AUDIO PROBLEMS PLAGUE OTHERWISE ENJOYABLE COMPANY AT LTN 

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . and Enjoy the Many Facets of Being Alive 

Describing the show in his book Finishing the Hat, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim says Company is about “a man with no emotional commitments [who] reassesses his life on his thirty-fifth birthday by reviewing his relationships with his married acquaintances and his girlfriends.  That is the entire plot.”  The Little Theatre of Norfolk’s production, directed by James Bryan, is entertaining and we enjoy watching the main character, Bobby, reevaluate marriage in general and his own life’s journey in particular, but ever-present amplification problems impair some of the dialogue and prevent us from appreciating the totality of Sondheim’s multi-layered music.

Tony Brach delivers a strong performance as Bobby.  Not for a second do we doubt that he is a charming, if superficial, man who embraces the hedonism of the 1970s while wondering if perhaps he is missing something.  It is a challenging role; because the story is told by Bobby spending time with his various friends, he is seldom offstage.  Mr. Brach credibly remains in the moment throughout and watching his reactions to the couples’ interchanges with each other is as worth watching as the main action itself.  Mr. Brach has a pleasing singing voice, and his “Being Alive” – the climactic moment of Bobby’s character arc – is splendid.  The Theater Babe only wishes that the orchestra had not drowned out Mr. Brach’s rendition of the gentler, “Marry Me a Little,” which closes the first act; we could barely make out his pleasant tone and certainly could not understand the lyrics.

The orchestra, under the direction of Shelley Cady, periodically overwhelms the onstage performers but the primary auditory problem in this production is the inconsistent amplification.  Some of the actors wear body mikes, while it appears that others do not.  Perhaps because of that imbalance, when the cast sings as a whole, certain of the vocal parts are heard while others are lost – a real shame, because we are unable to hear the compound, interlocking harmonies that are integral to Sondheim’s score.

The audio problems are exacerbated by the set, the design of which is not credited in the program.  It consists primarily of large, separate pieces jutting out from the wings to depict a city skyline, and to the eyes of the audience creates an inverted “V”.  The scenes are played in the center, utilizing sparse furnishings to indicate the different locations.  The set is attractive, but overly large for the small stage.  Because they have limited space in which to maneuver, the actors frequently upstage each other and when they speak toward the back of the stage, we have difficulty understanding even the actors who are miked.  For example, in act two, we lose a lot of Joanne’s dialogue that surrounds her “The Ladies Who Lunch,” and we therefore miss the opportunity to fully capture the complexity of Joanne’s character.

Suzanne Genz is convincing as the cynical Joanne, and her “The Little Things You Do Together” is one of the show’s high points.  Angelica Yankauskas (Marta) delivers an impressive “Another Hundred People,” although she needs to ensure that she properly supports the higher and extended notes in that difficult piece to ensure that the sound does not become nasal; with the proper breath support, her tone is beautifully round.  As Paul, Gregory Dragas is believably sweet and provides a good foil for the jaded Bobby.  Philip Odango’s Peter is most credible in the second act during the character’s attempt to test the waters of a potential relationship and the harmonies of Adam Ivey (Larry), Joel McDonald (Harry) and Rico Robinson (David) in the melodic, “Sorry-Grateful” are just lovely. 

The choreography by Cami Walton is interesting, but not necessarily commensurate with the abilities of this strong vocal cast.  The lengthy production number, “Side by Side” is overwrought and detracts from the otherwise sophisticated tenor of the show itself while its execution is chaotic and unsuited to the precise demands of the routine.  

The standout performance by a supporting actor is Michelle Jenkins’ depiction of Amy, the neurotic but not unkind spaz who freaks out on the morning of her wedding to Paul.  Ms. Jenkins’ rendition of the quintessential patter song, “Getting Married Today,” is exceptional and even when she had a momentary memory lapse prior to one of the verses, Ms. Jenkins remained in character so it did not detract from our enjoyment of her performance.  The number would be improved only if Shawna Lawhorn (Susan) would enhance her diction so that the amusing contrast between the women’s lyrics could be more clearly understood.

The costumes by Meg Murray are excellent.  It is easy for a costumer to succumb to the excesses of the 60s/70s era but instead, Ms. Murray dresses each actor in character-specific clothing that is in keeping with the time period without being a caricature of it.

Bottom line?  LTN’s production of Company is hampered by technical difficulties in the sound and set design, but is nevertheless worth the time and the ticket price. 

Performances run thru September 28^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m.

and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

at The David L. Burton Playhouse,

the Little Theatre of Norfolk

801 Claremont Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23507

Tickets are $18 with discounts for students, seniors and military.

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 627-8551 or

ordering online at ltnonline.org.

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