Steve Hennessy writes of the Edinburgh Fringe (p. 27):

"I've seen a few very good productions of 'Company' over the years, but none better than the new one by Kenmac at C Venues Chambers St. Almost 40 years old now, Sondheim's revolutionary musical still bursts with life and energy and crackles with wit and intelligence. It's a master class in audacious composition and ambitious book writing, a reminder of just what musical theatre can be, but it really needs a cast as good as Kenmac's to do it full justice.

"The strength of this production lies in its strong ensemble feel directed and choreographed by Michael Strassen with a verve and panache that made you want to punch the air with joy. The ensemble pieces were complemented by a clutch of terrific individual performances, particularly Maryanne McCormack as Joanne, Marisa Leigh Boynton as Amy, Daniella Gibb as Jenny and Antonio Mcardle as Robert. Jenny Kent's musical direction was a dream.

Please someone bring this production to London, I can go and see it again, and more people will get the chance as they did with the Chocolate Factory's 'Sunday in the Park' (yes, it's that good...) to see what real musical theatre looks like."

NOTORIOUSLY challenging, the musicals of Stephen Sondheim shouldn't be touched by any performers without tons of musicality, perfect diction and masses of confidence. Hence, when they show up at the Fringe, they tend to get either loads of stars or a pitiable few.

Well, here comes a bucket-load of stars for the bucket-load of talent on display in Company, Sondheim's revue-style show that looks at New Yorker Bobby's problems committing to a relationship. It's his 35th birthday and his terribly married friends are full of advice and example, whether solicited or not.

Also on hand are three girlfriends - the safe, nice girl, the free spirit and the flighty air hostess.

Bobby is offered insight via such songs as The Little Things You Do Together and Side by Side by Side/What Would We Do Without You?, while we see how he feels about things with numbers like Being Alive, Someone is Waiting and the hilarious and touching Barcelona.

Sondheim rarely goes in for showstoppers but the actor-singers and musicians - poised above the stage like a Greek chorus - step up to the mark with Getting Married Today, in which a near-hysterical Amy panics about getting hitched to the perfect Paul after years of living together. There's a bit of staging here that is wonderfully unexpected and clever, and wouldn't benefit at all from my spoiling it.

As Bobby, Antonio Mcardle is never off stage but he looks completely at ease, stepping back when the focus is on another performer, stepping up when he's called on to show how he's feeling. Marisa Leigh Boynton is luminous as Amy, the wife Bobby thinks he wants, and Helen George's stewardess, April, is heartbreaking, funny, and a mean ballet dancer.

Space prevents everyone getting a mention, but they all deserve one - this is a West End-quality cast and they should be enjoyed before they escape. Even if you've seen Company before, get along to C and see it done brilliantly.


MARTIN GRAY

If you ever needed proof that Edinburgh isn't a level playing field, then Kenmac's production of Company is surely it. This show could be transported, virtually untouched, to any West End stage. It really is that good.
The plot of Company revolves around Robert, a single man unable to commit to a serious girlfriend. All his friends are either married or in relationships, and much of the action features disconnected scenes in which Robert interacts with each of these couples to dissect how marriage does, or rather doesn't, work.

Mixed in with these partners are Robert's three past-or-present girlfriends. The timeline is non-linear, and the only link between all the characters is Robert's 35th birthday.

Kenmac have assembled a powerful cast of 14 actors to deliver this, one of Sondheim's strongest scores. It features some of the most outstanding numbers in musical theatre, including "Being Alive", "Side by Side" and "The Ladies Who Lunch", which is wonderfully sung in this show by Mary Anne McCormack with just the right caustic tone. Special mention must also go to Marisa Leigh Boynton for an incredible performance of "Not Getting Married Today", a fast-paced tongue-twister of a song that shows just how much of a sadist Sondheim can be at times.

But the real star of the show must be the Director, Michael Strassen. I watched agog as he created the most incredibly fluid movement on stage. The last time I saw Company was Sam Mendes' 1996 London version at the Albery Theatre. Seriously, this is better.

Simply mindblowing musical theatre.


Pete Shaw

While Company, for me, falls into the same category of musical as Cabaret or Chicago (no, not musicals with one-word titles starting with C, rather musicals where five minutes after I walk out I'm not really sure what the story was), here it is the performers who make this a stand-out show. Playing a half-hour late to a packed house in C's Adam House venue, the cast and orchestra sparkle through the story of Robert (Antonio McArdle), a 31-year-old bachelor whose friends are urging him to get married while battling marital woes themselves.

As Sarah and Jenny, Abigail Rosser and Daniella Gibb steal the show, but the fact is all the female performers do a brilliant job, and one can completely understand how Robert might find a woman to measure up to his female friends a bit tough.

Strong voices and sharp choreography, not to mention a live orchestra, make this a superb production of a classic musical.


Rachel Lynn Brody

It is exactly 50 years since Stephen Sondheim had his major break as lyricist on West Side Story.

His 1970 musical Company, which broke the mould and introduced the format of a concept musical, is now older than its womanising protagonist, commitment-phobe Bobby, who is surrounded by happily married friends, but lives all alone. Not that the age of the work really matters in this timeless and beautifully simple production by Michael Strassen.

A minor intervention featuring a text message instead of a wedding card both works well and brings the story right up to date - as nothing else really seems to have changed when it comes to romantic relationships.

Strassen’s ultra-minimalist and mainly presentational production features some top notch performances from an obviously skilled cast. Antonio Mcardle as Robert is suitably slightly aloof in what is essentially his meditation on the mad world around him. Meanwhile, Helen George as the sexy and ditzy stewardess April really stands out of Bobby’s crowd, but then again she is meant to. Otherwise this is an ensemble performance not to be missed, if you are after a quality musical.


Duska Radosavljevic