Aaron Tveit Company — Page 3

I was there last night and it is a wonderful show. Perfectly casted and Aaron was incredible. His solos were definitely the highlight of the evening. Absolutely loved his version of Being Alive. Super emotional. We were pretty close to the stage so we could see the tears running down his face. If you can make it to see it I highly recommended it and worth the trip.

We were there during the torrential rain too! Thankfully I was parked across the street, but we still got utterly soaked.

Lucky Mom2 said: "drove up to see this last week - was totally worth it. We laughed and cried and the songs have been with us all week. Lauren Marcus was fabulous, a shining star. Aaron Tveit was great, my 2 teens LOVED him. I was really impressed with him after the show - he came outside to sign autographs and take pictures in torrential rains, what a gentleman. Have to mentionMara Davi as April, was perfect. Also a sweetheart to come outside in the pouring rain and chat with fans."

Second time seeing the production, and it has only gotten better since last week. Aaron was sensational; his three solos were exceptional, and "Being Alive" was as good as I've ever heard it (and I've been watching the show since opening night in 1970 with Dean Jones). Well staged, extremely well cast and sung. No, not just "summer stock" as stated above, but really a terrific production. And yes, Steve was there last night, sitting in the last row, as is often his custom in small theatres, so that audience members will watch the show, not watch him watching the show (he told me this years ago when I worked with him, and it is absolutely true). If you can go before it closes next week, go, you will not be disappointed.

wish i were here2 said: "How much were those posters with Aaron Tveit on it? Does anyone know?"

They were $10 each. They were the only real souvenir related to the show. Everything else was related to Barrington Stage.

Saw the matinee on September 4th. The overwhelming pleasure was hearing Aaron Tveit sing a Sondheim. Glorious. I was very happy to be able to see him in person. Worth the 2.5 hour trip from Boston. Though I definitely had been/still am on Team Esparza in the battle of the Bobbys, I thought Aaron was quite good (though, maybe a tad too unassuming for the part). The bigger problem (other than the creaky book) was that with the exception of Mara Davi, who was absolutely terrific (successfully pulling off the most easily caricatured role of ditzy flight attendant) Aaron had no one on his level to play off of and this threw the tenuous balance of this production off considerably. The other men in the cast from were uniformly amateurish. I mean dinner theater bad. Again, even acknowledging that the book is a tough sell for any actor - I still could not believe the cringe inducing line readings. Females did not fare much better Jeanette Bayardelle and Jane Pfitsch were inoffensive -can't say the same about the others. Nora Schell could not hit her notes on Another Hundred People the day I saw the show and risked blowing me out of my front row seat (and not in a good way).

Groovy clothing and bean bags do not a production make (and btw Aaron's clothes were unnecessarily ill-fitting and unflattering except for his underwear in the Barcelona scene-they fit perfectly. A middle aged female heterosexual woman says thank you costume department). IMHO the only way to make Company work in 2017 and beyond is something akin to the sleek 2006 Doyle version. Highlighting the 70's only draws attention to the books flaws. But oh, that wonderful score, it makes you endure all the pitfalls of the show itself.

While searching for something else yesterday, I came across this interview and performance that the BSC "Company" cast did with WAMU prior to last summer's opening

http://wamc.org/post/phone-rings-door-chimes-comes-company-barrington-stage

For those of you saw and enjoyed this production and would like to hear some of the songs again or for others who missed it and are curious, here is what is included in the interview:

3:20 You Could Drive A Person Crazy

9:44 Someone is Waiting

15:26 Another Hundred People

19:03 Barcelona

22:18 Being Alive

As I noted in my previous post after I saw the show, I did not care for Nora Schell's version of "Another Hundred People" and it did not improve for me on my re-hearing. Putting aside the argument in this thread as to whether a full-scale production of "Company" can every really succeed in the present, and ceding that this production had both some of the usual and some distinct problems, I think Aaron did a really wonderful job as Bobby and more than does Sondheim justice. (Apparently, Sondheim thought so too). Though this was recorded while still in rehearsals (and his solos only improved by the time I saw it in early September) these are still really lovely, fairly polished renditions with piano-only accompaniment. I also noted at the time that I thought his only true peer in the show was Mara Davi, so I was really happy that "Barcelona" was captured for posterity and it didn't disappoint me upon re-hearing. This was pure unexpected sunshine during yesterday's East Coast monsoon. Enjoy. Or, as is more likely, have at it--you can't harsh my mellow.