Company
The Queens Theatre,
London, Matinee Sunday 7 November 2010
Review by Emma Shane, © November 2010
This concert staging largely
involves the cast who appeared in the show some fifteen years ago at the Donmar Warehouse reprising their roles.
However, there have been a few replacements along the way, resulting in the
surprising appearances of Haydn Gwynne,
Gillian Bevan,
and Summer Strallen.
Opening with the title song Company
finds most of the company on stage in a group. Apart from the obvious, our
leading man Adrian Lester, a few
others stand out, notably: Clive Rowe (because
he is one of those performers who generally does), Haydn Gwynne (possibly because she is
the tallest of the woman), and mysteriously distinctive woman in a sparkling
silver-coloured dress. Sitting a long way back (row P) of the stalls, makes it
difficult to spot individuals, and at first I wondered could it be Anna Francolini?
On to
meeting the first of the show’s couples. Sarah and Harry played by their original Donmar pairing of Rebecca Front and Clive Rowe. This gets the show off to a good start, he has a drink
problem and she a food problem.
Presently we move on to the
next couple Susan and Peter, also played by their original Donmar pairings of Clare Burt and Gareth Snook. Of the first three couples introduced their
performance seemed to be the one that made the least impact. Clare’s role of a
sensitive woman who is apt to faint at the merest thing seems a world away from
her Sondheim work at The Bridewell (as Senora Fosca in
Passion – which she reprised for that theatre’s farewell concert). Susan and
Peter are on the point of deciding to get divorced, but “haven’t told anyone yet”. Their lines have a certain amount of
comedy to them, if only the actors had delivered them a little more
memorably. It must be very strange for
the actors to be replaying roles they did fifteen years ago, for some of them a
lot of water must surely have flowed under the bridge since then. The third
couple, Jenny and David, make more of an impact. This time we don’t have the
original Domar
pairing (of Liza Sadovy and Teddy Kempner),
instead we have the woman in the silver dress, who turns out to be Gillian Bevan,
teamed with Richard Henders.
These two certainly make an impression, or at least Gillian does, playing the
part of a woman who is stoned (and doesn’t realise it).
Interspersed with this action
are of course the wonderful classic songs. So many of them are ones we
recognise from their numerous out of context performances in revues and charity
galas. Haydn Gwynne tackles the
first of these The Little Things You do Together
with aplomb. She sings the lyrics with excellent diction. She is ablely backed up by the rest of the company, but it is she
who makes this song very much her own, no matter who one has heard do it! Which
given that that number’s previous sensational interpreters include Liz Robertson (in the 1999 Chelmsford
production of Side By Side By Sondheim), and Louise Gold (in the Side
By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary Gala), that is no mean
feat. Clive Rowe, Richard Henders,
and, Paul Bentley have a slightly
easier task with the little known ballad Sorry, Grateful. Then it’s on to an
extraordinary performance of another classic You Could Drive A Person Crazy. I’ve seen a few good performances of
this song, but never one quite like this. Kathy played by Summer Strallen is supposed to be taking
the role of Maxine, the leader of The Andrews Sisters. But somehow it
is Anna Francolini
as Marta (who is supposed to be, I think Patty) who actually dominates the
number. Yes indeed Summer Strallen (one of The
Langfords) was actually upstaged! Outshone by Anna Francolini!
Meanwhile Katherine Kingsley, a long
leggy blond playing April (presumably representing Laverne) barely got much of
a look in, other than being an ensemble player. It may be noted that Anna is
the only one of the trio who was actually in the Donmar production. Fifteen years ago the other two probably were not even
working as grown up actors (though Summer
Strallen was almost certainly working as child
actress).
The rather little known Have
I Got A Girl For You is put across well by all
five men Clive Rowe, Gareth Snook, Richard Henders, Michael Simkins, and, Paul Bentley. Noticeably it is the
older men Michael Simkins
and Paul Bentley who come across
best in it.
Adrian Lester
gets to sum things up and reply to them with a song done a fair amount out of
context Someone Is Waiting. It’s really good to hear this done for once
in context, with the lyrics sung very clearly, as this means we actually
realise that all the female names mentioned in it are in fact the names of
Robert’s married female friends, or the wives of his male friends.
On to another
great classic number, often done in revues and galas Another Hundred People. Given how often it is done, and frequently done
pretty well, it could be tough for any actress to actually make it truly her
own. But this afternoon that is exactly what happens. Anna Francolini delivers this classic
sensationally. Pouring her considerable experience of singing
Sondheim into it. With her
great stage presence, excellent singing voice, and overall talent she makes
this number quite rightly one of the high spots of the evening, and gets great
applause. In between parts of this song the other two girls from the trio also encounter
Robert, with Marta meeting him last, only once she has
finished the song. It’s an extraordinary song. Marta is an extraordinary woman,
and this afternoon she is expertly played. A true triumph for
Anna Francolini.
