MOORHEAD — I am going to be honest. I had never seen, listened to or even heard of Stephen Sondheim’s hit musical, “Company”. The most I had known about the musical was from the film “Camp”, where Anna Kendrick sang the hit song “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company. Other than that, I had absolutely no expectations and had to clue what I was going to watch walking into North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Festival Hall. “Company” played from Feb. 22 to 25, and follows the lead character, Bobby, played by NDSU student Ethan Suriano, who’s character is celebrating his 35 birthday. Bobby is a single man; however, his entire friend group are all married or engaged couples. Throughout the show, we see short scenes of Bobby interacting with the six couples and three significant others that he had throughout the show.

To set the stage (literally), the set was very simple with a turntable, rehearsal blocks and a few blocks made into the shape of a birthday cake. They had a massive white screen behind them with projections onto the cyclorama. They also had two small screens, one on each side. Each also had projections used throughout the production.

In the first scene, we meet Sarah, played by Adrianna Kelly, and her husband, Harry, played by Henry Radoc. During this scene, we see the couple bickering and ending up in a karate match. Kelly and Radoc’s performances were well done, but the scene felt very long compared to the others. During this scene, we get a first glimpse at Joanne, played by Liz Wilhelmi, who sings the song “The Little Things You Do Together”. Wilhemi’s rendition of this song was hilariously brilliant.

We next meet Peter and Susan, played by Tacy Gillund and Emma Dodds. Dodds’ performance as the southern belle was great. Her costume was a little confusing, as she was in a knee-length tea dress with what seemed to be a petticoat underneath. Compared to the rest of the costuming, the piece didn’t seem to fit with the others. Following this scene, we meet Jenny (Bailey Medler) and David (Ethan Hanson) where they question Bobby on why he hasn’t gotten married while under the influence of marijuana. Though this scene was very funny, it seemed to get very serious very quickly when they could’ve kept the silliness going longer.

Through this scene, we also were given the song “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” featuring Becca Koerner, Alexis Sauvageau and Gabrielle Mowery, each playing a girlfriend of Bobby. This song was silly and goofy. Each actress delivered very well during this song vocally. Some spots in the choreography were slightly inconsistent between the three. However, it was a very enjoyable song. It is interesting to note that Koerner is also a student from Minnesota State University – Moorhead. Due to the lack of a theatre program, Koerner participates in theatre at North Dakota State University. Koerner’s performance as Marta was terrific, and her rendition of “Another Hundred People” was everything I didn’t know I needed.

We meet all of Robert’s male friends who sing the song “Have I Got a Girl for You”. During this song, they had projected what seemed to be a bunch of stock photos of girls. It was a very interesting choice, and I didn’t necessarily understand the idea behind it, other than the fact that they were singing about finding Bobby the “perfect girl”. They were also moving photos, which had distracted a bit from the action happening on stage.

I do have to give a tremendous shoutout to Kate Folkestad, who played Amy. She blew audiences away with her rendition of “Getting Married Today” and her anxieties surrounding her wedding. Folkestad’s character arc surrounding Amy was phenomenal and she was able to tell such a compelling story with her scenes. I do wish however, that she was in a wedding dress during “Getting Married Today”.

The beginning of act two opened with “Side by Side by Side”, which was such a fun and energetic piece. In the context of the rest of “Company”, it is a very different vibe from the rest of the show. It was an ensemble song that was such a fun moment to watch on the stage.

Following the song, we see Bobby and one of his girlfriends, April (Mowery), back at Bobby’s apartment. The two engage in sexual intercourse on stage under a sheet. I personally was not ready for it and felt as if I should turn away from the stage, as it landed in poor taste and felt unnecessary.

Later into act two, Joanne (Wilhelmi) delivered a spectacular performance of the show stopping number, “The Ladies Who Lunch”. Wilhelmi delivered an amazing scene and was able to tell a story in her scene, like Folkestad.

Overall, NDSU’s production of “Company” was a show that I was happy to catch while it was showing. The actors in the show were great and it was such a fun time. Though there was a little confusion on the staging and some of the fine details, one would expect to have a good laugh and leave with the titular song stuck in their heads.