I can’t believe how good this production is. Possibly the best one I’ve ever seen. It flies along with brilliant speed and pacing.

Not a weak link in the cast. Lincoln Stone as Bobby and Lucy Williamson as very young looking Joanne are wow. Although I do prefer my Joanne’s to be a bit older! However how she belted out the Ladies who Lunch and Vodka Stinger will become a legend for me.

Bobby is very brooding and melancholic until Side by Side when he turns into some smiling puppet and then we see why his friends love him. Michael Strassen has created two very different worlds and for most of the production we are in the head of Bobby. We view his friends as he views them, lovely but quite freaky and a bit bonkers. Strassen also very subtly juxtaposes the concept of marriage with images of Eve and forbidden fruit and the Crucifixion.

Top marks also for the five piece band who sound great and the chorography which is stunning.

I will be going again

I enjoyed the production, but wasn't as blown away as I wanted to be from the reviews. I think there were actually quite a few weak links (mainly the men, a couple were really quite bad) and felt the cast was a bit too young so the story lost something. I also thought there were a few big mistakes in the direction - 'Getting Married Today' lost a lot of impact by bringing on the whole cast at the end, and the director used a tiny part of the stage so it looked strangely cramped. On the other hand, there is some real talent in the company, particularly the actor who played Joanne, who sang superbly, and Lincoln Stone. Worth seeing if you're a fan, but I'm still waiting for a great production of this show!

Saw this a couple of times last week and loved it. Lincoln Stone is amazing as is the rest of the cast... Although Lucy Williamson is definately wortha mention as Joanne! I'd love to see this transfer, the cast have worked so hard and it really shows!

I've ordered 3 tickets for the last performance to celebrate the end of AS levels!
I'm really looking forward to it because I love Company even though I only really got into it a few months ago. I'm sad to hear they brought the entire cast on at the end of '(Not)Getting Married Today'. I loved the revival's staging of it where Amy, Bobby and Paul sat down at the end. To the poster who said there were a few weak links, who would you say they were and did it spoil your enjoyment of the show?
I'm taking my mum and my sister who are complete Sondheim/Company newbies and I really hope they enjoy it. Hell, I hope I enjoy it! I'll be disappointed if Being Alive doesn't leave me in tears because I just have a feeling it will be beyond incredible live.

I saw this after it first opened and I loved it, on a limited budget I think it is extremely well done. 'Being Alive' will leave you in tears - Lincoln Stone plays Bobby with lots of emotion, but Lucy Williamson bought the house down with 'The Ladies who lunch.'
I thought she was fantastic, her performance stood out for me.
If you love Sondheim and 'Company' I think you'll love this!

Hi - no, I really enjoyed it overall and think it deserves supporting. I don't really want to name names, but I just felt all of the male performers (apart from Lincoln Stone) were a good level below their female counterparts in terms of vocal ability and acting. I also felt that sometimes actors weren't helped by the directing, for example the scene with Bobby and Kathy that can be so moving didn't have much impact because they both just ended up shouting at each other for most of it. I think the actress who played Marta also deserves a mention for a brilliant 'Another Hundred People' and the actor playing Amy was very good, although I have heard much better vocal renditions of 'Getting Married Today'. Overall very tight musical direction though, and some brilliant vocal performances.

I saw this last night.. WOW!! I absolutely loved it. Without doubt the star of the show is Lucy Williamson, who's acting and singing were faultless. Lincoln Stone is also very good, as is Lucy Evans who plays April. I thought the cast in general were a good team actually. Its very cleverly done, and Michael England MD ing.. right there!! Fantastic!! This is an amazing opportunity to see theatre at its best.. I urge you to go!

REEEEEALLLY hope this can transfer I think it would sit fantastically in the West End right now....

Amazing cast, fantastic direction and I love the tempo of it, it's lively young and just right for now if u get me

Oooh, I haven't seen it yet (9 more days, if I can count lol) but I'd love it if it transferred! The WE has a woeful lack of Sondheim... that said, I still haven't seen ALNM! :blush:

OTness... I think I might actually need to sign up to WOS, I'm not liking this guest business!

At least if it does transfer they will have a good sized stage to work with!

brilliant

went last night and got a standby

this production has to transfer. can't believe how good it is

It's true, this production would so deserve a transfer, although the intimate size of the venue they're on at right now should be somehow preserved, lest part of its charm is lost.
Such quality for such a small ticket price... and so much care for details in the emotional portrayal of characters!

I might be biased, because I've been wanting to see a production of 'Company' for quite a while, and it certainly didn't help that the Broadway revival production with Raul Esparza closed about a month too early (I'd already planned a visit for a little later that summer...). But then again, I've been to see this one with friends who weren't all too familiar with the score, or even with Sondheim to begin with, and they were blown away.
Like it's been written in one of the official reviews, this is the kind of production that reminds you of the sheer and unique pleasure of going to the theatre and being surprised by how good simple (as in not supported by loads of money) things can be. Talent speaks way louder than frills and special effects, and there's quite a good deal on display at the Union Theatre these days.

I'm seeing it tomorrow! I'm so ridiculously excited!

P.S. I'm guest *M* from before, I finally signed up lol

Diamonddust, if you feel like saying hi, my friend and I will probably be sat at oneo f the tables outside between shows!
Abix

Was at both shows on Saturday and the entire cast was on fire! Look forward to seeing where they go from here. Everyone involved in this has worked so hard ad it really showed... hope they get the much deserved transfer!

I can't quite understand the hype of this production, to me it was like a student show. The acting was not great nor the singing with the exception of Lincoln Stone.

Have you read the reviews??!!! And how can you say the acting and singing were not great?!! Did you see the right production?!! Lucy Williamson (Joanne) was incredible.. as was Lucy Evans (April)..
Ah well each to their own I suppose...

Actually, not all the reviews were that amazing. There were mediocre ones in Time Out and Musical Criticism, and it didn't actually get reviewed by many national papers who are the only ones I really take any notice of. Personally, I was surprised that more reviewers didn't pick up on the very variable standard of the cast (particularly the men) and how poor some of the staging was in terms of use of space. And not everyone would have liked April's interpretation, although I found it very interesting (if not always completely successful).

But I agree it's definitely worth seeing overall, and that there are some very talented people in it.

I think if you read the Time Out review the reviewer is obviously not a fan of the piece at all. She actually praised the production...

'But there is no doubting the quality of the production and cast'

Plus the show recieved 4 stars from the Daily Express, Telegraph and Sunday Express. All national papers I believe!!!

Not to keep labouring this point (because I really did enjoy the show - honest) but the Telegraph review was written by a young intern and was probably the worst written review I've ever read, so you've got to be careful quoting it! So effectively it only got two reviews from respected national critics.

If it does transfer I'll be very interested to see how it does. I think the ages of the cast will be a lot more of a problem, as will some of the vocal performances. Not many shows can transfer from small venues to large ones very easily, especially if it will suddenly draw comparisons to the brilliant 'Night Music'. Having said that, I thought the design had some really interesting ideas but obviously a tiny budget so it would be exciting to see what an obviously talented team could come up with if they had more money to play with. And I think Lincoln Stone could grace any West End stage.

HI everyone, please, please, please nominate Company for best off westend in the WOS awards and also Lucy Williamson and lincoln stone for their roles as Joanne and Bobby respectively! Such a great show and a phenominal cast (there's always best ensemble lol) and totallly deserving of any awardsit can get! So please get voting
abalafae x

I have voted for lucy williamson as joanne, i thought she was amazing and so deserves to win this year.

BUmping agian and reminding every one to Vote! Vote! Vote for Company in the WOS awards... remember, there will be cookies