Company
“Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Company!” In the short amount of time it takes to get to that line in the opening song, you know this one is a classic. Of course I am referring to the Stephen Sondheim musical from 1970. I am also referring to this specific production. I’ve seen this show before and Director Marianne Elliott’s staging is awesome.
Much attention has been paid to this version which was first performed in the West End. The gender roles are largely swapped. While nothing but praise can be ascribed to Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit, Indecent) and Patti Lupone (Evita, Gypsy, Anything Goes, Sweeney Todd), the guys here steal the show. Bobbie’s three love interests introduce themselves in “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.” These men are different types orbiting her world of being single as everyone around her has seemingly settled down.
Bobby Conte (A Bronx Tale) is the long-haired effortless hipster who owns one of the show’s finest tunes, “Another Hundred People.” The choreography is stunning. Manu Narayan (My Fair Lady) is touching as Theo, the one who got away. His chemistry with Ms. Lenk is heartbreakingly real. The show knows how to do the quiet moments as well as the big ones. And, with emphasis, Claybourne Elder (Sunday in the Park With George, Bonnie & Clyde) is Andy, the ditsy yet studly flight attendant who takes off for “Barcelona” in the morning.
“Tick Tock” precedes Andy’s early departure. It will be hard to imagine any version of this dream sequence being better or more fun. The visuals are phenomenally inventive, hilariously sexy, a little dirty and utterly memorable. The entire sequence between Bobbie and Andy is jaw dropping perfection.
And then again, the same could be said for “Getting Married Today.” In this version, the couple going down the aisle are both men. Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon, Sweeney Todd) is the one with cold feet. His performance as Bobbie’s best friend and Etai Benson’s fiancée is a showstopper. What Ms. Elliott does with the staging makes this normally hilarious song soar to superlative heights. If you’ve seen Company and love the show, pounce again. If you have not, now is definitely the time.
The cast is a theater lovers dream. Christopher Sieber and Jennifer Simard are priceless as the married couple working through their demons unsuccessfully. Christopher Fitzgerald and Nikki Renée Daniels smoke pot with Bobbie in another well acted scene. Company is a show of scenes. One great moment follows after another.
The set design by Bunny Christie is equally superb. There is homage to the original which was described as “a breathtaking mobile, interlocking Tinker-Toy of rippling platforms”. The boxes utilized here are vivid scenic panels like in a graphic novel. The technical wizardry, however, is light years advanced from 1970. Given Ms. Elliott’s boundless creativity, Choreographer Liam Steel even gets to make the set dance.
Patti Lupone has one of the show’s most famous numbers, “The Ladies Who Lunch”. Her version is solid. Her interpretation of character Joanne is slick, grinning and substantively deep. Her sex did not change for this version which makes sense given the song sung.
Finally, and importantly, Katrina Lenk shows us what a female Bobbie is thinking about as she rounds birthday number 35. The performance is a tour de force of varying emotions and sly subversions. Despite everyone telling her “Have I Got a Guy for You” this Bobbie feels unsure and certainly unsettled. Her final “Being Alive” confessional is raw.
This Company is do not miss theater. “No strings, good times, room hums, Company!” indeed. The songs will be in your head for days and days.