I recently had the pleasure of attending John Doyle's new revival of the George Furth/Stephen Sondhdeim classic COMPANY. While, I had my problems with Doyle's SWEENEY, finding the actor-musician concept distracting to the storytelling, given that COMPANY is a non-linear, non-narrative conceptual piece, the actor-musician concept worked much better for me here than it did for SWEENEY.
I've seen about 4 other productions of COMPANY, and for once Bobby isn't a cipher standing by while all these other more interesting people (and couples) take center stage. Here Doyle -- by frequently keeping Bobby downstage and spotlighted as he reacts to the others, eliminating the applause breaks for most of the numbers and re-inserting the cut song "Marry Me A Little" to close Act I -- really makes this Bobby's story and effectively turns the show into a psychological rumination on the nature of commitment and marriage. It's as if the whole story is taking place in Bobby's head and we see him envying the others in relationships, even when they fail and they become disenchanted with their partners.
In this production, Doyle emphasizes the loneliness and isolation of single life and we see that Bobby desperately wants to be married and the crux of the show is his frustration in finding a suitable partner. The show here, takes a much more "pro-marriage" stance -- for the sake of "company" if nothing else -- than it has in most previous incarnations.
In addition, the reduced orchestrations -- the sound is noticeably wanting for brass and percussion and instead emphasizes woodwinds, strings and reeds -- give the score a much less punchy and propulsive sense than usual, and more of a plaintive, somber and melancholy feel. It's less "Broadway" and more of a ruminative, almost poetic chamber music sound that aptly suits this take on the core material.
Doyle's staging displays several moments of clever invention, notably in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" where Kathy, April and Marta each use alto saxophones as humorous counterpoint. In "Side By Side" he ups the ante of the typical ensemble choreography by briefly turning the entire company into a pseudo marching band -- tuba and bass (on wheels) included. The simpler, quieter moments are also often effective, usually featuring a single performer at, on or beside the grand piano which situated center stage.
The ensemble is often assembled on raised clear plastic boxes upstage and Doyle has them function as a sort of Greek chorus, voyeuristically observing the action taking place downstage and when they're not commenting verbally or musically, they seem to exude a kind of judgmental quality in the way they examine and eavesdrop on Bobby's life. It's an interesting directorial choice that adds an element of much needed tension to the proceedings. While the show is engaging much of the time, it could stand a bit of tightening here and there and more urgency in some of the more listless moments.
Esparza is often remarkable -- always a dynamic performer, he plays Bobby as a subdued, heart-on-the sleeve Hamlet whose emotions are often restrained and kept below the vest whenever in the company of others, only to burst expressively to the surface in the moments he's alone on stage. He delivers a "Someone Is Waiting" of heartbreaking simplicity and a "Being Alive" that is well-considered, raw, spontaneous and personal -- it's breathtaking.
The rest of the company functions amiably as a well-integrated ensemble, all making suitable impressions, but in this production, none seem more than snapshots in Bobby's mind. Barbara Walsh is a properly wry and acidic as Joanne infusing "The Ladies Who Lunch" with a palpable bitterness. Jane Pfitsch is palpably frenzied and frantic as Amy. And Angel Desai's Marta and Elizabeth Stanley's April also make strong impressions.
While Thomas Chase's lighting design does an effective job of focusing the proceedings, David Gallo's minimalist set is a bit too antiseptic and cold (the overhead panels of light make it look like an operating room), and Ann Hould-Ward's black formal costumes have too much of staged concert effect along with an almost funerary feel.
While Doyle's production feels a bit static and chilly at times, the still galvanic Sondheim score and often impassioned performance by Esparza humanizes the piece and makes for a very rewarding experience.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Margo, Margo, Margo. I am so thrilled (and frankly, relieved) that you liked it; I expected you not to, knowing how you felt about Sweeney, so I'm also really glad that you seem to have gone in open when people seem to find that very hard to do.
Thank you for posting this; we all know how much notoriety your opinion is given around here, so this is a great piece of word of mouth. Nobody's going to listen to me anymore, since I've become a lovesick puppy over the whole show, so it makes me happy that you, as our voice of reason, enjoyed it as much as you did.
...What happened next, was stranger still, a woman breathless and afraid, appeared out of the night, completely dressed in white. She had a secret she would tell, of one who had mistreated her. Her face and frightened gaze, my mind cannot erase...But then she ran from view. She looked so much like you...
nice, very classy. I really wish we had thrust stages on Broadway. It seems Doyle really likes that kind of design. I wonder why he didn't design the sets for this production as well?
Lovely review. I have been seeing less and less shows due to lack of income and time. I was debating which new shows to see. Reviews on here really don't sway me either way, but from everything I hear I must get myself over to the Barrymore ASAP.
I want to write music. I want to sit down right now at my piano and write a song that people will listen to and remember and do the same thing every morning...for the rest of my life. - Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick...BOOM!
Margo should write for a magazine or a newspaper (if he doesn't already). His reviews are so great to read. He always gives a great overview of every aspect of a production he's reviewing. I love reading his reviews. This production sounds good.
Seeing as you have seen this show in 4 other incarnations, how have each handled the time of the piece respectively?
The score has a very 70s feel (to me at least) and I was wondering if all productions are set in "current-day" or if any are set in the 70s. I've only seen the show mounted once, at Pace this Fall, and it seemed to be set in the present.
I love America. Just because I think gay dudes should be allowed to adopt kids and we should all have hybrid cars doesn't mean I don't love America.
[turns and winks directly into the camera]
- Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) on 30 Rock
Here's a link to the thread that contained my review of the first SWEENEY preview (as well as a terrific discussion of Doyle and his use of the actor/musician concept). It also includes my brief updated impressions of the show after seeing it again during one of the last critics' previews:
Most of the previous COMPANY productions I've seen have more or less been variations on the original Prince staging and kept the show set in the 70s (using either the original Tunick orchestrations or a close approximation of them, so even if the show was set in the "present day" it still SOUNDED like a 70s show). Most changes were relatively superficial ones (though the Donmar production from the mid 90s had a noticeably darker feel to it). This Doyle production is the first that I've seen that radically re-thinks the material.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney