Company at Kingswood

I must say, and this is the first time I'm using "I" in a review, that this was a delight to see. Kingswood Stage II presented the Sondheim musical, "Company." Let's do this in number, shall we? There was a lot to note:
1. I'll have to write Barry Manilow. I did not realize that "Marry Me a Little" was the end to Act I of this show. It is the last song on the CD by Barry Manilow entitled "Trying to Get the Feeling Again." For those that are not Manilow fans, please, just ignore this.
2. The lighting was very dim upstage. A lot of times I was wishing for more light on the characters up-center. Dennis Lewallen's face was the only actor on stage whose eyes were not clearly visible from the audience because of shadows. Looking up in the rafters of the space, I was noticing that perhaps two more lighting instruments focused more upstage would have helped.
3. The character, Amy, played by Stephanie Harp, was definitely your stereotypical female: over-reacting to the very pleasant situation and making things complicated for poor Paul. She so needed her "girlfriends" with her at that moment. But Robert was there to help her straighten things out. Well done!
4. Paul's character, played by Steve Grundy, was absolutely phenomenal handling the shaky bride-to-be, Amy. Nicely done!
5. Susan's dress was gorgeous! Susan, played by Lisa Williams, donned a lovely white dress with a black pattern that flattered her frame and set the character. Noticing there wasn't a Costume Designer listed, I'm assuming that this is from her personal wardrobe. Well done!
6. Marta, played by the most gorgeous Rachel Miller, had interesting blocking in a scene with the lead character, Robert, played by the Director of the show, William Mahlandt. The scene had Robert and Marta discussing things downstage center. All I can remember is part of a line of Roberts where he stated she was very different or unique or something to that effect. At any rate, all of that blocking was...I wished it was different. More of Rachel standing still and showing more facial expressions of her character. When she showed her face in the light, it was excellent. She expressed the punk-rock and difference of her character's life as opposed to the rapid movement back and forth to Robert and then to the edge of the light and back. I just wished there was more for her to do.
7. Speaking of "wanting more", there was Larry, played by the incomparable Charlie Miller. Act I had me wanting to see more of the "rich man" and less of the "mouse." I wanted to see why Joanne, played by Katie Rouse, was attracted to him. Why she chose him, other than the money.
8. There are many shows in the Atlanta area where, if the Director is also an Actor in the play, it causes a lot of difficulty and the show lacks the important Director's eye that is necessary, especially during Tech Week. This is not the case, from the audience point of view. William Mahlandt, who plays Robert, had the character down to a "T." Very nicely done, pulled it off well, played well with the other characters, didn't miss a beat. It worked.
9. It also worked with Dennis Lewallen, the Musical Director, who also played Harry in the show. It worked for him and he showed a lot of emotion on stage.
10. Dennis was definitely out-shown by his wife, Gail Lewallen, who played his wife, Sarah, on stage. She was very entertaining to watch as she glided on the stage and portrayed the very hungry diet-toting wife with a lot of opinions. She should definitely be in a lot more shows in town.
11. The theater was freezing cold. Many patrons complained about the cold during intermission, but as the only person the audience knew to be of any importance to the theater, the Box Office Manager, had disappeared during Act I, there wasn't anyone to formally complain to. Hopefully someone will be around for the next production.
12. The pianist, Sindhu Giedd, was extraordinary! She was the only musical accompanist on the stage and she held her own! May the heavens continue to bless her fingers! She did a bang-up job!
13. The music in the entire show was Divine. I can definitely see why it won the Tony in 1970.
14. The acting blocks were the only real set pieces on stage. And they worked well. So well, in fact, that the audience was always transported to the different places that Robert went without explanation. Well done!
15. The choreography was great - especially in the second act. It wasn't too much, it wasn't too campy, it was just right.

This show explored for the audience the importance of friendships. In general, friendships help all of us to make the right decisions in our lives and even enjoy a little bit of life: even when we feel at our lowest. Well done to the players and the direction behind it!