By Austin Archer
If you haven’t heard of Good Company Theatre in Ogden, do yourself a favor by looking them up and buying tickets to one of the three closing performances of their current musical, 35MM. Good Company is a dynamite new theatre company committed to shattering the mold of the typical Utah theatre scene. Their home space is a small studio above an adult novelty shop on historic 25th Street in the heart of downtown Ogden, (I know, right?) Artistic Director Alicia Washington has only had GCT up and running for a little over a year, and has already showcased several original theatrical works: a gritty Sam Shepard piece, theatre discussing religion and atheism, and a standing commitment to do an annual presentation of The Vagina Monologues.
In 35MM, Washington has found another gem and has graciously shared it with her community. It’s a new musical with absolutely gorgeous music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver structured around 15 photographs from Matthew Murphy. The show does not follow a linear narrative, but is rather a collection of imagined stories inspired by the photographs. Everything about the GCT production felt absolutely right for the piece. The space itself seemed almost too perfect with its pseudo art-gallery vibe and wonderful minimalist set design.
Director Randall Eames made excellent use of Good Company’s very small space, which only seats about 40 people. Employing a unique audience set-up, Eames was able to create several playing areas for the actors which allowed the audience to mentally change the channel from one story to the next. The show moved with a wonderful pace, running one act with no intermission and left the audience truly wanting more. And there were even several moments of very unique and original staging/choreography that added tremendously to the indie pop art feel of the production.
Perhaps the most ticket-worthy thing about this incredibly worthwhile event was the stellar ensemble that brought Oliver’s technically difficult music to life with their incredible vocals, nuanced storytelling and complete commitment to the material. The cast was composed of three men and two women. The men: Derek Gregerson, Sean Knuth-Bishop, and Taylor Knuth-Bishop (two real life spouses who, at one point, share a duet that will literally stop your heart and make you cry fountains of tears.) The women: Jennifer Hughes and Karli Rose Lowry. I could dissect each performance and tell you specifically why they were all brilliant, but then this review would be about six pages too long. Suffice it to say that there is not a weak link among them. They are honest, funny, touching, and poignant in their delivery of the words, and you will want to listen to them sing to you every day for the rest of your life.
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Music director Anne Puzey was on point (not that I can recall ever seeing a show of hers that wasn’t.) I feel like a trademark of hers is the deftness with which she creates dynamics in volume and mood with her singers and in the small intimate setting of Good Company this trademark was shown off wonderfully. The actors could come all the way down to almost a whisper at times, making their eventual shifts to full voice all the more powerful. Her band was also near-perfect in their accompaniment.
At any rate, I think it’s clear to see that I was obsessed with this show and that I am and have been obsessed with this theatre company. The long and short of it is this, go see 35MM. And if you can’t go see it, go see the next show they do, and the next one after that. In fact, just buy yourself a season ticket for 2015 and thank me later.
Good Company produces sophisticated and thought-provoking theatre that is generally intended for adults, so parents use your discretion. 35MM: the musical does contain some adult language. It will conclude its run this Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets and show times available at www.goodcompanytheatre.com
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