husband very well. They were also particularly funny during the karate demonstration and I also have to give them a lot of credit for the fight choreography which I notice they brought their training to, and was a really excellent moment of the show.
Clare Thomson as dainty southern belle Susan and Andrew Cockroft-Penman as oft-distracted eccentric husband Peter were an excellent duo. They bounced off each other very well and were extremely funny. Both were also great independently, showing a great range of both humour and vulnerability. Constanza Acevedo Burckhardt as uptight and uncool Jenny and Christopher Batkin as chilled out husband David were also a very good pairing, the two really getting to grips with the nuances of their characters and the somewhat unexpected relationship between the two and their vastly different personalities. Both of them were very funny alongside Bobby in their smoking scene, I have to draw particular attention to the delivery of some of Chris’ lines which were so perfect that I was fully convinced that he’d genuinely forgotten what he was supposed to be saying next. I’d also like to praise Connie for her vocal work as part of the ensemble as she provided a strong base for a few of the songs.
Stephanie Collins as reluctant bride Amy and Timothy Nielson as supportive groom Paul were both really excellent in their roles. Tim embodied the wholesomeness of a soon-to-be husband and displayed a nuance in emotion and vulnerability. Steph as Amy was outstanding, her comic timing, facial expressions and body language were all amazing, and that’s not even touching on the fact that she absolutely nailed one of the fastest patter songs in all of musical theatre.
Finally Meg Kiddle and Andrew Dark as Joanne and Larry were great. Andrew as easy-going Larry and Meg as seasoned divorcee offered a voice of wisdom and experience. Meg’s solo number in act two “The Ladies Who Lunch” was very impressive, the vocals started a little shaky and uncertain at first, with some trouble during the lowest notes but as the song grew, so did her voice and at the climax was one of the strongest vocal performances in the show.
All-in-all this production of Company was really enjoyable, a real testament to hard work all around. Stephen Sondheim shows are a bit of an acquired taste, but I think this show has so many relatable characters and moments that everyone can find something or someone in it to associate with, there’s a very good reason that this show was his breakthrough. I score this show a very respectable 35 (years old) and leave you with this, one of many, nuggets of wisdom from the show.
"Hey buddy don't be afraid it won't be perfect, the only thing to be afraid of really is that it won't BE." - Peter, “Company” – Stephen Sondheim.
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