Review of Stephen Sondheim's 'Company' at WCSU

Photos of 'Company' courtesy of WestConn Flicker

Dedicated to the beloved director Robert “Bob” Tansley, who tirelessly works with many young performers that go on to get their training at the university level.

Did you get my message? 'Cause I looked in vain
Can we see each other Tuesday if it doesn't rain?
Look, I'll call you in the morning, or my service'll explain."

Danbury, CT - The WCSU Department of Theatre Arts have taken on Stephen Sondheim’s musical entitled ‘Company’ under the direction of John Hickok. The show runs through April 15 at the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university’s Westside Campus. Howard Kilik (WCSU’s ‘Violet,’ ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’) is the admirable music director.

This piece is not an easy one. It contains challenging music for both singers and instrumentalist, coupled with only brief scenes in which to establish each half of the married couples, and it could easily become a disaster. Some might even argue that the contemporary New York City vibe has become a bit dated, as the lyric above demonstrates.

With a book by George Furth and Tony Award winning music and lyrics by Mr. Sondheim, ‘Company’ features a series of vignettes involving Robert, a bachelor about to celebrate his 35th birthday, and his married friends trying to convince him (and perhaps themselves) of the joys of being married. As he stands at the door to his not so surprising party, Robert recalls the slices of married life that he has been a part of, as well as some interactions he has had with three of his girlfriends.

The students in this production did a great job with the tricky musical requirements under the direction of Mr. Kilik and I appreciated the visual elements of the ever changing scenes envisioned by the director that I was able to see. Mr. Hickok originated the role of Prof. Bhaer in ‘Little Women’ on Broadway and has directed several pieces at WCSU and ‘Rent’ at CCSU. The very good choreography by Elizabeth Parkinson added much to the show stoppers like “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” and “Side by Side”/”What Would We Do Without You?”

There was not a weak link in this cast of strong characters; the up and coming talent of the university students is always impressive. In the leading role of Robert/Bobby, Isiah Bostic (Flick in ‘Violet’) was both likeable and easy on the ears. This sophomore Musical Theatre major from Hamden will go far. Jacklyn Mercer, a senior from New Milford, was terrific as the neurotic Amy and helped make “Getting Married Today” one of the show’s highlights. It was great to see Nathan Clift (George in ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’) onstage again; the WSCU junior from Trumbull played Amy’s adoring husband to be named Paul.

At the performance I attended, the talented Thomas Bergamo, a WCSU junior from Wolcott who played Monty in ‘Violet,’ covered the role of Harry, the husband of karate wielding Sarah, played well by sophomore Liv Kurtz (Reigning Eva in ‘Evita.’) At other performances the fabulous Sergio Francisco Mandujano will play the role of Harry. Emily Gray, a senior from Southington, made us laugh as Jenny and at this performance sophomore Mark Sumner (Che in ‘Evita’ at WCSU) did very well as her husband David.

Alaina Mueller, a sophomore from Windsor, was the Southern belle Susan and sophomore Michael Katz played her husband/ex Peter. Caleigh Rose Lozito, a junior from Bristol, was amazing in the role of Joanne. In a great wig and costume that aged her gracefully, she made “Ladies Who Lunch” another highlight. Lu DeJesus, a sophomore from New Haven, played her rich (third) husband David.

As Robert’s girlfriends, sophomore Victoria Wall was the ditsy flight attendant April and junior Joelle Tshudy used her soprano voice well to play the down-to-earth Kathy. Shaylen Elizabeth Harger, now a senior at WCSU, took on the role of the sassy Marta and did very well with one of my favorite numbers in the show, “Another Hundred People.” This young actress from Orange played Young Eva in ‘Evita’ and Chaperone in ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ and is definitely one to watch.

Oh yes, that was WCSU junior Alexandra Colavecchio (Violet in ‘Violet,’ Declining Eva in ‘Evita’) handling the operatic notes as the wedding singer

The second stage at the VPAC at WCSU is a relatively small space that looked quite different from what I remembered from the production of ‘Violet.’ This arrangement had the audience on three sides of the slightly raised stage, with the bleacher chairs separated with a thin aisle at the corners. These aisles were utilized by the actors for various entrances and exits without incident; however, having actors stand at the corners of the stage with their backs to the audience impeded the sight line for patrons seated at the edge of the sections. By choosing a front row seat on the side of the house, I missed a fair chunk of Bobby’s performance as he stood in the center of the stage. I had an easier time watching the performances that took place on the upper level of the set.

I was initially concerned by the darkness of the set designed by Maiko Chil, but when the colors of the costumes designed by Sharon Sobel entered the space and the lighting designed by Joshua Rose illuminated the two levels, I could see the vision of the design team. Sound design by John Hartman was mostly effective. Onstage access to the upper level was via a twisting staircase and a sofa expanded into a bed out of the back wall easily. Less effective was an alcove in between the two; I doubt that most patrons seated on the sides were able to see what was going on in this part of the stage. As the lights went down at the end of curtain call, a good-sized piece of the upper level came loose and hit the floor (and thankfully none of the cast members.)

Projections designed by T Michael also helped to brighten the look of the show. The small orchestra sat in a corner of the upper level of the set with Mr. Kilik handling the tricky arrangements on keyboard and conducting guitar, bass and drums players thanks to the nimble page turner Shelby Macchi.

Keep in mind that the box office and audience behavior at WCSU productions are both very professional; students come out to support each other with respect and the students working the shows could not be more polished. I sat next to a very nice couple from Newtown that were not related to any of the students in the cast or crew. They mentioned how affordable it was to attend university productions and that they had enjoyed the magnificent ‘Evita’ as much as I had. I recommended that they try to make the upcoming ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ opening to the public on April 20 on the university’s main stage. I will be there.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417