Stephen Sondheim isn't just an exponent of musical theatre. He practically is musical theatre. His musicals include Assassins, Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods and, last but certainly not least, Company.
Winner of the 1971 Tony Award for Best Musical (as well as five others), Company is a favourite of many of Sondheim's fans and his first big success, together with writer George Furth. The MADC is about to bring this wonderful, uplifting musical to the Maltese stage next week and the following, directed by Denise Mulholland, with musical direction by Rosetta De Battista and choreography by Jes Sciberras.
Set in New York, Company follows five couples and their bachelor friend, Robert, a 35-year-old who has been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The couples' less-than-perfect relationships are presented through Robert's eyes in a series of vignettes. Eventually, Robert, who will be played by Mikhail Basmadjian in the MADC production, learns that while relationships aren't perfect, they are a necessary part of life.
"Robert is always the centre of attraction and everything that is written or sung always circles around him," Mikhail tells me. "In the two-hour running time of the play Robert undergoes a complete transformation that takes people years to attain in real life. The portrayal of this transformation is the greatest challenge of playing Robert - he listens to every song, every verse and every sentence that his friends say, and through his reactions must credibly convince the audience that his emotional journey is genuine."
British actress, singer and director Denise Mulholland thinks that the subject matter of Company - marriage, relationships, love - is very relevant to Maltese society.
"It is handled with great humour and is laugh out loud funny in places. Everyone will look at least at one of the couples and say 'Oh my God, that is me/my partner/parents/friends'. The themes are pretty universal and the show is brilliantly written. The music will be unfamiliar and, admittedly, Sondheim isn't the easiest to tune in to first time round, but the songs are so much a part of the action, it is more like a play with music than a musical," she says.
One of the scariest parts of undertaking to bring Company to the stage is in fact the sheer complexity of the music score.
"The music is fiendishly difficult, thank you Sondheim! And as most of our cast don't read music, it was a very big undertaking. Rosetta has been working with them for several weeks and their progress is remarkable. We haven't taken the easy option... if it is written for eight-part harmony, then they are doing eight-part harmony!" Denise declares.
The cast of Company is a veritable Who's Who of local musical theatre. Apart from Mikhail Basmadjian, the cast is made up of Julie James, Isabel Warrington, Pia Zammit, Charlotte Grech, Wesley Ellul, John Marinelli, Alan Montanaro, Alan Paris, Jean-Pierre Busuttil, Leontine, Katherine Brown, Krista Paris and Elaine Camilleri.
"I think Denise and I enjoyed the selection process so much because we were fortunate to have such individual people coming to audition. Pity it only has five couples and three girls, really, so it was a really tough choice at times. All in all, the cast has characteristics that are wonderfully connected to each individual character," says musical director Rosetta De Battista.
Wesley Ellul says that rehearsals have been rather unconventional: "They have sort of been like military-boot-camp-cum-musical-theatre! I actually am enjoying the discipline, and am seeing a focus among my fellow thespians, which I haven't seen before."
This is Julie James's first time working with MADC. She plays Joanne, a feisty, opinionated, New York broad currently married to the most patient man in the world, Larry (played by Alan Montanaro).
"This show has a small cast of 14 and I love the intimacy of that. I've been made to feel so welcome. We have become a very close-knit group with respect for each other as performers, which I know will help immensely when it comes to the performances," says Julie.
Singer Leontine (also joining MADC for the first time) says that Company is amusing and funny... and the whole cast has worked very hard on it. Jean-Pierre Busuttil adds that he can understand why this musical can only be played by more mature actors: "You need some sort of experience in life in general to go on stage and portray someone going through so much at once. There is happiness, fear of loneliness, wanting to be free and single again, envy and so much more."
Charlotte Grech, who plays a woman who gets cold feet on her wedding day, agrees: "If you've lived in a relationship for any part of your life, you are likely to have experienced most of what this musical brings - let's face it, we've all been scared in the face of commitment at some point in our lives!" John Marinelli, who plays her possible husband-to be concurs, saying that he thinks that people who come to watch Company will identify with the characters in this production.
Robert's girlfriends are played by Katherine Brown, Elaine Camilleri and Krista Paris. Elaine says that the music is just fantastic and vocally, each person is written in as a different instrument - individual characters but also ultimately a group as a whole.
"I had never even heard of Company before the auditions but now I've really fallen in love with the music, and the lyrics are fantastic - funny at times but really true. It's something that I think everybody can relate to in some way or another," says Krista.
Self-confessed Sondheim fan Katherine Brown, says that she is glad that Company does not follow a conventional storyline: "Although boy meets girl, there are no grand, passionate declarations of love and they don't get married in the end. You don't leave the theatre whining, 'Why isn't life like that?' Instead you leave it saying, 'Life is like that, and it's just fine!'"
"It is not your usual musical with big dance numbers and feather boas, says Alan Paris. "It's more real than that. It's a musical comedy that treats real situations seriously. You laugh, and then check yourself because, as much as they are funny, the situations are also very meaningful."
So, in a nutshell Company is really about the ups and downs of life and love.
"The other day my tiler was telling me how lucky I am to be single and only have myself to worry about," recalls Denise. "Then he took pictures of his children out and showed them to me and his face was glowing with pride. And I thought that maybe he is the lucky one. I will never have a family or children (left it too late!) and although I am usually happy with that decision, there are times when I would love to have 'the other half' to moan to, or share things with. Company is all about the grass being greener on the other side."
