YOU’RE NOT JUST IN GOOD COMPANY;
THIS IS GREAT COMPANY
Mention the name Stephen Sondheim to a musical theatre devotee and first they will bow their head for a moment of reverence, and then assure you that except for Into the Woods and Forum, his works are definitely not to be attempted by community theatres. Palm Springs’ Revolution Stage Company is proving them very, very wrong with its current production of Company.
The 1970 blockbuster with words & music by Sondheim, book by George Furth, and originally directed on Broadway by Hal Prince, was structurally an anomaly when it opened. It made no attempt at a linear plot line, instead relying on a series of vignettes or character snapshots to tell its story, otherwise known as a “concept musical.” It starts with Bobby, a good-looking NYC bachelor (James Owens) on his 35th birthday – a surprise party arranged by the five couples that are his best friends. It also finishes with the same birthday party, but in the ensuing two hours, we see Bobby interact individually with each of those couples plus three different girls he is dating. Over 50 years since its opening, the songs, the dialogue, and the show’s free-form structure feel as fresh as if they had been written last week.
Most local productions with this large of a cast — 14 — have at least one role where the director had to settle for an actor who was “almost there.” In the Coachella Valley, it’s usually using an actor that is thirty years older than the playwright intended or filling the ensemble with high school students. Not here. Each person on the stage is a singular, fully developed character with individual singing lines, if not full solos, and plenty of dialogue.
The five couples are played by Barbara Kerr, Jason Ayestas, Sonia Reavis, Luis Salcido IV, Joyanne Tracy, Christina Harrell, Jason Mannino, Heather Joy, Samuel Moffatt, and Grant Wheaton. The girls Bobby dates are Vanessa L. Smith, Nicole Kennedy, and Imani J. DeLeon. On opening night, each of them appeared so practiced, comfortable, and professional in their performances that they could easily compare to any touring production at the McCallum, but these are names that are recognizable from other local community theatres. The difference must be the hand of director Jeffrey Lesser, a seasoned veteran who has previously played Bobby and also musically directed a production, among many, many other credits.
The show is an examination of whether bachelor Bobby should remain single or get married. He’s everybody’s friend and gets invited into couple’s homes, terraces, weddings and bars, and gets to examine married life up close. He most commonly finds that the couples bicker between each other but would defend their partner and the institution of marriage to the bitter end. Each of the three girls he dates have charms and truly distinctive personalities, but something in his DNA causes him to put on the brakes as soon as a relationship seems to get constrictive.
Throughout this journey, James Owens’ performance is masterful. He shows why he’s a friend by keeping conversations going while the true import of each scene can clearly be seen on his face. Without the slightest mugging, he shows in his eyes whether he’s enjoying himself, bored, or incredulous that these couples can be so delusional. He virtually never leaves the stage and though he’s often just a viewer of behavior, in the end he’s carrying the production on his shoulders, and he carries it damned well.
It’s truly hard to pick out favorites among the cast members. I have never seen a local production with such a uniformly talented group, but a couple of standouts are Heather Joy as Amy, the reluctant bride, and the inimitable Barbara Kerr who tackles – and conquers – a role that was written specifically for Elaine Stritch.
Kudos also go to choreographer Nathan Wilson, whose movement of the group is organic and delightful. The highlight is the opening of Act II, “Side by Side.” It is a lengthy, frenetic piece that starts as Bobby’s solo, goes through a lengthy hat-juggling soft shoe routine, and finishes with a full-company kick line. The audience on opening night screamed. And mentioning the audience, they truly thundered their enthusiasm time after time, with the cheering only finishing when a character started speaking.
Stephen Hulsey’s musical direction and Kelly McGuire’s sound design go hand in hand to deliver the most professional opening night I have ever experienced in local theatre. The musical tracks are of the Broadway orchestrations and the individual actors’ radio mics are perfectly balanced with those tracks. The quality of all the vocals are comparable to the Broadway cast album but with actors in front of us performing them live, adding humor and pathos and the relevance of why and to whom the songs are being sung.
Top marks are also in order for Mariah Pryor’s lighting and projection designs. Without the use of a follow spot she manages to have individuals “spotlit” during solos using fixed lights, even when the singers move from one point on the stage to another during their song. The Revolution actually has an upstage video wall (a relic from the building’s former life as a nightclub) which Pryor effectively uses to identify locations – a street, a park, a kitchen.
The minimal sets designed and built by Miguel Lauro are effective, as are Tess Walker’s props, including a birthday cake with individually controlled candles! Kelly Newhouse’s costumes, with only a couple of costume changes, work well to show the disparate group of people in Bobby’s life and to identify each individual’s characteristics. The best thing I can say about Gus Sanchez’s stage management is that everything happened on time and in the right place, the invisible art form of stage management.
Two years ago when I spoke with Revolution co-founder Gary Powers about why he felt Palm Springs needed another theatre, he told me that he wanted to develop a company that was so good that audiences would come to the Coachella Valley especially to see shows. This production truly fulfills his dream, but audiences will have to catch it quickly.
photos by Nathan Cox
Company
Revolution Stage Company
611 S. Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs, near Revivals
Wed & Thurs at 7; Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on December 22, 2024
for tickets ($25-$49), visit Revolution
