Company

Synopsis

It's Robert's 30th birthday. He seems to have everything: good looks, charm and a great sense of humour, and yet he is single. In Company, he watches the lives of his friends; five very different New York couples, and reflects on the joys and pitfalls of relationships. Presented in a series of vignettes through Robert's eyes, we see in their lives the less than ideal aspects of marriage...and yet there must be some reason why they stay together. A huge success when first performed in 1970, this show will make you laugh all evening and stay up thinking about it all night afterwards.

Our Review:

Andrew Girvan - 11 February 2011

The first musical to visit the Southwark Playhouse since it was founded in 1993, Joe Frederick's staging of Company has been dragged unapologetically from its 1970 roots to the present day with an iPhones and laptop nearly the only props adorning the minimal set apart from the frequently reappearing 35th birthday cake.

Watching Bobby (Rupert Young) navigate the relationships of his friends — also giving us a glimpse into his own varied success with April (Katie Brayben), Marta (Michelle Bishop) and Kathy (Poppy Roe) — it quickly becomes clear the female half of the 14-strong cast are the ones to watch. In addition to strong performances from Bobby's three love interests Leigh McDonald also quickly establishes the standard to expect as one half of the evening's first marital vignette.

In a programme note Frederick shares his belief that theatre is at its best when it contains a mixture of "brilliantly crafted text, alongside ...

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Latest User Review

K Watson - 15 March 2011:

Poor, on all counts. Performance, Design, Music. The only good thing was the beautifully crafted scenes by the late George Furth and the wonderful music of Stephen Sondheim. I never thought it possible to mess Company up too much that a life-long lover of the work would dislike a production completely. This proved me wrong!...

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