MUSICAL REVIEW: Company ★★★★

Company

Gielgud Theatre, London

26th September 2018 - 30th March 2019

It’s 2018 and Stephen Sondheim’s 1970s remarkable musical, Company, has been given a sexual-orientation makeover with the usual male-lead Bobby flipped in this touching adaption to a Bobbie, performed and captured beautifully by the ever-talented Rosalie Craig. When the initial casting first announced months before the opening performance that included Broadway legend Patti Lupone and Mel Giedroyc, some were surprised to find Lupone agreeing to the production, but with her having seen that Marianne Elliott, a director like a tour-de-force with any creation she represents on stage, was at the centre on this adaption, she jumped at the chance to perform in a musical again, and you can certainly see why.

Elliott has directed what its a stunning portrayal of these seventies’ characters brought to life on stage, from the intimate settings boxed off in neon designs, to the ever growing birthday balloons representing the pressures that Bobbie faces, you can almost wonder just how the original must have fared, considering how beautiful having a female lead fits within the story, which follows our protagonist, having now reached her 35th Birthday, asking those closest to her if now’s the right time to ‘settle down’. The ensemble cast, who absolutely excel as a singular character in their own right and together as a clang of Bobbie’s friends, hold the show together in such a way that you are whisked within the running time from couples going through marriage troubles, to those terrified about tying the knot together, with hilarious effects from recurring characters popping up in the most unusual places. The standout moment though is when Bobbie dreams about what life settling down would really be like with Andy (Richard Fleeshman), and on stage does the apartment become flooded with multiple Bobbies going around doing mundane chores, to the far extreme of pregnancy. It’s a true testament to Elliott’s work that this segment runs so smoothly, which never falls shy in this production.

Patti Lupone also gives a defiant portrayal as Joanne, to which her reining moments lie with ‘It’s the Little Things you do together’ and ‘The Ladies who lunch’, where she steals almost every scene she’s in, but with a careful amount of grace to the role that allows the rest of the company to come forward and share the laughs and skilful behaviour that has been concocted to bring this musical into the modern age, where dating apps with the tap of a finger now rules and decides our destiny for us. Mel Giedroyc and Jonathan Bailey must also get a mention for their exceptional comic timing to every scene they are presented with, with the latter’s rendition of ‘Getting Married Today’ being a hilarity on stage.

Overall, Company is a remarkable and standout musical production recommended for all ages, and is another triumph for Marianne Elliott who keeps exciting me with everything she produces.