Pinpoint Productions
The Arch, Chandlers Ford
Becki Lavender
20 June 2024
Company is the story of Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor, living in the bustling New York City and trying to navigate the world of relationships. He is surrounded by his ‘good and crazy’ friends who he goes to for advice and conversation. Company is told through a series of dinner parties, dates and weddings to help Bobby understand the pros and cons of marriage and make sense of his persistent bachelorhood.
Company is written for a group of strong actors and singers, with all of the roles having their own distinctive part to play in the storyline and it needs a strong group to take this on. I can honestly say that Pinpoint did not disappoint and there was not a weak link among this talented cast.
Pinpoint is working around a small venue with minimal set and staging and although the set changes were at times a little long and fumbled, they do well to navigate the small space. The director, Louise Hodson, has done a fabulous job in placing the cast on stage and using different levels, which adds to the drama and emotion of the plot. The choreography of movements is well thought out and the dance number at the beginning of the second act is particularly fun.
The lighting is minimal but effective and helps to create atmosphere alongside the live band, led by musical director, Rachael Thorpe. The sound is well balanced with a small cast against a relatively large band and the microphones ensures all of the lovely voices can be heard. In all of the group numbers no singer outshines another, but it is lovely to hear the harmonies of the strong male and female voices balanced so well and the soprano tones are particularly beautiful.
George Lamborne, as Bobby, is exceptionally well cast and is on stage for almost all of the show. He provides some wonderful performances, notably ‘Someone Is Waiting’ and ‘Being Alive’ where he captivates the audience with his pure tone and stage presence.
All of the couples have excellent chemistry and have been placed well together, especially Rachael Spencer (Sarah) and Dan Roy (Harry), who share some lovely heartfelt moments. There are some particularly good acting skills from Kara Goodland (Jenny) and George Tate (Dave) in their main scene, making their ‘situation’ very believable, and from Amanda Peaty (Joanne), playing a third-time married woman in a ‘rich’ relationship. The three girlfriends of Bobby are well cast and provide good humour to the show with each of their singing numbers, and Izzy Li (April) is particularly good at playing the ‘dumb’ air hostess.
However, the standout performance of the show has to be Susie Maycock (Amy) in her main number ‘Getting Married Today’ where she manages to sing three times the amount of words that you think is possible, whilst still ensuring everyone can be understood – all whilst putting on a hilarious performance!
Pinpoint Productions has done an excellent job of this show and it was a pleasure to watch. The show runs for two more evenings at The Arch, Chandlers Ford and there are very minimal numbers of tickets left so hurry if you don’t want to miss out.0