Laughter shared in good company

Author: Zachary Hecht-Leavitt

From the haunting, dreamlike cascade of notes that marked the beginning of Company's opening number, it was clear that this was not your ordinary musical. Sure, there were the occasional tap dances and kick lines, but throughout the production flowed an undercurrent of discord that ran counter to what we have come to expect from musical theater. Stephen Sondheim's Tony award-winning Company, as performed under Middlebury College's Department of Music, tackled real marital issues and refused to tie everything up in a pretty bow at the end. Like the life of the protagonist Bobby, played by Adam Beard '06, that opening chord never resolved itself.

Last weekend's on-campus version of the musical was directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Douglas Anderson with music by the Middlebury College Orchestra, which was led by Conductor Troy Peters. Some zingy jokes, a non-linear plot where characters step out and comment on the action, a solid cast and a psychedelic 60s set made for one heck of a musical.

The first stop on Bobby's roundabout journey through the deceitful married lives of his friends was at coffee with Harry, played by Alex Wellman '07, and Sarah, played by Shannon Gmyrek '06.5. Wellman and Gmyrek's rapid-fire banter, which quickly escalated into a full-on karate match, won a number of laughs. Then it was off to the porch of Susan and Peter, played by Laura Budzyna and Alec Weltzien, both '08, where Bobby was both sorry and excited to find that the two were getting a divorce. Beard played the part of the hapless "third wheel" convincingly and charmingly. He did a great job of making us laugh and hurt, both here and throughout the performance, as a series of idiosyncratic personalities bounced off of him and left him bruised in the process.

The next scene, characteristic of the show's constant, bittersweet toggle between levity and gravity, found Bobby at the pad of Jenny - Nora Williams '06 - and David - Frankie Powell '06. Williams' substance-enhanced comments as Jenny drew considerable chuckles, but the conversation turned suddenly serious when Bobby told her she was the woman he should have married. This kicked off a fluttery doo-woppish number, courtesy of Bobby's girlfriends, delightfully played by Allison Corke '08, Jennifer Guest '07, Tara Taylor-Ide '06 and Rebecca Scholtz '06.

Maegan Mishico '08.5 was superb as Amy, a nervous wreck on the day of her marriage, and her execution of a difficult, frantic solo was equally commendable. Bill Davison '08 did a great job playing her blindly optimistic husband to be. Gmyrek's flighty solo in "Another Hundred People" was impressive as well.

The energy on the company number "Side by Side by Side" was explosive. Judith Dry '09 delivered a powerhouse solo that alternated between strident, sassy and smooth in "The Ladies Who Lunch," and Beard's closing rendition of "Being Alive" was heartbreaking.

Other than a brief homosexual scene that felt contrived and a few intermittent sound problems, the performance was top-notch, garnering a well-deserved standing ovation. With a cast, orchestra and creative team like this, the audience was most certainly in good company.