Have I Got a Show For You: Company at Masquerade Theatre

by Laura Duffy

Despite being one of Stephen Sondheim’s many devotees, I was unfamiliar with his and George Furth’s 1970 musical Company - that is, until this past Friday night. Masquerade Theatre’s opening night performance was nearly sold out and highly energetic, with an audience full of friends and Company fans. For those also unfamiliar, Company is a concept musical about marriage and dating in New York City, and follows Robert (often referred to as Bobby) through a series of nonlinear vignettes as he navigates relationships with his married friends and several girlfriends.

The key to a successful production of Company, I quickly learned, is an ensemble of well-rounded and zany characters which the audience can enjoy and grow to care about. It was especially clear to me that Director Megan Knowlton Balne and Assistant Director AJ Klein had worked with each of the pairs of actors who portrayed the couples to establish comfortability and a unique dynamic for their relationship. This made each of their vignettes with Bobby all the more engaging and believable. 

The first couple introduced is Sarah (Kat Corvino) and Harry (Sean McGarry), who tease each other about their vices. Corvino and McGarry were each amusing to watch in their own right, and together pulled off an impressive karate battle towards the end of the vignette. McGarry served as the Intimacy/Fight Coordinator in addition to acting in this production, and did a good job making the movements believable, but not too violent.

We next meet Peter (Mark Gollihur) and Susan (MacKenzie Ryann), who quickly announce their impending divorce, much to Bobby’s disbelief. Despite their characters’ marital struggles, Gollihur and Ryann still had excellent chemistry. I was especially impressed by Ryann’s genteel Southern accent, which never wavered and was quite believable.

A subsequent vignette featured Krista Reinhardt and Ruben Cardona as Jenny and David respectively. Cardona displayed some skill on the guitar during the scene, which is unnecessary to the character but added a layer of interest. It would have been nice to see him incorporate the guitar into the rest of the show – perhaps accompanying Bobby’s friends as they sing “Happy Birthday”, or something to that effect. Reinhardt was charming and silly as Jenny, who, typically a self-proclaimed “square”, gets high during the scene and shouts varying obscenities.

Courtney “CB” Bundens was an absolute standout as Amy, whose iconic and tongue-twisting number, “Not Getting Married Today”, portrays a bride with cold feet on her wedding day. The following scene, during which Bobby witnesses the full extent of her panic, was especially moving, thanks to both CB and Moe Copeland as Amy’s fiancé Paul. Copeland’s Paul was a calm, steady foil to Bundens’ neurotic and paranoid Amy. 

One of Company’s most iconic and recognizable songs, “The Ladies Who Lunch”, was performed with plenty of drama and flair by Jennifer Weir, who portrayed Joanne. She found her foil in Jim Dennis as Larry, whose characterization was quite stoic and grounded compared to his onstage spouse.

Jake Hufner’s take on Bobby was quite reserved, reacting to each married couple’s trials with hesitance and, at times, incredulousness. Bobby serves as the audience’s way into the world of the show – and therefore, Hufner’s reactions often mirrored those of the audience, which helped us relate to his character. All of Hufner’s solo vocal moments sounded lovely, and his iconic 11 o’clock number “Being Alive” was no exception. 

Bobby’s three girlfriends, April (Kristy Joe), Kathy (Rebecca Sisley), and Marta (Ash Kotter), all have unique personalities, which each actor was able to capture well. I was immediately able to identify April as somewhat misunderstood – most of the other characters describe her as “dumb”, but Kristy Joe offered her a layer of depth that I found compelling. Sisley’s Kathy was understated and sweet, and I especially enjoyed her scene with Bobby. Kotter was an engaging, funny, and all-around delightful Marta, complete with a thick New York accent and trendy space buns. The three actors’ joint number, “You Could Drive A Person Crazy” – an impressive harmonic feat for any musician – landed quite nicely.

Music Director Trisha Dennis was responsible for the tight harmonies and unified sound that characterized this production’s music - no Sondheim show is an easy feat, but Company presents a number of unique challenges, between patter songs, Andrews Sisters-style trios, and bombastic group numbers. All in all, Dennis and the cast faced each of these challenges well. However, I did notice throughout the show that entrances, lyrics, and lines were missed or late, which was somewhat distracting. I imagine that as the run continues, this will become less frequent.

The unit set, which was designed by AJ Klein and constructed by Klein and Garrett Bruce, depicted a small New York City apartment, and featured several levels of platforms, including a thrust, which allowed more intimacy between actors and audience in an already-intimate space. Georgia DeFrank brought the space to life as the production’s Scenic Artist, adding colors and details that made the space feel more lived-in and realistic. The set was well-constructed and quite visually interesting. However, its configuration felt somewhat limiting for the actors, who often looked wary of the many small platforms and steps they had to navigate. I think that the entire unit being lower to the ground, and having fewer levels, could have alleviated some of this discomfort.

There were a couple of songs in the show that required heftier choreography, which was created by Brittany Cummins. I could tell that the actors enjoyed these moments, which speaks to Cummins’ work as a choreographer. I did feel that, similarly to the blocking, she was somewhat limited by the space available on the set, and would have liked to see how the choreography might have been expanded had the actors had more room - particularly in moments such as Kathy’s dance solo.

Iliana Perez served as Stage Manager for the production, and ensured that the entire show ran smoothly. Costumer Jane Gerber gave each character a distinct style, which helped to delineate who was who – all of the characters have fairly generic names, so the identifying items of clothing were helpful in keeping track. As Lighting Designer, Tommy Balne provided the necessary mood for each vignette.

Pianist Jonathan Rose soared through the score with ease - although the only instrumental musician involved in the production, he provided exactly what was needed in the intimate space.

Company runs Thursdays through Sundays until May 16th. Pay What You Can performances are available on Thursday, May 7th and Thursday, May 14th. Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/principal-series-company-tickets-226095#smtx-click