The framing device is the birthday party, and three possible ways it could pan out, with the rest of the show made up of scenes, not necessarily in chronological order, of Bobbie spending time with the couples.
We also get to see her past attempts at a romantic life, with Richard Fleeshman’s dim-witted air steward Andy, George Blagden’s insufferable pseud PJ, and Matthew Seadon-Young’s Theo, the one who got away. I’ve only seen Company once before and liked it without being blown away by it, but whether it’s the rewrites and recasting blowing the cobwebs off its dodgier elements, or simply the class act of Elliott’s revival, this is in a different league – even if where Bobbie’s mental journey actually leads her remains as vague as ever by the end. The main impression is how funny the production is; of Bobbie’s three suitors, Fleeshman gets the most time and the most ridiculous scene as she desperately tries to get him into bed, before a sex scene that brought the house down.
An early comic highlight comes from Mel Giedroyc and Gavin Spokes as Sarah and Harry, one of the married couples whose praise of marriage falls flat as their passive aggression – constantly talking about the food and drink they’ve each given up, they binge it as soon as the other isn’t looking – turns into actual aggression, the scene weirdly ending with jiu-jitsu on the carpet. And nowhere is the production’s luxury casting more obvious than the inclusion of Broadway royalty Patti LuPone, whose reputation precedes her to the point of it being referenced in the pre-show announcement about turning mobile phones off. As Joanne she lends an acidic humour to “Ladies Who Lunch.”
But the biggest reaction of the night was for Jonathan Bailey as Jamie, another reworked character who’s here preparing to get married to long-term partner Paul (Alex Gaumond.) Turning them into a gay couple who’ve only recently had the right to make their relationship official gives a different angle to his wedding-day jitters, and Bailey gives the most likeable comic performance of the evening, as well as singing the technically difficult “Getting Married Today.” I imagine Company will feature heavily in next year’s awards season, and I’ll be surprised if Bailey’s performance isn’t a major part of that.
Also among the most memorable contributions is Bunny Christie’s, her set consisting of colourfully lit boxes that suggest Bobbie being trapped, whether by her single life itself or by her friends’ constant disapproval of it. The rooms and locations then slot around each other in various combinations, while keeping all the action at stage level puts the band in prominent position above it, rather than hiding it away in the orchestra pit. I also liked the way the characters essentially have a single costume throughout, but occasionally wear their usual costume in a different colour reflecting the scene (like Jamie’s outfit turning white and pink for his wedding.) Plus I definitely won’t complain about the cast occasionally playing different background characters so Jonny Bailey could get to wear a vest in the nightclub scene, while Fleeshman’s outfit for the “Barcelona” sequence, what there is of it, is unlikely to be forgotten by anyone who sees it any time soon.
I’m no closer to being able to tell you what conclusion Company is meant to have reached but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of ambiguity, and the way Elliott’s constructed the journey to that question mark of an ending is what really works here. Equally ambiguous is the person in the middle of that journey, but Craig is a sympathetic, somewhat baffled host through the eccentric couples that are enthusing to her about marriage while providing dubious examples of its success. Living up to the hype, this was a production I’d happily go back to.
Company by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth is booking until the 22nd of December at the Gielgud Theatre.
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes including interval.
Photo credit: Brinkhoff/Moegenburg.
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