When I was asked to review Sondheim musical ‘Company’ at the Pennsylvania Playhouse, I was concerned it might be A Bridge Too Far borrowing a metaphor from the book by Cornelius Ryan.
My fears were not realized.
The Friday, April 12th show is the second solid musical for the Playhouse in a row. This represents a one-two punch for the best local amateur musicals of the past year - their successful ‘Curtains” last summer, followed by an even better ‘Company.’
Company opened on Broadway in 1970. It is one of the first musicals to move beyond the happy-life musicals such as ‘State Fair,’ ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘My Fair Lady’ into the adult, existential angst of the upper-middle class.
The story revolves around Robert, played by Joshua Neth, who misses his 35th surprise birthday party. It was given by five married couples, who are his close friends.
The story is a series of reminiscences about various interactions with these sets of friends. To add a little spice, his three girl friends join the memories.
The play is set in Robert's multi-million dollar, mid-town apartment represented by the compelling, believable set designed by C.J. Matz. This set fits well on the new Playhouse stage. When I entered the theater, I felt like I should go to the bar and mix a martini. You cannot give the feeling of a posh NY apartment much better than that.
A Sondheim score is the devil incarnate for even the best musician. It represents an impossible challenge for all but the accomplished. This is a brutal score that has left many a singer dead and dying at the side of the stage, but this team seemed like it never broke a sweat. The music from the Sondheim score and the superb musicianship of the cast are the stars of the show. The music director, Lucille DeMasi Kincaid, was supported by the effort and musicianship of the cast.
For the record, I am a stickler for precise music and on-pitch singing and this cast was marvelous. It was the best-tuned ensemble that I have heard in a long time.
However, their execution of the choreography left room for improvement; but I was so entranced with the music that I did not notice until well into the opening number of the second act “Side by Side by Side.”
The character of Robert is the glue that holds the show together and serves as the thread of continuity between the various vignettes coming from Robert’s memory. Neth performed the role with a panache that gave just the right hint of the NY sophisticate. I thought it was unfortunate that the short arms of his suit and the stunted length of his tie did not match the sophistication of the character he portrayed with such aplomb. This is a case where the man made the clothes.
Neth sang the part with strength and effect, but with weaker musical accuracy. He begins numbers of notes with closed vowels that sound flat. He uses a similar start with closing high notes and he opens the vowel as he holds it so it sounds true and moves on pitch. This is a standard musical theatre crutch adopted by weaker singers. Neth has an instrument that is so listenable and enjoyable that he should give up the crutch. His instrument does not need it. His supporting cast was strong. Most of their acting was up to the standard set by their musicianship and the performance of Neth.
Choosing the best singing performance is hard. Alan Mendez as Paul showed a strong, accurate baritone in The Little Things We Do Together. He gave some nice support throwing several notes to another singer to keep the song going.
Overall, I thought the best singer was Wendy Borst as Sarah. She sang like a bad church soloist in the “Getting Married Today” scene. I thought, oh well, and then realized she sang better than that in an earlier solo line or two. So I listened, and later she hit another short solo line absolutely clean and well sung. I then listened for her in the chorus, and she was holding the top-soprano line with strength that balanced the rest of the other singers in the cast. This is a singer who sings well and who can act like she sings badly.
The best single solo in my opinion was the tour de force “Another Hundred People” sung by Kendra O’Donnell as Marta. This Sondheim, patter song required more hours to learn than I care to count. Every word I heard was clear and understandable. The only problem was that the keyboard was over-miked and covered many of her words.
The most popular song with the audience was “Ladies Who Lunch” sung by Andrea Cartegena as Joanne. It is a belter song that fit her voice and persona. She plays a most believable drunk as she sings this song.
Nina Elias as Amy did the best straight acting in the supporting cast. She plays a Catholic woman marrying the Jewish man, Paul played by Vince Rostkowski. This includes a compelling scene that calls for her to sing the other tongue-twister in the show.
The scene went off without a hitch as long as I forget the breakfast cart that was caught by her wedding gown and spilled over several tiers of stage. She, Neth and Rutkowski did a fine job of cleaning the mess and not missing a line. I thought the disaster was part of the act until it took the stagehands fifteen minutes to clean it up during intermission.
The remaining spouses are played by John Monahan as Harry, Brittani Doyen as Susan, Kimberly Tassinaro as Jenny, Jason Zimmer as David, and Donald Swan as Larry. Valynn Turkovich (April) and Cheryl Moritz (Kathy) played Robert’s other two girl friends. The Vocal Minority included Doug Ace, Rosemary Kumma, Andrew Schaffer, Peter Sikalis, Cindi Surovi, Janelle Taylor and Tommy Waters.
This ‘Company’ is a must see for any serious fan of musical theatre. Will Windsor Erwin directed this performance and deserves to go bed proud of his cast, this show and his leadership. This show would not have happened without his efforts.
‘Company’ continues at the Pennsylvania Playhouse the evenings of April 19,20,25,26,27 and the afternoons of April 21 and 28. Tickets are $22.00 and $19.00 for students and seniors. All tickets are $22 on Saturday night. All performances are at the Illick’s Mill Road theatre.