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“OH WHAT A NIGHT:” HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY: SOME REFLECTIONS ON STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S “COMPANY” PART 1 Review by: Beth M., Dec 11, 2007 |
I saw the original productions of “Company” in 1970 and found the revival to be darker than I ever would have imagined. I remember a much sunnier and lighter “Company,” in which, from my admittedly vague recall, despite a degree of cynicism that went with this exploration of marriage, generally offered a more humorous and lighter sense of wit. I found this production of “Company” to feel a bit sinister or even menacing. And my listening to ... read more both cast albums seems to me to bear this out.
What first came to mind was my memory of Elaine Stritch’s marvelous humor and wit in singing “The Ladies Who Lunch,” instead of what struck me as a desperate and angry rendition of this song by Barbara Walsh. I also thought back to Amy’s song “Getting Married Today,” which seemed hilarious in the original productions in its portrayal of a bride’s more “normal” jitters on her wedding day, whereas here this comes across as experience of deep fear about her future, a much darker and unsettling interpretation, as if she saw herself as falling into an abyss.
This version of “Company” seemed to me somewhat akin to a Dickensian journey, perhaps somewhat reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, as it is presented by means of a series of rather “nightmarish” vignettes, in which, like Scrooge witnessing the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Bobby’s friends are the guides who show him the many aspects of marriage, but often the darker side: the endless sophisticated bickering, downing drink after drink, a great deal of one-upmanship, and break ups (though a great deal of conflicting feelings about the good things on marriage are also present).
Bobby is the essence of conflict. One the one hand, he seems to be very intrigued by marriage and to be almost studying the experiences of his friends; but he also seems scared and confused, behind his cool and aloof façade, about what he wants from life and from relationships.
The entire cast is dressed in effectively in black. The very minimalist set seems to permit greater focus on the couples and their trials and tribulations. The color black also seemed pervaded the stage, punctuated only by what look like Lucite cubes and some props.
I was struck how the opening (and title) song gave me the sense of (and perhaps this had something to do with watching everyone coming in dressed in black) watching a funereal procession. Even the repetition of Bobby’s name seemed to me to be sung with a somewhat eerie, spooky quality—as if a statement on the part of the couples, and the others who cross Bobby’s path on this journey, that they are about to show him the dark side of life.
Bobby seems very much the observer, who is looking to learn about the mysteries of life and of relationships. And the assortment of friends and their situations would seem to make anyone run from the idea of making a lifetime commitment.
However, though his friends certainly show Bobby many pitfalls and some of the uglier sides of married life, Bobby is also shown the flip side, the more positive side, of marriage, especially in the song “Sorry-Grateful.” And while his friends clearly show Bobby the darker sides of married life, they are also the same people who genuinely worry about him being alone, and cheer him on as he begins to open up to the possibility that he really does want to have a commitment relationship, evoked so well in the song “Poor Baby,” and at the end, just before Bobby sings “Being Alive.”
I would imagine that Bobby’s was in touch with feelings of loneliness, isolation and the futility of his many short term relationships, which contributed to his awakening feelings of wanting, perhaps even longing for, a little, for someone with whom he can share his life. It felt like Bobby begins to see the emptiness and perhaps even meaninglessness of his dating relationships, a few of which are played out in the show. For example, why play into mutual seduction as in his rela |
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“OH WHAT A NIGHT:” HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY: SOME REFLECTIONS ON STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S “COMPANY” PART 2 Review by: Beth M., Dec 11, 2007 |
“Company” also struck me as evoking a sense of the anonymity of life---except for April, the airline stewardess. I don’t believe one learns anything about the daily lives and occupations of the people here. We seem to know their inner emotions, as best as they can express them, but nothing more. No other musical comes quickly to mind with this phenomenon, which enhances the sense of loneliness and lack of connection.
The song ... read more “Another Hundred People” really underscored the difficulties of genuinely connecting with other people, and the emptiness of relationships in the big city. The greenish light along the back wall seemed very effective as a backdrop. This color evoked the kind of coloring and lighting of the work of Toulouse-Lautrec, rather cabaret style, with its message of the acute loneliness that so often pervade one’s life.
The scene that immediately follows depicts Amy going though a panic attack of great magnitude on the richer scale of panic attacks, with the amazing song “Getting Married Today”. Her falling to the floor as she expresses her sense of impending doom if she goes through with her wedding, seems to go to the core of her genuine, almost primal, fear, which appears way beyond the “normal jitters” that many brides experience on their wedding day. Though she does eventually get in touch with her excitement about getting married, most of this vignette involves the fear.
