Broadway in Chicago presents COMPANY.
Bobbie is turning 35. The milestone birthday has her questioning her life decisions. Her friends are married and having kids. Her old boyfriends are too! Bobbie looks back at her past relationships and her friends’ relationships for indicators of happily-ever-afters. She scrutinizes dating, marriage and divorce. And she does it in the company of her well-intentioned, overly-involved, married friends.
The original creative team of Stephen Sondheim (music, lyrics), George Furth (book) and Hal Prince (director) debuted COMPANY in 1970. Their show received a record-breaking 14 Tony nominations, winning 6 awards. In this touring production, Director Marianne Elliott masterfully gives the musical comedy a contemporary makeover. Instead of an amicable 35-year old bachelor in the 1970s, Bobbie now is a single woman in 2023. And in another casting change-up, the engaged couple heading to the altar are two men.
This show is a series of relational snippets. Elliott’s ensemble perfectly portray the best and the worst of couple hood. The sleek set (Scenic and Costume Designer Bunny Christie) introduces an effervescent Britney Coleman (Bobbie) in an apartment framed by neon light. The cubicle feels smalls on the darkened stage and turns cramped with all her friends present. As Bobbie’s relationship reflection goes from condo to terrace to stoop to bar, Christie’s dynamic modular set seamlessly moves in and out to create distinct locales. The letters C-O-M-P-A-N-Y become a feature and furniture in the NYC musings. Christie’s costumes also often fill the minimalist scenes with plenty of distinct personality.
COMPANY is about the company Bobbie keeps. And this COMPANY gets it right on so many levels. The delightful Coleman is surrounded by her quirky friends bringing the advice and the humor. Although the show is peppered with snark and song, a few scenes standout. Kathryn Allison (Sarah) and James Earl Jones II (Harry) are hysterical! The couple is -literally- fighting it out over bourbon and brownie deprivation. Their physicality and comedic timing is pure gold.
Later, Matt Rodin (Jamie) will bring down the house in his flawlessly executed pitter-patter song, “Getting Married Today.” Rodin is over-the-top fabulous in his cold feet meltdown. One of COMPANY’s signature highlights is “The Ladies Who Lunch.” And the diva-licious Judy McLane (Joanne) crushes the sharp-witted drinking song. McLane’s elegant presence and booze-soaked spirits create a formidable force.
Coleman, herself, is also impressive. Continuously onstage, a tireless Coleman goes from couple to couple as the insider/outsider. She is their friend. She’s not a couple. Coleman sips bourbon, smokes weed and gets it on. And she does it as a chorus of her thoughts and her friends express concern over her marital status. Coleman eventually breaks out of her friends’ grasp with a beautiful and hopeful rendition of “Being Alive.”
The seemingly minor casting shift to a female lead actually provides plenty of contemplative angst for THIS single woman in 2023. It’s daunting to imagine fifty years after this show’s debut, is there still a societal pressure for women to be married and have babies? And is ’turning 35’ that dramatic of a milestone? The show continually has the ensemble saying, singing and echoing ‘Bobbie.’ I kept imagining the phrase ‘Hi, Bobbie!’ like ‘Hi, Barbie!’ in this year’s feminism blockbuster.
COMPANY is an evening of fun partying mingled with relational reality! It’s like being ‘the single one’ in a group of married friends… if your friends can sing and tell jokes.
Running Time: Two hours and fifty minutes includes an intermission
At Cadillac Palace, 151 W. Randolph
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Originally produced and directed by Hal Prince
Music supervision by Joel Fram
Choreography by Liam Steel
Performances are:
Wednesday, Saturdays, Sundays at 2pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Thru November 12th
For more information or tickets
Production photos by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
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