• Company will run at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and March 2, 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Booking is open from the Manoel Theatre booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
Winner of the 1971 Tony Award for Best Musical (as well as five others), Company is a favourite of many of Sondheim's fans and his first big success, together with writer George Furth. The MADC is about to bring this wonderful, uplifting musical to the Maltese stage next week and the following, directed by Denise Mulholland, with musical direction by Rosetta De Battista and choreography by Jes Sciberras.
Set in New York, Company follows five couples and their bachelor friend, Robert, a 35-year-old who has been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The couples' less-than-perfect relationships are presented through Robert's eyes in a series of vignettes. Eventually, Robert, who will be played by Mikhail Basmadjian in the MADC production, learns that while relationships aren't perfect, they are a necessary part of life.
"Robert is always the centre of attraction and everything that is written or sung always circles around him," Mikhail tells me. "In the two-hour running time of the play Robert undergoes a complete transformation that takes people years to attain in real life. The portrayal of this transformation is the greatest challenge of playing Robert - he listens to every song, every verse and every sentence that his friends say, and through his reactions must credibly convince the audience that his emotional journey is genuine."
British actress, singer and director Denise Mulholland thinks that the subject matter of Company - marriage, relationships, love - is very relevant to Maltese society.
"It is handled with great humour and is laugh out loud funny in places. Everyone will look at least at one of the couples and say 'Oh my God, that is me/my partner/parents/friends'. The themes are pretty universal and the show is brilliantly written. The music will be unfamiliar and, admittedly, Sondheim isn't the easiest to tune in to first time round, but the songs are so much a part of the action, it is more like a play with music than a musical," she says.
One of the scariest parts of undertaking to bring Company to the stage is in fact the sheer complexity of the music score.
"The music is fiendishly difficult, thank you Sondheim! And as most of our cast don't read music, it was a very big undertaking. Rosetta has been working with them for several weeks and their progress is remarkable. We haven't taken the easy option... if it is written for eight-part harmony, then they are doing eight-part harmony!" Denise declares.
The cast of Company is a veritable Who's Who of local musical theatre. Apart from Mikhail Basmadjian, the cast is made up of Julie James, Isabel Warrington, Pia Zammit, Charlotte Grech, Wesley Ellul, John Marinelli, Alan Montanaro, Alan Paris, Jean-Pierre Busuttil, Leontine, Katherine Brown, Krista Paris and Elaine Camilleri.
"I think Denise and I enjoyed the selection process so much because we were fortunate to have such individual people coming to audition. Pity it only has five couples and three girls, really, so it was a really tough choice at times. All in all, the cast has characteristics that are wonderfully connected to each individual character," says musical director Rosetta De Battista.
Wesley Ellul says that rehearsals have been rather unconventional: "They have sort of been like military-boot-camp-cum-musical-theatre! I actually am enjoying the discipline, and am seeing a focus among my fellow thespians, which I haven't seen before."
This is Julie James's first time working with MADC. She plays Joanne, a feisty, opinionated, New York broad currently married to the most patient man in the world, Larry (played by Alan Montanaro).
"This show has a small cast of 14 and I love the intimacy of that. I've been made to feel so welcome. We have become a very close-knit group with respect for each other as performers, which I know will help immensely when it comes to the performances," says Julie.
Singer Leontine (also joining MADC for the first time) says that Company is amusing and funny... and the whole cast has worked very hard on it. Jean-Pierre Busuttil adds that he can understand why this musical can only be played by more mature actors: "You need some sort of experience in life in general to go on stage and portray someone going through so much at once. There is happiness, fear of loneliness, wanting to be free and single again, envy and so much more."
Charlotte Grech, who plays a woman who gets cold feet on her wedding day, agrees: "If you've lived in a relationship for any part of your life, you are likely to have experienced most of what this musical brings - let's face it, we've all been scared in the face of commitment at some point in our lives!" John Marinelli, who plays her possible husband-to be concurs, saying that he thinks that people who come to watch Company will identify with the characters in this production.
Robert's girlfriends are played by Katherine Brown, Elaine Camilleri and Krista Paris. Elaine says that the music is just fantastic and vocally, each person is written in as a different instrument - individual characters but also ultimately a group as a whole.
"I had never even heard of Company before the auditions but now I've really fallen in love with the music, and the lyrics are fantastic - funny at times but really true. It's something that I think everybody can relate to in some way or another," says Krista.
Self-confessed Sondheim fan Katherine Brown, says that she is glad that Company does not follow a conventional storyline: "Although boy meets girl, there are no grand, passionate declarations of love and they don't get married in the end. You don't leave the theatre whining, 'Why isn't life like that?' Instead you leave it saying, 'Life is like that, and it's just fine!'"
"It is not your usual musical with big dance numbers and feather boas, says Alan Paris. "It's more real than that. It's a musical comedy that treats real situations seriously. You laugh, and then check yourself because, as much as they are funny, the situations are also very meaningful."
So, in a nutshell Company is really about the ups and downs of life and love.
"The other day my tiler was telling me how lucky I am to be single and only have myself to worry about," recalls Denise. "Then he took pictures of his children out and showed them to me and his face was glowing with pride. And I thought that maybe he is the lucky one. I will never have a family or children (left it too late!) and although I am usually happy with that decision, there are times when I would love to have 'the other half' to moan to, or share things with. Company is all about the grass being greener on the other side."
• Company will run at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and March 2, 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Booking is open from the Manoel Theatre booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt