Review: Company at the Annex Theatre

This years Showstopper’s small show provided humour, a great band and a cast that were charming and entertaining.

The story focuses around Bobby (Brendan Westhoff), who at 35 is questioning his Bachelor lifestyle and begins to look into the idea of marriage. With his friends in different stages of relationships, Bobby seeks their advice and opinions to help him discover why he is still single and if marriage is right for him. Westhoff plays his complex character perfectly, using expressions well and always remaining in character whilst not overpowering the rest of the cast. One of the highlights of the performance included the karate scene between Sarah (Gem Tunley) and Harry (Sev Keoshgerian), who always manages to bring comedy to a show whatever his role. Anna Pinnell also stood out as frantic bride to be Amy, experiencing pre-wedding jitters at the end of Act 1.

Overall, the songs of this musical were pretty unmemorable, though performed well by the cast. There was only one number that stuck with me after the show. The band was also complementary to the numbers, and it always amazes me how so many musicians can fit into such a small space.

While the cast of the show were hugely talented and a real joy to watch (as always), for me personally the choice of show felt a little unmatched for a student audience. With it dealing with issues of marriage and bachelorism at a later age in life, as a young student it was a pretty difficult to relate to storyline. If I were watching this in ten years time the storyline would be more engaging. Although having said this, the cast played all of the parts well and definitely lived up the challenge.

Having seen many Showstopper productions, what is always striking and really pleasant is the way the cast interacts with each other so naturally and comfortably, which really comes through during this production. It is clear as an audience member that each cast member really enjoys being on the stage and working with each other, which makes the experience even better.

I for one am looking forward to seeing what Showstoppers bring us next!