Company, New Sondheim production

             Hello all. After a fabulous visit to the West End yesterday I have decided to start up my blog again – Addicted to Musical Theatre! I must apologise to those of you that were reading my blog and enjoyed hearing my musical theatre anecdotes – whoever that one person is, thank you. The reason I have been so absent is due to my training to be a clinical psychologist. This training process takes up a lot of my time and I don’t think my supervisors would accept a theatre visit and writing my blog as an acceptable reason to get an extension on assignments. I’ve still been visiting the theatres though. Most recently, I went to see Everyone’s Talking About Jamie which I have fallen in love with Dan Gillespie Sells score. So exciting that Michelle Visage will be joining the cast soon as Miss Hedge. I also went to see my cousin’s daughter’s school production of Mary Poppin’s which was great (and so pleased to hear the practically perfect musical will be returning to the West End soon). I have missed writing and putting my thoughts and memories into the World Wide Web so I was thankful that I got to the opportunity to see the new West End production of Company yesterday. Prior to the show I knew that I wanted to get straight back on my laptop and writing the blog again. Sitting here writing my first draft, listening to the wonderful Elaine Paige on BBC Radio 2, is getting me right back into my musical swing. 

As many of you may know my Nanny Cora is the one who got me into Musical Theatre many years ago and she joined me yesterday to see Company. She wanted to go see The King and I which recently finished its run at The London Palladium. Although there is a live screening of the show hitting cinemas at the end of November so go see it there, I heard it was a great production. Nanny Cora asked me why I no longer wrote about theatre trips so here we go Nanny, this one is for you! Of course we made a day of it in London. We had a quick visit to Knightsbridge to pop into Harrods for a bit of light shopping. After we had a breakfast of Eggs Benedict for me and a salmon on sourdough for Nanny Cora we went shopping. I’m not being funny, my t-shirts cost me around a tenner, not going to lie to you, I love a bargain! So when I saw a jumper that’s priced at £235, I thought best get my annual bauble which I always get for my Christmas Tree and get out of there before they realise I am an impostor. 

Once the bauble was safely stored and paid for in my bottle green bag we headed over to the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue to pick up our tickets and get settled for, what I had heard, was an amazing production of Company. Starring Patti Lupone, I of course was a little excitable. I mean, she’s one of the greats’ right? I sat in that bar, thinking, my luck, she won’t be here, she’ll be stuck in traffic, still chatting to Graham Norton on BBC Radio 2, my luck I never see the stars. Well she was there, alongside Mel Giedroyc, Rosalie Craig and Jonathan Bailey. I knew the song ‘Being Alive’ of course, but knew nothing about the story other than this. We both said to each other, me and Nanny Cora this is, about how it’s really nice not knowing what you are going to get from a show. So often you know the story, and despite those great musicals you want to see over and over again, there’s something invigorating about seeing something fresh for the first time.

This new production of Stephen Sondheim’s classic has undergone some modern twists and turns. Having neither seen the original nor having listened to the full soundtrack before I had no idea of what I would be seeing, but when you see Sondheim on the poster you are usually in for a treat. Sometimes taking a classic and making it better doesn’t work (for example my favourite Cats with the rapping Rum Tum Tugger, hmmmmmm). However all I’m saying is that this production is amazing. It is of course nice to see a gay couple representing it on the stage as well as a female lead. With book by George Furth, The Sondheim music is beautiful and the lyrics as ever complicated, fast and funny but always honest. Lupone sings her only solo, The Ladies Who Lunch, with such divinity it was amazing. Playing marriage obsessed Joanne, Lupone’s performance is captivating (just gutted to have never seen her in a leading role). My only problem was that I forgot my glasses so didn’t see it in as much clarity as I had wished. But she really is wonderful, I am so pleased to be able to say I have seen Patti Lupone on a London stage singing and making me laugh.  

Marrianne Elliott directs the new production of Company and I have to say I loved the effect of the moving flats and staging of thoughts and dreams being represented in live motion. ‘Being Alive’ was song beautifully by leading lady, Rosalie Craig, who plays Bobbie, the protagonist who is caught up in a mid-life crisis of no marriage and no suitable men but all those around her seem to be going from strength to strength. Originally Bobby (a male), the gender reversal works beautifully and strange to think how it would work with a male lead. My favourite scene has to be the gay couple, Jonathan Bailey and Alex Gaumond, which caused a wave of laughter to engulf the auditorium with Bailey’s updated rendition of ‘Getting Married Today’ who gets cold feet on his wedding day. I particularly found the cute (is that the right word J) performance of Richard Fleshman’s character, Andy. A little wet he was very cute, and he clearly goes to the gym more than me. Ben Lewis, fresh from his performance as the Phantom, clearly rest a little but he deserves it. I’m so pleased I got to see Mel Giedroyc in a musical. I remember seeing her in The Sound of Music live TV version as Frau Schmidt. Strange hearing the American accent but her TV one liners are so well placed on the stage it was a joy to watch.  

Company is at the Gielgud theatre for previews. It officially opens on Wednesday, 17^th October, for a 12 week run. It is definitely a must see; even if just to watch The Bake Off on Netflix and say, I saw her in a musical. Also any musical theatre fan should be able to say they have seen Patti Lupone on stage. But truly it is a genuine real-time take on a classic interesting conceptualisation modern time story which I can definitely relate to coming up to 30 next year (yes I know it’s 35 in the musical) and not being married (yet???). Right, I am now off to finish baking my bread (looks so tasty as dough already) and to listen to a few of the songs from Company while I do it. It is so good to be back writing my blog again. I do have a few booked tickets coming up and will ensure I get to write more posts. Speak to you soon – please get in touch with your views on the show if you have seen it or just to say hi. Twitter @AaronBurgess89.