The 2022 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1971 “Company” soars at the Hollywood Pantages through Aug. 18. Creatively and fluidly directed by Marianne Elliott, “Company” is not-to-be-missed.
This near-perfect rendition features not Robert but Bobbie – played by original Broadway lead and bright gem Britney Coleman – as the only uncommitted friend among five couples.
Updated in other ways besides gender, “Company” plays up the humor latent in the musical through physical expression and vocal inflection. Bobbie is turning 35 and at one point shreds the mylar “35” balloon her friends give her because it’s that painful – mainly because they keep pressing her to get married.
You would probably freak out, too, if 10 of your best friends kept harmonizing at you, “Bobbie, Bobbie, Bobbie baby, Bobbie,” to come over and keep them company – and sing about marriage.
The songs here shine in all of their complexity through the cast’s precise deliveries, allowing Sondheim’s harmonic dissonances to resonate meaningfully, accompanied by a lively orchestra (directed by Charlie Alterman).
As Bobbie metaphorically makes the rounds of her friends’ homes while avoiding her own birthday party, she observes their playful (but not) Jiujitsu, smokes weed with them, helps one couple get married (or not), as the friends sing about “The Little Things You Do Together” that are both loving and maddening, and how they are simultaneously “Sorry-Grateful” to be married.
It's a quirky but truthful portrait of marriage that emerges from all the vignettes – though one that doesn’t seem to be selling Bobbie very well on the idea. “Marry Me a Little” is really what she wants, “so we’ll both be free.”
Meanwhile, Bobbie juggles three potential love interests, one of whom is handsome but “dumb” flight attendant Andy (Jacob Dickey). In an amazing scene the morning after their night together, Bobbie visualizes her life with him, without him, with him and a baby, with someone else – all at the same time with the help of stand-in Bobbies all intricately choreographed to repeat the same gestures each day as the orchestra plays “Tick Tock.”
Notably, none of the Bobbies in this imagined multiverse seem happy, especially when picking up Andy’s same discarded towel day after day, or closing the same toilet seat, not to mention juggling a baby and laundry and getting the same pat on the butt every day like a pet for delivering him morning coffee.
But by the end, Bobbie realizes partnership means fully “Being Alive” – and here Coleman brings down the house (and a tear to the eye) with her voice and heart. “Somebody crowd me with love, somebody force me to care,” she belts in a soul-wrenching plea.
And it’s not just Coleman – most of the cast are just as immersed in their characters and songs. Jessie Hooker-Bailey and James Earl Jones II absolutely delight in their physical roles as dueling couple Sarah and Harry, one addicted to fitness, the other to alcohol.
Tyler Hardwick as PJ, Bobbie’s other love interest, shines in “Another Hundred People,” with a tenor that captures the awe and existential loneliness of being in a crowd in the city as the rest of the cast crisscross the stage getting off and on trains.
In another astonishing scene, Matt Rodin as Jamie delivers a breathless “Getting Married Today” (or perhaps, “not getting married”) while in an absolute panic about wedding Paul as Marina Kondo portentously glides around as an imagined priest with a beautifully beatific soprano voice – at one point emerging from the fridge as he gets champagne.
And Judy McLane nails her role as the rich, savvy and world-weary Joanne, beginning with her knowing drawl of “Mmhmm” in “The Little Things You Do Together” through to her acerbic “The Ladies Who Lunch” in a glittering dress in a bar, smoking.
The only thing that mars the production is this bar scene, however, which begins well, but seems to go on too long for what it adds to the story. Joanne’s cynicism – even to the point of offering her handsome (third) husband Larry (Derrick Davis) to Bobbie – seems too much for the younger woman and deflates the mood.
But the show remains overwhelmingly stellar otherwise, thanks to the ensemble cast and expert crew, including modern yet accessible scenic and costume design by Bunny Christie with lighting by Neil Austin, and balanced sound design by Ian Dickinson and Keith Caggiano.
Though much has changed about relationships in the half century since “Company” was first staged, this updated, soaring production brings it to life with energy, humor and feeling – making a case not just for partnership but marriage, even in this age of selfies and Tik Toks.
“Company” continues at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, through Aug. 18, with shows Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (866) 755-2929 or visiting BroadwayinHollywood.com. Run time is 2 hours and 40 minutes, including intermission.
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