COMPANY Screenings Are Extremely Limited- Page 3

Posted: 6/16/11 at 5:17am

I have to say I was much more impressed than I expected to be. A few small quibbles (a few things about the new libretto though they didn't bug me as much as before--I liked that some of it reverted to the old one, I also felt like Ladies Who Lunch should have been a slightly "in limbo" number and not addressed to Bobby and the bar, but to the audience full stop). I've never been a big Harris fan, but he won me over--in some ways I prefered his slightly more traditional take on the role to Raul's, and I prefered Price's staging to anything he's done concert wise before (which may not be saying much). I don't quite get the need for five performers for Tick Tock, but I still loved the number and Chryssie Whitehead is one Hell of a dancer--I appreciated that the number still used a lot of Bennett's trademark moves, though I missed the segue from the "sex" of the first half to the "love making" of the second.

Overall, I hope anyone interested in Company can see this. I actually probably enjoyed it more than the DVD of the Doyle production--but that's largely my hatred for the actor/musician concept. I did love that this used the original orchestrations, even if I'm not sure about the Vocal Minority being mixed and not just a more Bacharachian female group.

Oh and I was impressed--our one Victoria theatre showing, in one of the largest theatres in the cineplex, was a near sell out, even with absolutely no advertising (they didn't even list it in today's paper's movie listings). There was a ton of applause after every song, and a few of the one liners--something I feel a bit silly doing but still made me happy. It's a much more satisfying way to watch something like this then on PBS with pledge breaks, or DVD, and I hope it's enough of a success that we get more. (And as a gay man, can I just say how amazing Hendricks looked in her slip? Wow--and she did a good job with some difficult material... No comment on Neil's extremely hairless body though--except boo)

My mom had seen that this was playing a while back and suggested we go together. She spent a lot of time with me blasting Company's OBCR from my room from the time I was 11 on--so a good twenty years later she said it was thrilling to find how all the songs actually connected. I think she liked it even more than I did.

bwphreak234 - We just had an Intermission credit and then it went into Act II--which annoyed me cuz I usually like to go out and smoke or at least pee during the intermission, but was fine. I noticed one teenaged girl who had been reading in front of me left, and didn't come back.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 7:55am

Wow, the reviews here are much more impressive than I'd ancitipated! Last night I was talking with a friend about the concert and she was asking how NPH is in comparison to Esparza, who we saw together back in '06. She asked if he was Barney Stinson as Bobby. I told her that had been my fear going in and that NPH gives us a Bobby significantly less callous and smarmy than his HIMYM character, but also that, while he's got charm in spades, he's a very safe and non-threatening Bobby, with neither the wound coil of Raul Esparza or the bubbling volcano of Adrian Lester. There's just nothing dangerous about NPH as a performer. And that wasn't so much a criticism of his performance or the production as much as an answer to my friend's question, though personally I feel as Geoffrey Tennant does -- "that the best things happen just before the thread snaps."

I look forward to seeing how this all translates to the big screen. It sounds like people have been having very, uh... "complete-feeling"?... experiences with it, which is just wonderful to hear.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 8:55am

For those who saw the a screening already, do you think this is a good introduction to Company for someone who hasn't seen it? I have a friend asking me about our local screening tomorrow but she's clueless about the show at all.

[GottaHaveAGimmick]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:02am

Saw this in Ft. Lauderdale (one sold out screening, a second was added). NPH was a wonderful Bobby. You could see his inner turmoil grow as he considered all the plusses and minuses of his married friends' lives. Because there was little stage space, the focus really seemed on human relationships (as opposed to human relationships with musical instruments in the Esparza revival).

And that NY Philharmonic orchestra sounded so wonderful. As others have mentioned, Tick Tock was a nice inclusion (but I agree a solo dance would have worked to less distraction).

I loved Patti, but would Joanne have been quite so tipsy as to spill her vodka stinger while singing? Hmmm, don't think so.

Never seen Aaron Lazar before, but wow, what a voice. His scenes with Finneran worked really well.

No intermission given here either. But so glad I go to see it. Tickets were $18.

[jasonf]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:11am

In answer to where I tried to see it - Central New Jersey. Apparently (from what the box office lady told us) there were a LOT of senior citizens there.

A friend in CA was in a theater that they oversold - they managed to snag seats in the back but kicked out a dozen or so people!

Who knew this would be so popular! What does this mean for future productions in the movies, since I seem to remember reading this is a test for how well this format works...

