Coupling, Uncoupling, Never Coupled
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
Company is a thought-provoking Stephen Sondheim musical, set in 1970 when the general feeling was that everyone should be married off to someone of the opposite sex before they hit 35. Singles were under pressure to find someone and settle down, and apparently, were told this on a regular basis. Barrie’s Talk is Free Theatre has produced this old favourite at The Theatre Centre in Toronto.
In Company, Bobby is turning 35, and he is the only single guy in his group of friends, all of whom are matched up, engaged, or married. Bobby is dating, and we meet three of his girlfriends, April (Maggie Walters), Kathy (Madelyn Kriese), and Marta (Sierra Holder) but those dates are all to no avail.
The five couples are pressuring him to find someone: Sarah and Harry (Krystin Pellerina and Shane Carty), Susan and Peter (Jeff Irving and Jamie McRoberts), Jenny and David (Kirstyn Russelle and Richard Lam), Amy and Paul (Sydney Cochrane and Noah Beemer) and Joanne and Larry (Gabi Epstein and Michael Torontow) have their own quirks and oddities in their relationships, which provide the comic relief in the story. The story continues as a series of vignettes, where the friends offer questionable advice for Bobby or set terrible examples of wedded bliss.
In Act II, some of those couples fall apart – arguments, divorce, disinterest. Bobby becomes more withdrawn, and observes what is happening around him.
Sydney Cochrane as Amy performs “Getting Married Today” with panic and at such a fast pace that the audience is enthralled, while Noah Beemer as Paul is appropriately confused and hurt by her reluctance to go down the aisle.
Gabi Epstein as the older, three-times-married Joanne, sings “The Ladies Who Lunch”, taking jabs at those like her: rich, non-working women of leisure.
Bobby is brought to life by Aiden DeSalaiz. At first, he is the bewildered, unsure Bobby, perplexed by everyone who wants him to be married. But by the end of the show, he sings a powerful “Being Alive”, with its convincing message that he wants to live a shared life.
Will Bobby remain single, never finding a match, never coupling? We can’t know for sure. Director Dylan Trowbridge says in the program notes, “The entire experience takes place inside Bobby’s heart, mind and soul as he hovers between solitude and the possibility of love.” Let’s hope that after all these 56 years since this musical was first presented, Bobby found his mate and he’s still singing “Being Alive”.
Company continues with eight shows a week at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St., Toronto, until February 8, 2026. Visit https://tickets.tift.ca/TheatreManager/1/online?event=0 for tickets.
Photo: Aiden DeSalaiz, centre, and the cast of Company. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
Directed by Dylan Trowbridge
Musical Direction by Stephan Ermel
Choreography by Rohan Dhupar
Performed by Aidan DeSalaiz, Noah Beemer, Shane Carty, Sydney Cochrane, Gabi Epstein, Sierre Holder, Jeff Irving, Madelyn Kriese, Richard Lam, Jamie McRoberts, Krystin Pellerina, Kirstyn Russelle, Michael Toronto, Maggie Walters.
The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St., Toronto
January 15, 2026 to February 1, 2026. Note: Extended to February 8.
Reviewed by Mary Alderson