One cannot forget that fifteen years ago, her
performance in this show earned her recognition she might not otherwise have
attained. (Things like getting model locomotive partly named after her!).
Getting Married Today is yet another of those songs from Company
that keeps turning up out of context in revues, so it makes a refreshing change
to see it done totally in context. Although some of the out-of-context
performances have put ingenious twists on the song (Remember the obvious
“condition” of the “bride” in the 1999 Chelmsford production of Side
By Side By Sondheim’s performance of this number). This afternoon Sophie Thompson’s performance is
clearly helped by the fact that she is one of the original members of the Donmar cast.
Though I found her a little irritating she was convincing as “crazy Amy”, and delivesr
the major portions of this song perfectly satisfactorily, and up to speed. Michael Simkins
seems to have aged somewhat, nevertheless this brings a certain something to
the number, making Paul appear clearly rather older than Amy, which is no bad
thing, it serves as a good contrast to the couple, and helps to make the whole
situation between Amy and Paul more convincing, including adding to Amy’s
concern a little later when Paul goes out in the rain. Michael Simkins is a reliable actor, and
this afternoon he sings his part of this number well, with perhaps just a
stylistic hint of David Kernan about his performance. However the most
outstanding performance of this number comes from someone who wasn’t in the Donmar
production. Gillian Bevan
as Jenny proves to be a commanding narrator for the song. A
quite different performance to her appearance earlier in the act, sharply
contrasting with when Jenny was stoned. I’ve heard a few good singers
perform this part (including most notably Liz
Robertson, Rebecca Lock, and Kirsty Hoiles), yet
Gillian Bevan
proves she is certainly up there with the very best of them on this song. I
think her performance might actually be the best one I’ve come across of that
part in the song.
Getting Married Today is something of a potential showstopper. One of the
few problems with Sondheim musicals is that frequently leading actors are too
often required to try and follow on from potential showstoppers, which perhaps
explains that excellent though Adrian
Lester is, his performance of Marry Me A Little does not make
quite perhaps the impact it might have done had it not come so soon after Getting
Married Today. By now the first act is beginning to drag, and I was
just trying to remember whether or not Company actually has an interval
(well Assassins doesn’t have one, and Follies
was not originally intended to have one). Fortunately however Company
yields to convention and has an interval. Just as well because it being such a
disjointed piece can make is a little tedious, even though it is stunningly
well performed. Also I very much wanted to study the programme, so as to get a
better of idea of who was actually watching in which part.
Act 2 opens
with a brief sort of recap of key points that have gone before, or is it
another birthday celebration? It’s not clear. I did however notice that while
most of the couples were clearly paired together; with: Sarah & Harry slightly
to stage right of centre, Joanne & Larry in the centre, Amy & Paul a
little slightly to stage left of centre. Jenny & David to the back of stage
left, almost hidden from view at time; we find Susan and Peter clearly separate
on opposite sides of the stage (with Peter to stage right and Susan to stage
left). Here we get a number which could almost be a grand finale, a near
showstopper, so it’s kind of strange to have it positioned so early in the act.
But that is typical of Sondheim
musicals, to break with convention by putting numbers exactly where they best
serve the plot, rather than the structure of a stage musical. (A similar thing
occurs in Merrily We Roll Along, when Gussie’s big production number Good Thing Going
practically opens Act 2). So here in
Company we have the original version
of two songs which have become standards, often used as the finale of many a Sondheim revue or gala, and indeed even
gave the most enduring revue of them all it’s name. Yes its
Side
By Side / What Would We Do Without You. This number is such a standard;
it would just fall flat on a special occasion if the company did not liven it up a bit. Fortunately director Jamie Lloyd and musical director Gareth Valentine have made sure that it is done justice. In the middle
of the number all the company suddenly turn to face the back, focusing
attention on the orchestra in general, and Gareth
Valentine in particular, who works up quite a bit of dancing with his
conducting. His solo over the company all turn back to face the
audience and continue the song. The company repeat this a second time
for another shorter instrumental (but this time without the conductor going
completely manic). During these turns as the cast relinquished and then
regained command of the audience, I particularly noticed the striking manner in
which Haydn Gwynne turned, and to a
lesser extent Gillian Bevan. Both ladies have good command of the stage this
afternoon. Towards the end of the number, there are some more surprises. At a
certain cue in the orchestration one or other of the couples executes a little
tap dance (possibly a time step). first up Sarah and
Harry. Some while later Joanne and Larry’s turn Yes Michael Simkins and Haydn Gwynne tap dancing! they are swiftly
followed by Susan and Peter, where despite being at opposite ends of the stage Clare Burt and Gareth Snook appear well synchronised. Finally the main verses of
the number conclude with Adrian Lester
delivering the last line “Just what you
usually do”, and then of course everyone goes into the reprise of Side
By Side. One thing which struck
me seeing the original version of this classic pair of numbers was to notice
that the lyrics do not appear to have been altered as much as I thought they
were, when the song was turned into the finale of Side By Side By
Sondheim. Although Robert’s line in the song is usually altered for
productions of Side By Side By Sondheim, with the
notable exception of the Thirtieth Anniversary performance,
where they put Robert’s line back in, and had it given perhaps the most memorable
delivery it’s ever got. Which has the unfortunate effect that
no performance of this line in any gala can quite match that. Oh well, on with Company.
