The Stephen Sondheim musical “Company” is starting its national tour at Proctors through Saturday.
Seen at Thursday’s matinee, it was only the show’s fifth time before an audience. It’s a well-known truth that productions grow better with time. That’s good luck for cities around the country, as the show is in pretty good shape right now and will get better. There’s no question in my mind that the few not-yet-perfect issues will be hardly noticed by most theatergoers.
However, the major problem has not yet been solved in the 50 years since the show first opened. That is the structure of the book by George Furth.
The story revolves about Bobbie, who is celebrating her 35th birthday. She’s still single and probably has never been in any serious relationship. Through her, we meet five couples who are her best friends. Not only does each couple have relationship issues which make them less-than-likeable individuals – it reduces Bobbie to be a passive observer. In a work in which you don’t get to really know the central character, there is a lot of heavy-lifting to be done to make audiences like the show.
For sure, director Marianne Elliott does a phenomenal job in trying to overcome the problem. Her direction is innovative, engaging and in several scenes illuminating. If a fan of “Company” needs an excuse to see another production, this is it. By overlapping scenes that have characters appear more frequently than usual - like in the “Barcelona” number - the work plays less choppy.
In the original 1970 production the lead was a male named Bobby. In 2018 Elliott revived the work in London. It moved to Broadway to win a ton of Tony Awards in 2021. One of her ways to add a contemporary attitude to the work is to convert the lead to a female named Bobbie. Several other changes were made, including making one couple gay.
To my mind, the changes do enrich the show and offer a different point of view on some relationships. Instead of a swinging bachelor who seems to have little urgency to marry, the female version, Bobbie, becomes an individual who really desires to be in a committed relationship. It’s neither better nor worse – just different.
Indeed, thanks to a winning performance of Bobbie by Britney Coleman, it’s hard to imagine the show performed any other way. She has a mesmerizing voice and a savvy way of using lyrics. Her version of “Being Alive,” one of the best 11 o’clock numbers in the history of theater, is stunning. Despite her many talents, Coleman does not always conquer the passivity of Bobbie. Were she not always dressed in a brilliant red, in many scenes she’d be invisible. It’s never her fault; that’s the way it’s written.
The segments, which could be called skits, play with various degrees of success. I’ve always cringed at the judo moment between an extremely competitive and addictive couple. But, Elliot’s staging makes it a lot more palatable, as do the actors who bring a sense of truth to the couple.
To me, the most successful segment is “Getting Married Today.” It’s not only because of the energy and great singing. It is the first time the director stages a segment for pure fun. The appearances of a determined priest and the rest of the cast entering and leaving in comical ways is a delight and a needed change of pace. This energetic approach extends to the second act, where with the help of choreographer Liam Steel, “Side by Side” starts the act with a visual and vocal bang.
Another singular moment is “The Ladies Who Lunch.” Closely identified with Elaine Stritch and Patti LuPone, here Judy McLane makes the song her own. My quibble is she offers the song sitting down and it was frustrating not to have Joanne pace and challenge the audience with the brittle lyrics. She is delightfully cynical and funny throughout the show but this staging has her appearing drunk rather than a person annoyed at people who live hypocritical lives.
This production of “Company” is not always consistently engaging. However, the talented actors all show a great sense of knowing their characters. As they interact more with an audience the occasional timidity in a couple of scenes will smooth out. The staging is very complex and demands great timing and concentration. I’m sure at times they curse the intricate set designed by Bunny Christie. However, I doubt that the audience would join them as the sliding cubes are visually fascinating and offer Elliott a great space to work her theatrical magic.
“Company” at Proctors Is a production you will remember. It continues at Proctors through Saturday. For ticket information go to proctors.org
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