The end of the first act was a thrilling to me, with Bobby singing “Marry Me A Little,” which appears to be the beginnings of his awakening to the possibility of married life. “Marry Me a Little” comes right after Bobby’s witnessing of Amy’s nearly falling apart, but also her working through of her fears, and then becoming in touch with her excitement about marrying a wonderful man. And just before this was “Another Hundred People,” with its anguishing message of loneliness and emptiness of life.
When Amy still appears to have decided not to go through with her wedding, Bobby suddenly, and with perhaps a sense of a desperate impulsiveness (though it sounds as though, on some level, he really means it) asks Amy to marry him—and says something to the effect that “this way they (I assume he is referring to his friends) will leave both of us alone”. This leads very well into Bobby’s first act closing, “Marry Me A Little,” sharing, even if tentatively, a developing comfort with the idea of making a commitment.
Except for moments like this one, Bobby doesn’t seem to connect on a deep emotional level with his friends or with his girlfriends. He is almost always aloof and projects a sense of inability or unwillingness to generally connect with his life. However, true emotion breaks through several other times, especially in the magnificent songs “Someone Is Waiting,” “Marry Me A Little,” and of course, “Being Alive.” Each of these songs would seem to reflect stages of Bobby’s journey to opening up to the true meaning of marriage: company, and all that this implies.
“Company” was an extraordinary landmark musical in its time. The sense of moving in and out of time and space, the non-traditional, non-linear, non-narrative approach was quite new, and paved the way for “Follies” the following year and many other shows, including “A Chorus Line.” “Company” is presented as a series of very powerful vignettes, each with its own character and autonomy to a large extent, though Bobby moves in and out of these vignettes, which seem related because of his presence.
At times it seems difficult to pin point when and where events are taking place in time. For example, we learn at the beginning that the main event is Bobby’s “surprise” 35th birthday party, but the events seem to take place in a series of unconnected experiences, without a specific feeling of place and of time.
“Company” has a surreal quality about it. And the ending opens up a major question, which is when, or wheth |
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Ehh...I wanted to like this show but was bored out of my wits Review by: newyork10r, Jun 12, 2007 |
Given the accolades I had read in the Broadway press, I expected more out of this show, but in the end, left feeling like the production was for Broadway insiders and critics.
John Doyle's production left me feeling disconnected from the storyline and its characters. Yes, it's a novel idea to have your actors sing, dance, act and play the musical instruments. But in doing so, I could never engage in the emotion of the story - I ... read more kept getting distracted by the fact that the character was stopping to play an instrument.
The source material left me feeling very cold as well - I'm curious to see if I just didn't like the source material or if this particular production was just uninteresting. But only one of the musical numbers stuck with me - Being Alive. Actually wait, that incessant "Bobby" chorus stuck with me too, but not in a good way.
I wanted to like this show, but the aha! moment never came. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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Excruciatingly Dull Review by: nygal, May 21, 2007 |
Dull, Dull, Dull
The whole mezzanine was empty. That should have been a clue. There were 2 good songs very well sang by the lead Character of Bobby. But otherwise it was so dull and boring. I couldnt wait till the end. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Total Snoozefest Review by: TheaterFan, May 20, 2007 |
| I've attended over 100 Broadway productions over the past 20 years, and can honestly say that this one is in the bottom 3 of all time. The musical score is dated and overly repetitive (I hope I never hear the name "Bob-by" again). The set was nicely done, and I give the actors credit for accomplishing the difficult task of acting, singing and playing instruments at the same time... but even that couldn't save the horrible staging of this show. ... read more Many shows will use pauses of silence to emphasize key dramatic moments - this show uses them every 5 minutes to the point where it becomes annoying. This is the first time that I came very close to falling asleep in a Broadway theater. NO energy whatsoever. I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone who enjoys upbeat, entertaining theater. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Don't bother Review by: bored, May 19, 2007 |
| I had gone with high expectations because Company had received several Tony nominations. The characters were not simpatico-and the married ones were annoyingly whiny and loud. There are better ways to spend the evening! |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 7 |
A Great Night Out Review by: BatteryJim, May 15, 2007 |
Perhaps my favorite Sondheim show, Company has an outstanding score and clever book. This production is very unique and well-acted. The uniqueness, though, sometimes gets in the way.
