Company, the musical comedy masterpiece about the search for love and cocktails in New York, is turned on its head in Elliott's revelatory staging, in which musical theatre's most iconic bachelor is now a bachelorette. At Bobbie's 35th birthday party, all her friends are wondering why isn't she married? Why can't she find the right man? And, why can't she settle down and have a family? This whip smart musical comedy, given a game-changing makeover for a modern-day Manhattan, features some of Sondheim's best loved songs, including "Company," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side," and the iconic "Being Alive."
Sondheim’s music remains strong, and the company of Company performs the music well, but something is missing. The production appears flat, without heart. There is a certain lack of believably in the characters, or rather the performances of the actors, that leaves one cold. Whether that is the result of Marianne Elliott’s direction, the fact this is a brand new cast and production just breaking itself in, in Schenectady this week, or just the rewriting of the script that leaves one cold, is up for grabs. Bunny Christie’s scene design plays off neon-framed boxes that the characters emerge from throughout the show is a clever conceit. We are all boxed in our own lives and in many ways isolated from the world around us; this certainly puts it right on the stage for you.
Like all of Sondheim's shows, the score is gorgeous, intricate, and challenging, and this touring cast does a tremendous job. Britney Coleman's Bobbie is charming and expressive as she enacts some of the most recognizable standards of musical theatre ("Marry Me a Little," "Side by Side by Side," "Being Alive") with rich, powerful vocal styling. Other standout numbers are the darkly ironic "Ladies Who Lunch," vividly performed by Judy McLane, and, of course, the impossibly staccato patter of "Getting Married Today," delivered in a flawless, astounding performance by Matt Rodin as Jamie (supported by fiancé Paul and Marina Kondo's hilarious apparating priest.)
1970 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1971 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1972 | West End |
London Production West End |
1978 | Off-Broadway |
Equity Library Theatre Revival Off-Broadway |
1980 | Off-Off-Broadway |
Off-Off-Broadway Revival Off-Off-Broadway |
1987 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
1993 | Broadway |
Reunion Concert Broadway |
1995 | Broadway |
Roundabout Revival Broadway |
1995 | West End |
Donmar Warehouse Revival West End |
2002 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Sondheim Festival Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2004 | Los Angeles |
Reprise! Concert Los Angeles |
2006 |
Cincinnati Playhouse Revival |
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2006 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2007 | New York |
New York Concert New York |
2017 | Regional (US) |
Barrington Stage Company Revival Regional (US) |
2018 | West End |
West End Revival Production West End |
2021 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2023 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
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