Company

CHLOE COLEMAN is pleasantly surprised by this all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.

ADC company CUMTS Musical

Photography by Nick Rutter

ADC Theatre, Tues 4th to Sat 9th February, Tue, Wed & mat £10/£8, Thu-Sat £12/£10

Directed by Will Karani

Let’s be honest, a musical is never the easiest thing to pull off. You have to sing, dance and act at once, and crucially, be competent enough in all three to prevent the whole thing becoming a bit “school play”. Thankfully, the CUMT’s production of George Furth’s Company offered an example of a musical done right.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Company presents us with New Yorker Bobby (Paul Adeyefa), the only single man left in his group of married friends. The plot is as hectic as the city in which it is set, and by the end of the first scene we’ve already encountered a whole host of exuberant characters, each with their own distinct quirks.

These are united by shared fears about the “Generation Gap” – a dark time between youth and middle age which we’ve fortunately still to look forward to. In two hours we’re given various unique insights into the modern relationship, including an excessively friendly divorce, extreme pre-marital cold feet and the most convincing sex scene I’ve seen on stage. (The school groups in the audience were delighted.)

Whilst the cast as a whole is undoubtedly talented, their acting was in general far superior to their singing. One exception was Lauren Hutchinson, whose solo “Another Hundred People” was admirable in its simplicity and showcased a rare talent for both singing and acting. Despite a few vocal wobbles, Adeyefa was an infinitely likeable and convincing protagonist, crumbling from spirited bachelor to desperate singleton.

Vaulting between funny and serious, each actor commanded their desired reaction from the nearly-full audience. Importantly, despite a few initial technical problems, ensemble and solo pieces worked equally well. Maria Montague’s portrayal of a manic yet endearingly nervous bride was complemented by similar levels of energy from the rest of the cast, resulting in a collective enthusiasm that was difficult to resist.

Indeed, the success of Company is in its subtlety – there are a few moments where the awkwardness of a situation is almost too real. This is emphasised by the cast’s use of simple staging, creating different apartments smoothly and effectively, and allowing the audience to focus on the action unfolding before us.

This is not to say everything worked. Without the programme, I would never have picked up on the fact that much of the action takes place in Bobby’s imagination, as the continual returns to the first scene served only to add further complications to an already intricate plot. Additionally, the second act opens with a tap dancing routine which seemed slightly unnecessary and made it difficult to pick out the words of the song, a problem that continued throughout the production. Considering the hilarity of the lyrics, it was a real shame.

Overall though, the laughter from the audience showed these were not major obstacles to our enjoyment, and I left the ADC thoroughly cheerful and thoroughly impressed.