Ben George, a relative newcomer to the Milwaukee stage, stars inthe role of single guy Robert, a bachelor juxtaposed against the five coupleswho make up his circle of friends. George recently pulled off a couple ofmemorable performances for both Off the Wall Theatre and Windfall Theatre. Hischarismatic stage presence makes him a natural for the central role in amusical of this nature.
With its cast of 10 married characters, Company provides an excellentopportunity for Off the Wall to show off its full ensemble of regulars. Nearlyevery major actor associated with the theater appears in this production. Ofcourse, not all of the songs feature the entire ensemble, so director DaleGutzman also has an opportunity to create personal moments between individualcharacters. Gutzman plans on using the intimacy of Off the Wall’s tiny spaceDowntown to maximum effect.
Set designer David Roper has developed a curvedstaircase and a series of floating discs for the production, which should makefor a very clean use of spacea stark contrast to Off the Wall’s lastproduction, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd,with its cluttered, multitiered representation of mid-19th-century London. The set for Company may not convey the immensity of New York in the early’70s, but it should give its actors a chance to shine. And Company, perhaps more than anything else by Sondheim, is aboutpeople.
Off the Wall’s production of Company runs Sept. 10-20.
