You Are in Great Company with this Comic Musical Show!

You are in great Company with this hit from Steven Sondheim – 47 years after the first production. Spoiler alert – Bobbie is no longer a guy!

A cramped start gives way to clever staging, bright lights and soaring music. It’s such a great production with a huge sound that you only wish they’d gone for a bigger stage.

Company The Musical theatre

Company The Musical at the Gielgud Theatre, London 2018

Tony-winner Patti LuPone first appears graciously as part of the ensemble’s opening number and this gives everyone else a chance to shine later on. Nicely, nicely Gavin Spokes and Mel Giedroyc as Sarah is a comic genius duo deserving of the extra hoops at curtain call. Mel is simply and unexpectedly superb.

Jonathan Bailey is absolutely delightful as Jamie (originally Amy) who delivers a manic, breath-taking, show stopping ‘Not Getting Married Today’ – not a ‘dry gay in the house’ as someone put it on twitter. Keep an eye on the vicar’s slice of wedding cake for an extra laugh.

Toned and tanned Richard Fleeshman is perfectly pitched as the slow-witted Andy (April in the original production) but an otherwise stunning staging trick is rather ruined by having him to repeatedly pee. I suppose they couldn’t cut the music – although, obviously Sondheim has let some revisions take place.

The only ‘previews’ note is to Rosalie Craig – love that dress, not so sure about the shoes but mainly try to be in this musical and not trying out for Gypsy. This is not one of those overblown, puncture-your-larynx and the audience’s eardrums so they feel they got their money’s worth productions. We’d like to empathise with you, as well as admire your long neck, distant gazes and powerful lungs.

And now to Patti – the legend – even her eyebrows can perform! Her ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’ is a masterpiece right down to the stubbing of her smokey cigarette in a drink that we all need after this performance.

You’ll be glad you went to see this show, being side by side with such great new company.

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