PREVIEW
Company
Foote in the Door Productions
April 21 and 22, 25 to 28
L’UniThéâtre at La Cité Francophone
8627 – 91 St.
Tickets: Adults $25; students/seniors $21. Call 780-420-1757 or at www.tixonthesquare.ca and www.eventbrite.com
Russ Farmer is a self-described theatre addict. But the management consultant is less interested in watching shows than pouring some good old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears into a production.
As co-founder of Foote in the Door Theatre Productions, Farmer invests a lot of acting talent, time and resources to make a successful go of the semi-professional company.
He’s taken on a variety of diverse and challenging roles in the company roster that includes Carousel, How to Succeed in Business and She Loves Me. And each show was peppered with a vibrant enthusiasm that only a bunch of go-getters working in unison can achieve.
The St. Albert resident is back on stage as the lead male in Company, the troupe’s latest production. The Stephen Sondheim/George Firth musical runs April 21 and 22 and 25 to 28 at L’UniThéâtre in La Cité Francophone.
Company is viewed as a trailblazer of dark modern musical comedies as it takes a sophisticated and honest look at contemporary adult relationships.
Robert (Farmer), a perpetually single New Yorker is on the eve of his 35th birthday. All his friends are married, but he views marriage as a jail sentence.
He enjoys a series of superficial relationships with a string of girlfriends driven crazy by his casual attitude. And he is surrounded by a collection of self-satisfied friends that praise the virtues of marriage while sniping at each other.
“He eventually makes the realization that to be happy he needs to be open to the possibilities of making a commitment,” said Farmer.
While Firth’s conceptual plot, held together by a series of vignettes jumps around, Sondheim’s songs are filled with wit and comedy, rage and regret.
One of the big showstoppers is Ladies Who Lunch sung by Karin Thomas.
“It’s a wonderful ode to the stay-at-home wives and women. It’s designed to be sung by an older, more cynical woman. Her voice matches that. She has a bit of an edge that works for the song.”
Ruth Wong-Miller, also a co-founder of Foote in the Door, tackles Getting Married Today, a challenging anti-romantic number with fast-paced patter.
But it’s Farmer who sings the spine-tingling Being Alive, a song that suggests Robert has woken up from a long sleep to join humanity.
“He finally realizes he wants something in life and is willing to take risks and make sacrifices to be happy.”
For Farmer, Company is a well-rounded musical that combines robust acting and energetic dance numbers.
Instead of a CD, a live 11-piece ensemble plays Sondheim's sophisticated, heartfelt music.
“You can’t go wrong with music by Stephen Sondheim. He’s one of the icons of musical theatre.”
As a bonus, set designer Leland Stelck created a terraced set reinforced with abstract black and white optical art that gives the impression of movement, hidden images and flashing or vibrating patterns.