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:30am

"he's a very safe and non-threatening Bobby, with neither the wound coil of Raul Esparza or the bubbling volcano of Adrian Lester. There's just nothing dangerous about NPH as a performer."

I think this is what actually makes this presentation of Company work better than others I've seen. I just don't see Bobby as dangerous...or volcanic...or alcoholic (thanks, John Doyle!). There are also revisions made to this show (Marry Me a Little, 'You ever have a homosexual experience' scene) that I've never liked, but NPH made work. Beautifully. Instead of the gay scene setting up some kind of big gay revelation, it instead pointed to just another distraction Bobby has used to avoid opening himself up. For the first time ever, I believed this Bobby when he says 'Marry me...a little.' And instead of Being Alive being this thunderbolt of unearned self-realization, it was instead a gradual dawning of the desire for something more. Bravo to NPH for getting all of that. It was truly a masterful performance.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:38am

^ Nice post, Robbie.

I wish some of these iconic Broadway roles would stop being pushed over the edge and off a cliff, just to get the "most acting" out of them. Bobby becomes Hamlet, and Mama Rose becomes Medea or Rosita Peron or Martha from Virginia Woolf. It's overwrought, over-thought, and ultimately just plain irritating, even if you get a "wow, that sure was a lot of acting!" moment in the show.

They used to call that approach hamminess.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 11:07am

I'm sure someone here knows this -

The very last moment in the show where Bobby sits on the couch and looks at the empty seat, is that new? The '06 revival ended with Bobby blowing out the candles which I thought was such a powerful moment that this ending lacked. I wasn't sure if the that part of the show was open for interpretation or not. (I went to look in my script when I got home but can't find it anywhere)

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 11:08am

I don't mind the experimentation. And I'd rather watch craft (even if it's visible) than ineptness any day of the week. But NPH's Bobby was completely accessible in a way that made a role that's usually a cipher into something universal. It made me think of the times I was young(er) and single and finding every excuse possible not to be in a relationship. It also spoke very powerfully to me as I find myself unexpectedly single once again. (SPOILER) There's actually a lovely touch at the very end of the concert. All the friends leave the party that Bobby has avoided. Then Bobby comes in and notices a couch for two. He sits, somewhat hesitantly, but then relaxes into being alone on the couch. It was a rather lovely final image. Being Alive can be viewed as someone just catapulting toward's finding a relationship...ANY relationship. But this last image let's you know that, though Bobby has indeed opened himself up, he doesn't HAVE to be in a relationship. It's the fact that he got there emotionally that is the triumph. Not that he found some relationship. The lack of any sort of bombast or undue darkness really let Bobby be us in a way that I have never experienced in Company (alas, I have no idea what the original was like as I wasn't even an itch in my daddy's pants at the time).

[MCfan2]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:08pm

I saw it last night in Fairfax, Va., and unfortunately the screening was something of a mess. At first they had trouble just getting the thing going, and when they did the color was all off and in most shots, half the performers' faces were cut off. We saw the same Revlon mascara commercial something like seven or eight times while they were trying to get it all sorted out (and I'm afraid we got rather vocal about it. If nothing else, it was something of a bonding experience for the audience!). Finally they offered refunds to anyone who wanted to come back another day, and quite a few people left. My friends and I decided to stay, and I'm glad to say they finally did get the problems fixed and the screening went just fine after that.

Except that after intermission, things got messed up again and they had to fast-forward through the entire first half to get to the right spot, and we saw the mascara ad AGAIN. But everything was okay after they got it queued up again.

I must say, though, I don't feel like buying Revlon anytime soon.

[Hest882]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:16pm

Re: intermission. On ours, too, they just flashed the intermission screen and went straight into the 2nd act. Quite the teaser for everyone who was hoping for a break!

As to whether or not this would translate for anyone not familiar with the show--I think it would. "Company" is not like "Sweeney Todd," with a linear storyline, so I don't believe anyone would miss anything from a staged production.

SonofRobbieJ, that's an interesting interpretation. I actually thought Bobby was making room on the couch for an eventual someone to sit next to him. In fact, I'm not sure if I'd want a more ambivalent ending, because it would cut the power of that final song for me.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:19pm

Well...that final image is pretty ambivalent and can clearly mean a lot of different things to a lot of people. I like your interpretation.

