BreakOUT News
Early Buzz: Stephen Sondheim's Company
November 22, 2006
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We got a chance to see a preview of the new Broadway revival of George Furth and Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company last night. Our verdict? It was actually incredible.
Quick rundown on the show: this is the Sondheim musical about people in New York, who are in various states of couple-dom. The songs include “Being Alive,” “Here’s To the Ladies Who Lunch,” “Barcelona.” You’d know them if you heard them. George Furth wrote the book. And it’s filled with serious wit.
We’re still humming!
The highlight of the show was Heather Laws’ “Amy” who brought the house down with her locomotive-on-Ritalin version of “Not Getting Married.” Her lips alone had enough energy to light up all 5 boroughs of New York City!
There’s been this trend on the Broadway stage lately. Where the actors sing, dance, and also – play all the instruments. It’s the same trick they used in Sweeney Todd last season and Cabaret many seasons back. Frankly, that’s the one part of this production we could do without. It’s distracting, and some of the other parts would have been better with different actors. But you can’t always get a Barrymore when they have to also play a bugle.
Putting that little pet peeve aside, we still think the show was terrific. It even has some new “gay” material that was cut from the original New York production. Originally, those bits were shown only in London. The show opens officially next week, so check it out.
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Comments
Westenera wrote:
Bobby is not supposed to be gay. Sondheim has said so in several interviews, FYI. He just has commitment issues.
posted at November 22, 2006 06:42 PM
Adam wrote:
The actors playing their instruments -- which is a John Doyle trademark -- actually works, in my view, even better in Company than it did in the Sweeney revival (as transcendent as that revival was!). The reason for my view is a simple one: in my opinion, Company is about Bobby's inability to connect. Indeeed, until Bobby sits down at the piano at the end of the second act to sing (and play)"Being Alive," he maintains a clear disconnection from his instrument-playing married friends. It is only at the moment that he sings a song longing for connection, warts and all, that his connection to the rest of the cast is complete. Using the instruments to communicate that plot device is incredibly effective and powerful. See this play!
posted at November 23, 2006 12:34 AM
Rodger wrote:
The actors playing instruments SUCKED! ONLY maybe two of the actors in Doyle's production were right for the parts. Amy was good, and maybe one of the guys. Generally the cast was BLAND. The instruments were distracting and the staging was a lame marching band repititon of walking in a square. Yeah, we got the point of Bobby not connecting until he played the piano ... we'd prefer a Bobby that can hit all his notes.
posted at November 28, 2006 09:04 AM
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