Ah marriage; that ubiquitous social institution that is at the same time simple and elusive, natural and abnormal, and in light of last spring's famous Massachusetts supreme court ruling, controversial. But while most people only recently began to ponder the merits of this pervasive tradition, Stephen Sondheim weighed in on it over 30 years ago.
Such is the subject of "Company," a now classic American musical playing in the beautiful new Boston Center for the Arts until Nov. 13. While somewhat of an anomaly for the modern-leaning SpeakEasy Stage Company, don't call this musical out-of-date. Twenty-dollar student rush tickets provide a cheap opportunity to experience a funny, smart and decent quality show whose perspective is just as fresh as it was when it first premiered in 1971.
A set that looks like a cross between "Star Trek" and "Hollywood Squares" provides a clever backdrop to a series of vignettes depicting the stream-of-consciousness of a lonely Robert (Michael Mendiola) during his 35th surprise birthday party. The party, attended by several married couples, causes Robert (or Bob or Bubi) to brood over his status as a SWM.
A split-level performance area allows Robert's different memories to flow into each other seamlessly. The lighting works extremely well, with different squares lighting up depending on where each scene is located. And just as human thoughts occur in no particular order, neither does this story.
Historically, with "Company," Sondheim shepherded the American musical into a new era of sophistication. The lack of chronological order, or plot for that matter, caused it to be wildly different and revolutionary in the '70s, before which most musicals were all about big costumes, big sets, and simple direct stories.
But this musical goes beyond the precedents it set; it offers perceptive and nuanced observations about the intricacies of relationships. As Robert philosophizes and prods his memory for past experiences with his different married friends, each experience comprising a different scene, the audience, too, learns something.
In one particularly funny scene, a conservative middle-aged Jenny (Kerry A. Dowling) and her husband, David (Will McGarrahan) join Robert in some jovial pot smoking. Jenny is a convincing first-timer who relishes in her light-headedness by blurting out frequent expletives. Her husband engages in some wishful thinking, asking his wife, "Don't you wish you were single again, even for an hour?" Jenny's response: "No ... But maybe for two!"
In another hilarious scene, Robert witnesses his friends Sarah (Julie Jirousek) and Harry (Jerry Bisantz) demonstrate their sometimes-venomous competitiveness when they try to knock each other out with amateur karate moves.
Robert uses such scenes to rationalize not getting married, but even though each couple makes no bones about their often hilarious marital problems when they're with him, it's also evident that they really cannot live without each other. A relationship is about give and take, compromise and companionship, and, according to them, it's worth it.
Robert tries dating a few girls, including a funky New Yorker named Marta (Sara Chase, also the best singer in the musical) and a ditzy flight attendant (Stephanie Carlson), but how can Robert succeed in a relationship if he cannot take his loneliness seriously?
Catchy songs, some of which have become standards in the American songbook ("Being Alive," for example) provide Robert and the audience with a mixture of advice and therapy. A small ensemble accompanies him perfectly from the back corner of the stage, often making up for the occasional faulty falsetto or off-pitch actor with amusing call-and-response licks.
But while some members of this particular cast probably wouldn't make it past the first round of "American Idol," most of the acting is convincing, and small dance numbers punctuate certain scenes with energy. Michael Mendiola does very well as Robert: he has a Hugh Grant-ish air about him, which bodes well for his lead as introspective bachelor.
Likewise, lively local star Nancy E. Carroll is a natural as Joanne, a cynical, sarcastic sage who has a heart-to-heart with Robert over a stiff drink and a famous song ("The Ladies Who Lunch").
So, what of Robert - and marriage? One scene, added to 1995 revivals in New York and London, speculates about Robert's possible homosexuality, which would provide an easy explanation to his relationship troubles.
But Stephen Sondheim does not like easy explanations.
Robert's sexuality remains ambiguous - as does any final verdict on marriage, for that matter. But who cares? According to Sondheim in a 2000 New York Times Magazine interview, "We were talking about somebody unable to make an emotional connection. Period. It's about how difficult it is to live with somebody." And, as Robert might attest - the difficulty of living without somebody.
