Plotless play all happens within a bachelor's mind

By Alan Charlton

Last week, when reviewing the movie ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, I commented on the development of the screen musical over the last 80 years.

While pointing out the superlative nature of the screen technique of the film, I also pointed out that some would find the film morally offensive because of its nudity, objectionable language, and extra-marital sex. Much the same can be said about COMPANY, the stage musical in current production by the Arts Club at the Stanley Theatre.

The stage musical, like film, has developed in complexity and depth. In the early 20th century musicals were little more than plays with songs occasionally interjected, but slowly writers recognized that the songs needed to be an integral part of the plot, and that each musical number should move the story forward, just as it had done for a long time in opera.

While many would see the birth of the "new" musical as beginning with OKLAHOMA, it had, in fact, been developed long before that. The 1940s musical PAL JOEY is a case in point.

What made OKLAHOMA so ground-breaking, apart from its quiet opening with a middle-aged woman sitting in a rocking chair and the hero strolling on singing Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, was the introduction of a ballet sequence to further the storyline. However, with Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY, the stage musical took another gigantic step forward.

It is perhaps a comment on the significance of the show that recent statistics from the recent Canadian census point out that more than 15 per cent of couples living together are not married. It is a situation which didn't arise overnight, and indeed some of the societal factors which have led to this sad fact are addressed in a musical which was ground-breaking in its realism about social issues.

To start with, it is virtually plotless, with the entire play taking place inside the mind of a 35-year-old bachelor, Bobby. As he and the five married couples who are his closest friends celebrate his birthday, Bobby meditates on the institution of marriage. In a series of vignettes, the joys and trials of marriage are reviewed.

While these are often the cause of a great deal of laughter, it is a laughter born of recognition, as one notes that what is being presented is sadly true of many marriages, though the joys of marriage are also emphasized. At the same time, the advantages and inadequacies of the single state are also presented, again with comical effect.

Perhaps the most compelling summation of the show is Bobby's song Marry Me a Little, though the panic of a bride-to-be on her wedding day in I'm Not Getting Married is an equally hilarious comment on the seriousness of the undertaking.

It is, in fact, the genius of Sondheim that he not only writes brilliantly effective music, but that his lyrics are masterly in their clever use of rhythm and rhyme. In

Company benefits from an ideal cast

essence, with COMPANY and his subsequent musicals, including A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and INTO THE WOODS, he has taken the musical to a new musical and literary level.

Because of his meaningful lyrics and George Furth's book, COMPANY is a splendidly tuneful, devastatingly funny, but ultimately serious comment on single and married life. Because Sondheim, in 1970, when he wrote it, reflected on the social scene as it was, he has presented a realistic view of that scene.

There is some objectionable language, one scene has a middle-aged couple experiment with smoking marijuana, and another has an extra-marital liaison, but then the operas LA TRAVIATA and LA BOHEME are based on extra-marital relationships. Like them, COMPANY does not arrive at a trite "happily ever after" conclusion.

In short, this is a musical for adults, but not though those who feel they would be offended. Those who go to see it will undoubtedly find much to enjoy and will certainly applaud the brilliance of the production.

Director Bill Millerd has cast COMPANY with an ideal assembly of performers. Each and every one of them sings well, acts convincingly, and carries off this difficult ensemble piece to perfection.

Matt Palmer in the demanding lead role of Bobby is superb; he acts ably. He has the ability to register to great comic effect a single look which sums up a character's predicament. He sings the demanding role in a truly accomplished manner, sounding in fact quite similar to Dean Jones, who starred in the original Broadway production.

The rest of the cast, all of whom are given a chance to make a major contribution in at least one number, provide marvellous support.

Once again the Arts Club production team has also come through in spades. Ted Roberts's spare, skeletal set works to great effect. Valerie Easton's choreography is smart and avoids being a series of cliches. Bruce Kellet's small orchestra does justice to the complex and demanding music.

In short, this is one of the finest and most effective musical presentations to have graced the Vancouver stage in a long time.

Those who feel that all theatre, including musical theatre, should be meaningful will recognize in COMPANY a work which takes a long hard look at marriage at a particular time in the history of our society. Because of this, some may be offended.

However, it is also true that the work is witty, comical, tuneful, and insightful. It may at times make one uneasy in what it is saying and it may cause much discussion.

It is a musical like few others. Above all, the Arts Club production at the Stanley is an outstanding example of magnificent musical drama.