05 Aug 2026
Act4 productions are back at the Roman Theatre Festival and Deborah Heath is there to see their take on a less well-known Sondheim musical…
I was pleased to see the return of Act4 to the Roman Theatre Festival – I loved their production of ‘Into The Woods’ in 2024, admiring their high creative and production values. I know a lot of Stephen Sondheim musicals but had never heard of ‘Company’ and until I did my homework, wasn’t sure if I would be watching a musical about a business, a military group or something else entirely.
‘Company’ is in fact an exploration of relationships, especially marriage and the general human need for companionship. I daresay it was a semi-autobiographical piece from someone who was “always on the outside looking in.” Set in Manhattan in the 1970s, it follows 30-something Bobby who appears to be enjoying the single life amidst a sea of coupled-up friends.
This musical is unusual in its episodic structure. Every 15 minutes or so, Bobby spends time with a different couple, learning the highs and lows of marriage from each experience.
Although ‘Company’ isn’t a true comedy, these interactions certainly gave rise to moments of identifiable humour. We start with Harry and Sarah, both with vices they are trying to cover up from their spouse. Adam Beckman and Andrea Sharkey played a thoroughly believable couple, one taking surreptitious sips of booze and the other secret snacks despite a slimming regime.
A lovely contrast was the poignant portrayal of Paul and Amy on the day of their wedding with a frantic
Amy experiencing cold feet. This was expertly managed by Katie Kelson and Matt Greenbank and the number “Getting Married Today” was beautifully performed.
At the centre of it all, Elliot Moore gave an outstanding performance as Bobby – his ability to flit between confusion, drama and comedy was well managed and this combined with his strong, pleasant singing voice made him an ideal leading man.
Sadly, the size of the cast prevents me from mentioning everyone but the overall standard of performing was very strong in terms of acting, singing and dancing – well done all.
Lucy Bishop-Laggett’s choreography was well planned and the talented cast executed it well, with some very pleasing group numbers. A favourite of mine was “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” with its Dixieland vibes and Charleston moves.
Musical Direction (Tony Rickard and Keith Willis) was on point throughout, with great attention to detail with harmonies and solos alike. Simon Gargrave’s keyboards were expertly realised but it was a shame there wasn’t a drum kit to drive the pulse of the dance numbers. A little woodblock action would have elevated “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” further.
The costumes (Niki Wolstenholme) were beautiful but a few of them didn’t feel at home in a 1970s setting such as the wedding dress. A favourite item of mine was Joanne’s elegant navy number which Katrina Boyd looked fabulous in during her fine performance.
In my job I see an awful lot of Stephen Sondheim musicals, and I’m afraid I don’t believe this one to be among his finest. There were a handful of catchy songs but overall, the score was lacking his usual finesse with a little too much repetition. In terms of the framework of the script, I really admired the ambition of writer George Furth for dispensing with a traditional narrative arc. The script doesn’t feel disjointed, but what it lacks is a true driving force or jeopardy – there is a sort of “so what?” feel to it which is not satisfied by the ending.
What redeemed the script and score was the excellent realisation from Act4Theatre – everything from the performing to technical mastery. Director/producers Lorraine and David Bottomley should be extremely proud of what they achieved. I have seldom seen such outstanding lighting design.
Adam Bottomley demonstrated subtle changes to accentuate the mood of the scene and the use of a back-lit New York skyline that changed with the weather was fantastic. Sound (Simon Latter), which you only tend to notice if it seems out of place, was spot on in its naturalism. David Bottomley and Trevor Hodd’s set was a thing of beauty showing a stylish batchelor pad which was easily altered by the cast as the scenes changed.
Once again Act4 Theatre have demonstrated their superb skillset and teamwork in every area of a production. I look forward to seeing what they bring us next year!
