Company

Stephen Sondheim is one of Broadway’s most gifted composer/​lyricists, and this production of Company (book by George Furth) should not be missed!
Director Albert Marr and the Crown City Theatre Company have mounted an exceptional production of Sondheim’s «concept musical». It’s a musical comedy about relationships, fidelity, marriage, and love, and it proves to be decisively honest and unromantic. Written in 1970, the play’s biting wit and powerful scrutiny of dating and relationships doesn’t feel at all dated. The effortless incorporation of cellphones, Facebook, and EMAIL posts adds a contemporary feel to the loose story which centers on Bobby (charmingly played by Ben Rovner) a handsome single New Yorker in his mid-​thirties who’s surrounded by smug and seemingly happy (at least initially) married friends. Their buoyant attempts to draw him into a life of matrimonial bliss are undermined by their flawed and dysfunctional conjugal lives.
Die-​hard theatre aficionado that I am, I was excited to run across a production of one of the few plays by Sondheim that I had yet to see. I was also more than a little dubious about seeing it produced by a small company in a Church that does double-​duty as a theatre. I needn’t have worried on either count. The ensemble’s vocal skills are generally good — less than stellar in some of the solos, but satisfying and harmonious in the group numbers. Their acting skills are exemplarily for such a small company, and the intimate venue is reasonably comfortable with not a bad seat in the house! Musical director Bill Reilly’s elegant piano accompaniment is the perfect complement for the show.
Structurally, «Company» is a linked collection of stories which starts out at Bobby’s 35^th birthday party while a half dozen married couple-​friends push him to settle down. Throughout the non-​linear vignettes which follow, Bobby spends time with each couple AND the three lovely ladies he’s currently dating. As our roguish hero balances the joys of being a bachelor against the fears of spending his life alone, most of what we see happening to Bobby is real (or is it?) and the timeline just might double-​back…
You’ll simply have to see the play and decide for yourself. Sondheim fans and newcomers alike should take advantage of this rare chance to spend a few hours enjoying this exceptional production of «Company.»
[The End]
With all open seating, tickets for the Crown City Theatre Company’s production of «Company» are very reasonably priced at $ 25 each, so consider purchasing them directly to support the company. If money is an issue, tickets are also available through
at half price. Originally scheduled to run through the end of March, the play has been extended through April 28^th due to overwhelming popular demand.