THE COMPANY WE KEEP
To wed or not to wed — that is the question that Stephen Sondheim poses in his 1970 musical Company, for which he is the composer and lyricist (with a book by George Furth).
James Earl Jones II as Harry, Kathryn Allison as Sarah,
Britney Coleman as Bobbie and Judy McLane as Joanne
Sondheim is considered a god in the realm of musical theatre, and Company is one of his most acclaimed shows. It was nominated for fourteen Tonys and won six. A national tour of Broadway’s most recent revival arrived at the Pantages in Los Angeles last night, August 1, 2024, under the direction of Marianne Elliott. This particular revival originated on the West End in 2018 and then reappeared on Broadway in 2021, both with Elliott at the helm. The twist? The main character, Robert — referred to as Bobby throughout the script — has been reimagined as a woman, Bobbie.
Javier Ignacio as Peter, Britney Coleman as Bobbie, and Marina Kondo as Susan
Britney Coleman as Bobbie, Matthew Christian as David and Emma Stratton as Jenny
In the original, Bobby, a perennial bachelor, is celebrating (read: mourning) his thirty-fifth birthday. He’s surrounded (read: hounded) by a zany assortment of married friends who obsess over whether or not he’s ever going to get hitched. Bobby brushes off their intrusions, vainly attempting to justify his overripe singlehood and internally grappling with the fact that he’s passing his prime. Eventually, he confronts a latent desire for “someone to hold you too close, someone to hurt you too deep”.
The North American Tour of COMPANY
David Socolar as Theo and Britney Coleman as Bobbie
This reimagined version changes only a few key roles — Bobby becomes Bobbie (Britney Coleman); Amy, the neurotic bride, becomes Jaime (Matt Rodin), the neurotic groom at a gay wedding; and Bobby’s trio of female lovers are now men (Jacob Dickey, Tyler Hardwick, David Socolar). It’s also set in the present day, so fashion and technology are up-to-date, though several references and turns of phrase remain anachronistic.
Tyler Hardwick as PJ and Britney Coleman as Bobbie
Matt Rodin as Jamie and Ali Louis Bourzgui as Paul
Did the world need a gender-swapped version of this 50-year-old musical? The past decade has seen sweeping perturbations and changes in the sociopolitical landscape regarding gender, perhaps most potently in the venues and schools of performing arts. It’s practically cliché at this point to see nonbinary undergrads turning musical theatre hits on their heads. But in society at large, such reversals can still read as innovative and, to some, shocking.
Britney Coleman as Bobbie
Britney Coleman as Bobbie (center) and The Cast
For its time, Company was surely clever and even edgy. Through today’s lens, though, it can read as passé and even mildly misogynist. Bobby becomes a smarmy ladies’ man, the couples come off as two-dimensional cut-outs, and the women are stuck in second-wave feminism (at best). A female Bobbie transports the show into third- and fourth-wave feminism, and the resulting reframing reinvigorates the story quite well. So maybe Company did need a makeover after all.
Britney Coleman as Bobbie and Jacob Dickey as Andy
Derrick Davis as Larry, Judy McLane as Joanne and Britney Coleman as Bobbie
Beyond the compelling fresh take on the protagonist, there are other happy repercussions. The quirky trio “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” garners new layers of humor and intrigue when performed by three guys all pining over the same woman. The timeless profundity of the iconic “Being Alive” reemerges from behind a cloud of banality. The real pièce de résistance, however, is “Getting Married Today”. With an ovation-worthy performance by Matt Rodin (hilariously accented by Marina Kondo as the Choirgirl), this song transcends its former self and, frankly, the show as a whole. I dare say it makes even more sense and is even more uproarious coming from a high-strung gay man terrified of his impending matrimony. This number alone will make it worth the ticket price.
Britney Coleman as Bobbie, Jacob Dickey as Andy,
David Socolar as Theo and Tyler Hardwick as PJ
The scenic design by Bunny Christie is wonderfully surreal, depicting how Bobbie is feeling boxed in by the pressures of life and love. The music and vocals, under the direction of Charlie Alterman, are pristine. And the production as a whole honors the material which — because it’s Sondheim — many would consider sacred.
The North American Tour of COMPANY
It’s not a perfect production, though. While Britney Coleman is demonstrably a terrific performer, she’s miscast. To be credible, Bobby/Bobbie needs to be flawed, deficient, fraying at the edges. Coleman radiates an essence that is stunning, put together, and sophisticated. Aside from David (Matt Bittner) and Jenny (Emma Stratton), the other couples are overwrought caricatures, which squashes a lot of the humor. Judy McLane had big shoes to fill after Elaine Stritch in the original and Patti Lupone in the latest revivals on the West End and Broadway), but her portrayal is lackluster. And certain elements — such as the orchestrations, specific references, and even the premise — taste stale on today’s palate.
Britney Coleman as Bobbie
Britney Coleman as Bobbie and the North American Tour of COMPANY
People like myself, who are hungry for theatre that is visceral and virtuosic, will be somewhat disappointed by the ways it misses the mark. Still, casual theatre goers, musical die-hards, and even Sondheim purists will thoroughly enjoy this production of Company. It delivers everything that won it so many awards in 1970 plus a generous infusion of contemporary flavor. The gender-swaps improve what is otherwise an off-kilter and outmoded plot. And though it’s largely a cynical take on marriage, at its heart is a yearning for connection and companionship, which we all share.
photos by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
Company
national tour presented by Broadway in Hollywood
2 hours and 40 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission
Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd, where it runs until August 18, 2024
for tickets, call 800.982.2787 or visit Broadway in Hollywood or Ticketmaster
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Company Musical
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Judy McLane didn’t fill the shoes of LuPone and Stritch, true, but she also didn’t come close to Debra Monk in the second Broadway revival, and Barbara Walsh in the third revival of Company.
The fourth revival had Lupone, the last London revival had LuPone and the NY Phil concert started LuPone.
Your review’s assessments of cast members Coleman and McLane are spot-on. I think the gender reversal sabotaged many of the musical numbers except for NOT GETTING MARRIED which was excellent. I was also disappointed with the SNL/MAD TV manner in which the comedy was handled. This stuff is more sophisticated than that. For these reasons, along with the overly busy choreography and cramped stage design, I left at intermission.