Stephen Sondheim’s Company may initially seem a strange choice for a student company to tackle, coming from a time before any of the cast had been thought of, let alone born. But Fennec Fox Productions have taken this piece and made it their own, showing how timeless some themes can actually be.
The musical focuses on Bobby, turning 35 and single, as he celebrates his birthday among his friends, who are all either married or engaged. Back when Company was written, there would have been so much more pressure to get married than there is now, however still there will always be times in life when you pause and think, “what next”. Delivered as a series of vignettes, through the course of the performance you see different perspectives on marriage and relationships, and it becomes apparent that no situation is as perfect as it can sometimes be perceived from the outside. The varying points of view on relationships, balanced with Bobby’s changing mindset are interesting to watch evolve. The age-old trope that the grass is always greener on the other side continuously shifts with time and from each point of view.
As I took my seat, I saw the set and wondered why the design (Holly Rust) involved the interior of a soft play centre (cue slight personal recoil due to far too many hours spent in such places over the years!). However, this turned out to be a versatile space that was used to denote apartments, nightclubs and other locations, and visually a pleasing background with the bright colours. The theme of turning 35 and how Bobby’s life would develop from that moment also made this very fitting, as he’s contemplating leaving his younger days behind him.
Moving on to the most important question, how on earth do a team of students – some of whom are in their final years at Oxford – have the time, talent and dedication to take a show like this with its vocally challenging songs and complex ensemble choreography and create such an astonishingly accomplished production? I am personally in awe of their talent and my friend who came along to see the show – an ardent Sondheim fan – in response to me saying how incredible the performances were considering it was an amateur production, said “I had no idea it was until you mentioned it”. That is probably all you need to know.
Some highlights (which we both agreed on):
Firstly, this was a great show to stage as everyone in the cast has their moment to take centre stage. In addition, the ensemble pieces work well because the cast is made up of such strong performers. The direction (Joshua Robey) and choreography (Alex Jeffries) both also need a mention here.
Musically the orchestra (some of whom were responsible for multiple instruments) were accomplished. They were led by Musical Director Tom Constantinou, who we had the good fortune to be able to see from our seats. You can easily tell when music is the lifeblood of a person.
The physicality of Harry (Tristan Hood) and Sarah’s (Graciela Blandon) karate demo was hilarious. During Sorry-Grateful it also became apparent that Tristan Hood’s voice is captivatingly gorgeous. His vocals during this song reminded me of Michael Ball back when he was Marius in Les Misérables.
The performance of Getting Married Today by Amy (Rosie Sutton) was a showstopper, the speed of the vocals taken in the performer’s stride and delivered with total clarity despite the pace of it. The visual representation of someone having cold feet on their wedding day whilst also interacting with other characters was superb.
In the second half, Orla Wyatt – as Joanne - gave an incredible performance of The Ladies Who Lunch demonstrating strong vocal control and storytelling.
Bobby’s 3 girlfriends, April (Olivia Russell), Kathy (Laura Boyd) and Marta (Francesca Knoop) were played to perfection, three very different characters but all interacted with Bobby in a way that helped you to understand why he was not particularly set on any of them as a life partner, whilst his friend group constantly lamented his inability to find his perfect match.
Of course, the show builds to a crescendo with Being Alive, performed by Bobby (Aaron Gelkoff). A great choice for the role of Bobby, his performance was stunning and the emotion in this particular song was palpable. It was no surprise to read the programme and spot the professional credits listed for Aaron Gelkoff. I have no doubt there will be many more added to this list in the future.
I could mention each person involved with this production for individual reasons but there is no taking away the fact that this is very much an ensemble piece. The joy was visible in the cast during the curtain call.
Watching this triumphant production was a reminder of exactly what a musical should be. Vocally and musically perfect, a talented and very gorgeous cast, and you leave the theatre feeling as if your mood has been lifted dramatically. Stunning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Company is showing at Oxford Playhouse until Saturday 31 January. Click here to buy tickets.
If you would like to see my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.
I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.
