Review: COMPANY at fortyfivedownstairs

A well-advised investment in real talent to professionally execute a boutique production is what made Watch This' Company an enjoyable experience. George Furth's book allows so much room for interpretation around Sondheim's tunes, that it would be all too easy to steep the content in self-indulgent intelligentsia or leave it dry and deadpan, but Kat Henry's direction makes marvellous entertainment to draw out fresh humour and intrigue from a story we've all heard before and is probably too close to home to begin with.

Robert is five years away from mid-life, surrounded by the cloying, voyeuristic married couples he calls friends, all the while in the background his three candidates leap about hoping to get a rose at the end of the party once Osher Gunsberg...wait sorry I was thinking about something else! He spends time with each couple, all living a different marital philosophy, but remains stuck in the quandary of what value marriage has in his life, or indeed anyone's. Nick Simpson-Deeks makes a valiant effort to lead the ensemble, but over the din of their wonderfully camp-commedia characterisations, he ends the play more of a stick-in-the-mud than a transformed bachelor. I'd admonish people for upstaging, but frankly the eye-grabbing antics are what made the play so good! And in this way, I'd say this was a Company unlike many have seen before, spectacularly opulent to make the more poignant moments really hit home amongst the humour and hubris.

The female actors really led the charge in this one. Nicole Melloy was a superb neurosis with a voice I craved more of. Johanna Allen gave good depth to the slightly suppressed Jenny, and the operatic notes gave a dimension to the musical direction the entire audience were grateful for. Sally Bourne was the most realised character, and held firm in her sardonic insights around which Robert's development needed support, and got it. Sonya Suares definitely had the hyperactivity down for Amy, but the chemistry with Tim Paige was off and so he had more of a presence playing the waiter than the only-Jewish-once-she-pointed-it-out-jilted-Paul. Bianca Baykara had legs for days and a voice to match, her portrayal of Marta making all the difference in how much hope the audience left with. Speaking of legs, Nelson Gardner, although your moustache was as close to seventies as the play got, you should only ever wear Bermuda shorts. Ever.

I must give kudos to Michael Ralph; I keep a particular disdain for choreographers at the best of times but Ralph's movements were fresh and kept with the near-manic energy of the show, with Madeleine MacKenzie's dance setting my little fay heart a-flutter. Although there were moments were the choreography came at a cost to diction and projection, on the whole they re-energised the audience regularly during the slower moments.

Final thoughts, when I applauded this show it was with the attitude of 'shut up and take my money', though there were some flaws revealed through further reflection. You can expect a performance that is still relevant, and delivered by a cast who may as well be on the big stage for the vocal and caricature performances they bring to an intimate audience at the charming fortyfivedownstairs.

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