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Company
East Berkshire Operatic Society
Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park
Until Saturday.
EVERYONE reaches that age when it seems that all of their friends are settling down, getting married and having babies.
At the age of 35, it has happened to Bobby. His married friends are hounding him to find a girl and get married, and while he thinks he is ready, what Bobby really wants is for his friends to butt out of his business.
Company, by George Furth and Stephen Sondheim, tells the story of carefree Bobby, the guy who is the envy of all his male friends and a project for all the female ones. He’s had a string of romances, but he hasn’t found that special someone who is ready to commit to… yet. His friends love to spend time with him, possibly so they can live vicariously through his single life, but the subject of marriage seems to come up at every turn.
Bobby is convinced that marriage is what he wants, and on the surface his friends’ marriages are all perfect, but once you scratch the surface all is not what it seems. Harry and Sarah are always playfully bickering at each other, but behind closed doors Sarah is a perpetual dieter and Harry is trying to give up drinking after being arrested, twice. Jenny and David invite Bobby to their apartment to get stoned, but a controlling side of David appears to come out, and Bobby is shocked when he speaks for his wife.
Peter and Susan appear to have it all, a gorgeous apartment with a terrace, but their surprise divorce announcement shocks Bobby to the core, even more so when Peter then goes on to make a pass at him.
Amy and Paul are due to get married, but Amy is getting cold feet and tells Paul that she doesn’t love him enough to go through with the wedding. Best man Bobby tries everything he can to patch up the couple, before proposing to Amy himself! Third-time married Joanne and her husband Larry seem to hate each other, but deep down their relationship is solid and leaves Bobby all the mo confused.
As he struggles to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, Bobby doesn’t know what to wish for. Does he want to settle down, or does he love his freedom too much? Eventually, the candles are blown out, and as his friends drift away from his apartment to leave him on his own, it would seem that he got his wish afterall.
The cast of Company is full of stars. Each one brings the personality of their characters to life, from the neurotic Amy, played by Lucy Marshall, to the bitter Joanne (Debbie Christie). The female contingent are by far the most entertaining, with the biggest songs and most colourful outfits. Emma Carver is hilarious as ditsy air hostess April; Laura Hartley does a superb job as Marta with probably one of the trickiest numbers in the show, Another Hundred People; and Robyn Heffer as the sweet Kathy, the perfect girl who Bobby let get away.
Full of toe-tapping tunes and show-stopping big numbers, Company welcomes you into the fold from the start, and by the end of the show you feel like you have made a few new friends yourself.
Company is running until Saturday. Tickets start at £17. To book visit www.southillpark.org.uk or call 01344 484 123.