This production, like the recent Sweeney Todd revival, has all the characters also play musical instruments. Overall is works, but sometimes a bit clumsy.
Raul Esparza is terrific as Bobby as are the rest of the cast. Highly recommended |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Tourists
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Raul and Barbara - Bravo Review by: Joe M, Apr 30, 2007 |
| Raul Esparza is a terrific BOBBY. ...and the landmark role of Joanne played in 1970 by Elaine Stritch is handled very well by Barbara Walsh....I love the score....Raul's "Being Alive" is the definite rendition. Bravo! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 9 |
pleasantly surprised Review by: Pearly, Apr 30, 2007 |
| saw company and loved it. You kind of have to go and watch it thinking about the talent rather than analyzing the story line or staging. The music is great and the singing and directing terrific |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
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| 10 |
Incredable Talents! Review by: Sunshine, Apr 12, 2007 |
What can I say! An amazing concept fantastically executed! The pure talent of those actors/musicians/singers was outstanding and I aplaud them all.
Special mentions have to go to the spell-binding Raul Esparza who captures everything Bobby should be and who has the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the show. I also have to mention Barbara Walsh who gives the audience a masterclass in how to deliver a song and shine in a company ... read more full of talent. Surely there will be Tony noms for both actors!
Highly recomended for any would be Musical theatre performers/directors as a lesson in how it should be done! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Review by: Larry from Dallas, Apr 9, 2007 |
| I saw yesterday's matinee and LOVED it. Kudos to the entire cast of fresh faces and veterans. I loved Barbara Walsh in Falsettos and she is fabulous as well as Joanne. She makes The Ladies Who Lunch her own which is no easy trick. Not Getting Married had me laughing out loud. And the scenes between April and Bobby are amazing poignant. Finally, Raul Esparza brings an emotional depth to Being Alive that brought tears to my eyes. Please do ... read more yourself a favor and go see the show. John Doyle has given Broadway a one-two punch with Sweeney Todd and now Company. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Tourists
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Wonderful, intense, theater experience Review by: WL, Mar 22, 2007 |
| WOW!! I've seen other productions of "Company", but this pared down piece is remarkable. GO SEE IT! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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A Musical with Substance Review by: Scotty B, Mar 15, 2007 |
| To be honest, I feel like currently on Broadway this is one of the only shows with substance. This show is witty, funny, truthful, touching, eye-opening. If it were on TV it would be on the Bravo Channel. And Barabara Walsh, although not Elaine Stritch, leaves you in high demand after the end of "The Ladies Who Lunch" although the energy you have after that song is not relieved until the end of "Being Alive" - the directors did a very powerful ... read more thing not allowing the audience to clap after the big 11 o clock number. This show appeals to people who know how to be honest with themselves. It places everyone on a human level, not guarded by soceity's rules. And as for the actors playing the instruments... I hardly noticed, and I applaud them for not only being actors and singers, but also musicians. I thought the show flowed beautifully, and the brilliant pyramid used downstage brought your attention everytime to where the director wanted it to be. This show means something and we're lucky to learn from it. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Adults
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You're in VERY BAD COMPANY... Review by: brodwayfan, Mar 14, 2007 |
I went to this musical with much trepidation since I read online how mixed the reviews were and I had bought the ticket. I now wished I had never bought it. It's probably the worst Broadway musical I've seen in some time. You couldn't feel what the main character, Robert, is going through because of the distraction of having actors parading like circus animals playing instruments.
As I looked around the theatre, people are either ... read more dosing off or having disdain looks on their faces. When the show was over, only a handful of die-hard Sondheim fans were actually applauding. Don't get me wrong, I like Sondheim, but the musical really butchered it. Only the last rendition by Raul Esparza was worth listening to. But it comes too late in the show. The worst crooning I've ever heard was by Barbara Walsh "The Ladies Who Lunch". All I can say is bring ear plugs when she sings. So do yourself and love ones a favor and skip this show. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Recommended for:
Seniors
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| 15 |
Find Better Company! Review by: AuntieF, Mar 6, 2007 |
| If someone gives you the tickets, go! Otherwise, save your money and go into the city to see something that is not annoying or very dated! A musical needs an orchestra, not a bunch of actors that look like a moving company repositioning a musical troupe by pushing around their instruments. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Tourists
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