Review: Company at State Theatre Centre of WA

Company at State Theatre Centre of Western Australia
Monday, June 8, 2026

First performed on Broadway all the way back in 1970, winning six Tony Awards for that debut season, and with every subsequent revival gaining further critical acclaim, Stephen Sondheim’s classic Company was brought to Studio Underground this evening by the third-year musical theatre students of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

This was the tale of Manhattan bachelor Robert as he celebrated his 35th birthday surrounded by the closest of friends, all of whom had already partnered up into the most adorable couples. The plot revolved around Robert’s delicate navigation around the group’s best intentions for him, almost all of which none too subtly led to matrimony.

Taking the bulk of the entire story onto his broad shoulders, Cooper Williams excelled as tonight’s Robert. He convincingly portrayed a character both effortlessly sliced into ever-decreasing portions by his friends yet just as equally conflicted about his own needs and desires. At parts comedic, dramatic, morose, or joyful, and with a fantastic voice that easily carried the audience along for the journey, Williams encapsulated the tension of being the lead performer for an ensemble cast—the smallest of steps ahead of his peers, with seemingly plenty in reserve.

As the performance split into vignettes with Robert spending time with each couple, every relationship held a slightly different dynamic. Harry and Sarah were extremely competitive and comfortable when needling each other’s flaws; Peter and Susan were far more relaxed and responsible after their divorce than in actual marriage, whilst David and Jenny, when added together, were the most hipster of squares.

The staging was delightfully sinuous, as if a purple lava lamp had been brought to life, almost as non-linear as the plot, with the only straight lines in view on the drinks trolley alone. The set displayed as an interior easily gave the sense of any number of Upper East Side lofts or, when given space to breathe, brought to life the busy streets of Midtown.

The costuming was also fabulous, as wives and husbands complemented each other’s outfits with slightly different accents on the same theme. Then, when all were added together on stage, the distinctive primary colours across each couple gave the impression of an Eighties cartoon mecha about to assemble.

The live band, placed stage right, partially behind a curtain yet in easy view of most of the audience, were absolute troopers and brought direct life and sparkle to the script. At one point, during a nightclub scene, the actors finished their dance and applauded the musicians directly, this diegetic moment walking the finest of lines of a fourth wall break towards their fellow performers.

The songs, despite their vintage, remained full of vim and vigour. Especially noteworthy were the scene-setting opener Company, sung by the entire cast; the second act double play of Side by Side by Side and What Would We Do Without You, highlighting Robert as both third wheel yet the absolutely essential best friend; and Barcelona, a duet that paired Robert with one of his girlfriends, April, as they teased at an unlikely future together.

Couple Amy and Paul, performed by Kushinka Jayewardene and William Johnstone respectively, were fantastic together for Getting Married Today—Johnstone’s relaxed and easy-going demeanour was the perfect foil for Jayewardene’s staccato, typewriter-style delivery of a person on the brink of a panic attack.

Isabella Rath, as thrice-married, twice-divorced vamp Joanne, almost stole the show at several points, both in acting and song. Standout tracks from Rath were The Little Things You Do Together and The Ladies Who Lunch, with the character exhibiting an equal amount of self-awareness and self-loathing and knowing to the exact second how long the blind spots in current husband Larry’s calendar lasted.

Playing Marta, another of Robert’s girlfriends, Charlotte Allen was the performer this evening who wrote the clearest love letter to New York City. Bouncing from the subway to the streets to The Park across an outstanding Another Hundred People, Allen lived Marta’s life exuberantly and unapologetically, often challenging Robert and the other characters in their very WASPish ways.

Taken together, performed with an odd degree of starry-eyed cynicism—the characters knew the truths of the world yet were still cheerfully optimistic—Company tonight was an entertaining and often vivacious production, with an evergreen message of and for friends who perhaps spent too much time together, trying to arrange each other’s lives towards some form of perfection by committee. All cast and crew demonstrated a high degree of talent this evening, most especially in song, and one looks forward to what they may each bring to the stage in the future.

PAUL MEEK