Stephen Sondheim’s Company won six Tony Awards for its original 1970 US production. Its witty and innovative format of a series of vignettes, focusing on the central character Bobby, stunned audiences then and continues to delight with a message that’s as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. It’s Bobby’s 35th birthday and he’s reluctantly at a surprise party thrown by his friends. Surrounded by married and single friends, ex- and current girlfriends, Bobby witnesses the swirl of emotions, the joy and the heartbreak of being in relationships of all types. As the drink, weed and emotions flow, Bobby’s married friends set him up with dates and try to persuade him that he needs to be married. But Bobby isn’t wholly wedded to the idea of commitment, and it seems his married friends are also not as enamoured of their relationships as they pretend to be. The couples fall out, they fight, they lie to each other, they admit to wanting the freedom of a single life, envying Bobby’s bachelor status while also wanting him to be hitched. Across a series of get-togethers and dates, secrets are revealed, hopes emerge, relationships fracture and some endure despite all obstacles. Sondheim’s sharp comedy and tongue-twisting lyrics present the cast with a challenge, and it’s one they thoroughly step up to. Ranging from the wild “Getting Married Today”, the desperate vulnerability of “Marry Me A Little” and culminating in the simultaneously joyful and vulnerable “Being Alive”, the voices soar in both solos and ensemble pieces, sometimes raw but always authentic and full of emotion.
Director Emily Phillips presents a kinetic show, as the large cast navigate the small performance space. The show is particularly effective in the ensemble numbers, “Side By Side” being a showstopping highlight. The pace lags a couple of times, but the action is mostly a relentless roller-coaster of swirling emotions and feelings.
Will Garrood gives Bobby a vulnerable and querulous edge; he’s a catalyst in his friend’s relationships, as they reveal their own difficulties to him. Yet he often finds their attention too much. While it’s great to have friends, Garrood makes Bobby look uncomfortable in their company. All the characters are well-defined, among them the sharp-tongued Joanne (Natalie Emden), the on-the-brink of marriage Amy and Paul (Anna Toogood and Adam Hargreaves), Charlotte Field’s air stewardess, and ego-centric Marta (Adrianna Cordero-Marino).
Thomas Marples’ (Musical Director) score fizzes with energy, occasionally a little over-amped in this small theatre, but always beautifully supporting the complex and heartfelt lyrics. The set is simple – a couple of sofas, a kitchen counter covered with party nibbles and drinks, a bed – representing Bobby’s flat and the homes of the other characters. A few audience members are seated on sofas almost on the set, making them party guests that cast have to step over.
This is a bold production, given fresh life by an exceptionally talented cast. It’s long, at just shy of three hours, but worth the effort to experience the wit and skill of one of Sondheim’s most famous works that reminds us, as it reminds Bobby, of the need for human connection to make us feel alive.
Company is playing at the Bridewell Theatre, Blackfriars, until 16th May.
Reviewer: Carole Gordon
Reviewed: 7th May 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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