(Posted November 6, 2004)

Student productions often have mixed results when it comes to actors' talent level, overall performance quality and other elements.

That's the case with Vanderbilt University Theatre's production of Company. Of course, these are student actors, not professional ones, so it would be unfair to assess them with the same standards as those used to evaluate experienced performers making their living in theater. That doesn't mean their shortcomings can't be pointed out, though, but it's worth remembering that these performers are in a developmental phase.

Company ushered in what's commonly called the "concept musical" when it opened on Broadway in 1970. The non-linear storyline developed by composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and writer George Furth befuddled some critics, but it was embraced by audiences during a 690-performance run and is now viewed as one of the most important works in American musical theater. The authors revised the script in 1996 to reflect changes that occurred during revivals at Roundabout Theatre in New York and the Donmar Warehouse in London.

The New York-set story focuses on a 35-year-old bachelor, Bobby, and five couples who are either previously married, married now, or soon to be married. The show opens with those couples awaiting Bobby at a surprise birthday party. It then uses a series of vignettes to show the ups and downs of the couples' relationships, primarily as seen through Bobby's eyes, while he tries to decide whether a committed relationship is worthwhile.

As Bobby, Ronnie Hamrick plays the sometimes bemused, sometimes bewildered aspects of his character well enough. He also seems as uptight as Bobby should be at certain points. His singing voice, however, is somewhat thin, and that voice keeps him from conveying the emotional impact that act-ending songs like Marry Me a Little and Being Alive should have.

Mollie Meagher's Marta also has a mixed result. She attacks her role with gusto, but her rendition of Another Hundred People at times seems more a shout than a song.

Lindsey Wilczynski's Amy gives us a decent rendition of the hilarious Getting Married Today number. It does sound like it's at a slower tempo than the version rendered by Beth Howland in the original production, though.

The couples provide some wonderful moments, showing us the pluses and minuses of their relationships in believable fashion. Of special note are the performances of Haas Regen as Peter and Gioia Fazzini as Susan. Regen has a difficult scene to pull off with Hamrick (to give details would spoil it for those who've never seen the show), and Fazzini has to show some vulnerability under her outgoing-transplanted-Southerner character's veneer. Both do a good job.

The bravura moment in the show belongs to Emily R. Skinner as Joanne. She has the daunting task of performing The Ladies Who Lunch, a song that has essentially gone down as Elaine Strich's performance signature. Skinner has the vocal power, and emotional commitment, to sell the song's cynicism, anger, bitterness and dark humor.

Director Jeffrey Ullom and designer Phillip Franck have kept the staging simple, using some chairs and a few props to set the otherwise bare stage. Ullom's pacing is good. His blocking sometimes seems overdone, though, such as in the Marry Me a Little and Being Alive numbers, where he has Hamrick walking around the stage when standing still would have made those introspective songs more emotionally powerful.

Ullom's choreography with Jason Dechert generally serves the show well, and Brian Hill's musical direction is solid. Alexandra Sargent's costumes work by giving us a touch of the 1970s without making us feel this show is a period piece and nothing more.

The ensemble pulled together by Ullom has enthusiastically plunged into this landmark work. Yes, not everyone is quite up to the challenges of Company, but it's still worth seeing because the production has more performance positives than negatives. Once again, it should be remembered that this is not a show where polished professional efforts are presented. All of the students deserve praise for "taking the risk" as they work to develop their artistic abilities.