Download a PDF - Stage Directions Magazine

On Broadway
By Bryan Reesman
Good
Company
How the sound is kept natural for a
Sondheim musical
Raul Esparza (center) and the cast of Company
all photos by Paul Kolnik
Company is the second Stephen Sondheim revival to hit
the Great White Way in the last couple of years, and it
shares similarities with its predecessor, Sweeney Todd. Both
shows have had the same director, John Doyle (who won a Tony
for Sweeney Todd), and both have featured a cast that acts, sings
and plays instruments. It’s a potent triple threat that makes for
a vibrant, exciting performance. While Sweeney Todd trod down
a dark path of revenge, the ironically upbeat Company delves
into the life of 35-year-old bachelor Bobby (smoothly played
by Raul Esparza from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), who has plenty
of friends who are married or in various stages of coupledom.
Bobby has to cope with their contrary advice as well as his own
conflicting emotions about marriage. While the show originally
was performed in 1970, its central themes certainly resonate with
audiences today.
The production engineer for the show is Mike Wojchik, who
has worked previously as a sub around town on shows like
Urinetown and Cabaret. He was mostly the A2 on Spamalot, as
well as one of the show’s sub engineers. All of that experience
has certainly come in handy on Company.
Stage Directions: While I was aware of the fact that the sound
was amplified, it was not very obvious at times. The mics are
very well placed. Are all the actors miked?
Mike Wojchik: All the actors are miked, and the gentleman
who plays Bobby is double miked. The strings are the only
instruments that the actors are carrying that are miked. There are
a few other things in the show that are miked — piano, keyboards,
drums — but all the actors have their mics on them. So if they’re
playing trumpet there might be some of it in the mic they use for
vocals, depending upon where they are.
So the brass is not miked at all?
That is correct. It was certainly something John Doyle and
sound designer Andrew Keister were talking to me about early on.
They wanted to make sure it was a very natural sounding show.
So there’s no ambient miking or foot mics being used either.
So I guess the real objective was to do a lot with little.
I guess, yeah. It was a minimal approach, and I think Andrew
was really able to accomplish what he set out to do.
Are all the instrument players onstage?
Everybody who’s onstage plays an instrument.
What was the biggest challenge on this show for you?
To keep that natural kind of sound. To maintain what Andrew
and John were trying to look out for, and to create that naturalistic,
non-amplified kind of show.
Did you worry about bleed-through between mics?
I don’t think we were as concerned about that. There are
times that I think it hinders, and there are other times that I think
it helps.
Does it help to pick up other people?
Not vocally, but instrumentally.
What kind of board are you running and how many inputs
do you have?
It’s a Cadac J-Type, and all told we have 44 slots of inputs. It’s
a 62-slot frame.
18 April 2007 • www.stage-directions.com