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.
Given a fresh coat of paint, this production has some amended changes from its predecessor. The first act has been tightened up and its ending has been updated to fit the modern world. However, the biggest change involves the lead character. Here Bobby, a man on the prowl, has been flipped to “Bobbie,” a woman looking to connect with the right person on her own terms. Also of note, the role of Amy has now been changed to Jamie, giving the show a more modern aspect with the inclusion of a gay couple who struggle with the same partnership anxieties as their heterosexual counterparts.
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 |
|
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 |
Videos