One of the problems with
classic show stopping numbers
is that they are so difficult to follow. Here it is followed by
perhaps the least well known number in the entire score, Poor Baby. Is this ever
done outside of Company? I don’t think so. Fortunately we have such excellent
ladies as Gillian Bevan
and Haydn Gwynne among the ladies,
as well as Clare Burt. But even so,
in among so many well known songs the number fails to make much impression.
On to
another great classic. Now it is
long leggy blond Katherine Kingsley’s
turn to tackle a number that a few musical theatre actresses have declined to
do in galas, apparently because it is so associated with Julia McKenzie (with the result that Julia McKenzie was practically obliged to do it in the Side
By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary Gala). I think the last
time I saw this number done on stage was when it was given a hilarious
performance in TheatreMAD’s Flaunt
It 2008 gala, by two musical comedy performers who I can only describe
as a right pair of muppets.
A contrast to this afternoon, where it is done entirely
seriously. The number is of course Barcelona. Oh yes Katherine Kingsley and Adrian Lester do of course singit perfectly well. This is one song which even when
done out of context is usually more or less given its context, all the same its
still good to see it actually in the show from whence it came.
Robert encounters a drunken
Joanne, alone while Larry is apparently cavorting on the dance floor. (We have
to use our imaginations here). The scene, and Joanne’s classic number The
Ladies Who Lunch, which comes in the middle of it, reminds me that on
the whole I am not keen on stage drunk acts. Although Haydn Gwynne is an excellent actress, and plays the part pretty
well, she is impressive, somehow I just didn’t really
like it. But then I’ve seen very few drunk acts on
stage that I actually did like (one from Louise
Plowright in The World Goes Round, and several
from Louise Gold including most
recently in Darling Of The Day). Indeed perhaps part of the difficulty I
had in watching Haydn’s performance today is that after Louise Gold’s tour de force (of Not On Your Nellie) in Darling
Of The Day any stage drunk act was going to be a bit of a come down. However,
just because I didn’t particular like it doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Haydn Gwynne is a fine actress, and her
singing of The Ladies Who Lunch was very well done, with excellent
diction. She is a good performer, who is clearly well able to tackle Sondheim. It’s certainly a treat to see
a performer of her calibre in the Elaine
Stritch/Sheila Gish
role.
Finally Adrian Lester along with the company sing
the poignant final number Being Alive.
After which they all took their bows.
Well that should be the end
of the show. But the cast had all done such a terrific job the audience, most
of which was on its feet couldn’t stop applauding. So the cast came on for a
second bow. Or rather half of them, led by Anna
Francolini came on from stage right, but the half
from stage left took a while to appear, leaving Ms Francolini
looking most bemused in the middle of the stage, until they finally appeared
and everyone could bow together, and eventually retreat.
All in all
a very special concert performance of Company. It was a terrific idea to try and reunite as many of
the Donmar cast as possible. Adrian Lester,
was a true star. Clare Burt and Gareth Snook were certainly
interesting, in a couple of somewhat ironic roles. Best of all it is a thrill
and a pleasure to see Anna Francolini relive the show that fifteen years ago first
marked her out as one of the country’s excellent stalwart Sondheim performers. But of course fifteen years is a long time,
and not everyone could be brought back for the show. However, the substitutes
were generally good and seemed to fit in will with the rest of the cast. Gillian Bevan
was quite amazing. The only other time I have seen her on stage was at the Regent’s
Park 70th Anniversary Gala, where she was very
overshadowed. This afternoon she demonstrates what a fine steady musical
theatre performer she is. Not exactly the kind of performer who would
necessarily set the stage alight. But
the sort of person who is very useful and necessary to musical theatre. A performer who can get the job done to a reasonable standard.
By shear coincidence I’ve been reading up about her recently (and listening to
her Wizard
Of Oz recording), so it’s nice to see her
perform on stage, and do such a fine performance. It’s also great to see Haydn Gwynne on stage, I’ve only seen
her on stage once before, and that was in a Shakespeare play. She certainly proved this afternoon that she can
sing Sondheim rather well. Let’s
hope she does that more often.
Yes this matinee concert staging
of Company
is a performance to remember. And special thanks to that wonderful institution
of a shop that is Dress Circle for their foresight in having one of their ‘Theatre Evenings’ to see it.