Company, France and Getting Festive!

As Bristol’s musical theatre choir, we love the commitment of our members to the theatre and seeing shows. Even better, is when they see a musical that features one of the songs we’ve chosen to sing as a part of our set for the term! 

This was the case last month, when one of our tenors went to see the new production of Company at the Gielgud Theatre in London. Now, for those that don’t know: Company was originally staged in 1970, and follows a bachelor named Robert as he navigates life and love in New York City. Robert, “Bobby” to his friends, is celebrating his 35th birthday with some ”good and crazy people”: all his married friends! Wrestling with his phobia of commitment, a series of encounters with his friends and three love interests forces Bobby to question what he wants out of life. 

The team behind this new production have turned the musical on its head, mainly through gender swapping the roles! Our leading lady is now Bobbie, her romantic interests Andy, PJ, and Theo and bride to be Amy is now Jamie. Director Marianne Elliot worked closely and with the blessing of Stephen Sondheim, the musical’s composer to make the changes, which also included some subtle tweaks to lyrics, and the book. We’re reliably informed that the changes, as well as an immensely talented cast bring the musical crashing into the 21st century, and feels more relevant and important as it ever was! 

We’ve added our own special Show Choir brand of magic to “Being Alive” – the moment where Bobbie comes to terms with her anxieties about relationships and feels hopeful about wanting that for herself. Kerrie, having seen the show said having Bobbie as a woman works so well and she saw much of her own feelings around relationships and the pressure society places on women being played out on stage. It’s changed the way she looks and feels about the song and was so excited to tell us all about it. Desperate to plan an outing to the show as a choir, too! 

Check out Bristol Show Choir’s version HERE.

Elsewhere this term, we’ve been learning songs from A Chorus Line, The Greatest Showman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Dear Evan Hansen, as well as revisiting Spring Awakening and Les Miserables. 

And of course, we’re getting in the festive spirit with a fantastic performance for the launch of the We The Curious Ice rink, as well as a charity busk at Wapping Wharf on December 8th and our all important Christmas concert on Tuesday 18th. For tickets and all other information, head on over to our events page.