As for intermission, there was a full 15 minute one at Chelsea Clearview last night. And the line to the men's room was ENDLESS. You could just smell the gay in the air.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:21pm

What's the talk of it "translating"? I thought it was a fully realized production of the musical. It's not like the horrid SWEENEY TODD revival that played only to fans of the show, alienating and confusing the hell out of every single person who went in not knowing it.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:21pm

Jordan-

In the copy of the libretto I have (from the '96 revival), the ending is actually BOTH things. Bobby sits on the sofa alone, then blows out the candles.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:24pm

Jordan,

I think some people didn't know if it was a fully-realized production...or just the songs and a truncated book.

Personally, I think this production, as staged, could move to Broadway and win Tonys for Harris and Hendricks.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:27pm

Robbie, can I just say that in all my years I have so rarely been as impressed with a performance as I was with Hendricks. I don't EVER want to see another person in that role.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:32pm

I will fully admit to a complete bias towards Christina Hendricks. I think she's is beyond genius on Mad Men playing a role that I think may well be the best (or at least my very favorite) television character OF ALL TIME.

That being said, objectively as possible, the performance was expert. The way she said, 'I'm dumb' had me roaring. And that butterfly speech? A speech that I normally think is INTERMINABLE (as I normally think the baby oil speech is as well)?? It was perfection. The whole April/Bobby sequence (including Poor Baby and Tick Tock) was just stunning. Funny as hell, yes, but also incredibly sexy.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:33pm

I've never even seen MAD MEN but I need to now, just to see more of her. I want her to be in everything from now on. lol

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:37pm

Mad Men is, without question, my favorite television show of all time. And Hendricks and her character (Miss Joan Halloway...couldn't you just DIE at that name??) send me over the edge. Netflix every available season NOW.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:38pm

I did better than that, I went out and bought season 1 this morning.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:40pm

You won't regret it! The show moves slowly and quietly, but it's completely hypnotic!!! And you'll get to see how not dumb and ditzy Christina Hendricks can be! Just brilliant.

And to get back to Company, I thought Sorry/Grateful was particularly lovely. Deeply felt, yet not weighted down or fraught with any undue subtext.

[labwyfan]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:54pm

We saw it at The Grove in Los Angeles. Ticket price bought online: $19. No intermission.

Loved the performances but have to address the quality of the recording. Faces were blurry, sound sort-of one-dimensional. We paid to see it in a theatre thinking or hoping it would be HD or close to it, not just a DVD version on a bigger screen. Felt cheated they did it on the cheap.

They guy sitting next to me (totally sold out theatre, btw), remarked he wished it had been in another, newer theatre but I don't think that was the issue. Did anyone see an HD version somewhere?

[artscallion]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 1:09pm

I saw it in a newer, state of the art theatre. I also thought the sound was flat, using only the front speakers, and lower volume. This annoyed me at first. But my ears adjusted to it after the first song. Then I stopped noticing. Though if it had been in Dolby, or whatever the high end standard for sound is now, I would have noticed and enjoyed the full orchestra more throughout.

Picture was not HD. Though, for all it's technical flaws, the production itself was terrific. I have a new favorite Amy and, finally, a Joanne who shows Stritch for the cheap, one-note comic that she is.

[pwb]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 3:47pm

I too was at the Fairfax, VA showing last evening.

This theatre was about 25 to 33% full. The price was $18 at theatres in the DC area. The American Film Institute was giving a $3 discount to members (but the rush hour traffic to get to AFI Silver Spring + parking is legend). The downtown DC Landmark Theatre showing was sold old for last nite already on Monday. So that left Fairfax. The Fairfax show was a disappointment. It being on DVD seemed a big cheat to me - your could see them pressing the Best Buy Insignia Blue Ray DVD buttons & menus on the huge screen! [Give me my illusions!] So much for the 'theatre experience'. Then (long) commercials, for what we had paid $18 for! Then, the wrong letter box mode selection/set-up cut-off the top and bottom of the screen. [& all the rest already described above.] The theatre staff (under the gun) was great about it. I took a refund & future pass and went into see 'Super 8' in another theatre (which was actually a great summer movie - very funny/scary). I think I'll wait till this 'Company' is on PBS/cable. But what I saw looked good. Neil Patrick Harris is great.

I saw the London Donmar ~1995 version of 'Company' - I have it on VHS and would love to get an (as yet unavailable) NTSC version (since my multisystem TV & VCR have bit the dust). This was a great version. I agree with the comments here about Adrian Lester as Bobby, but even more so. Lester & the whole London cast esp. Amy's 'Getting Married' number and 'Another Hundered People' and 'Barcelona' are all near definitive standouts. I prefer the Donmar version over the recent '98 B'way version. Since the Donmar version is relatively fresh in my mind, I'll now wait to see this version.

Cheers,

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 4:38pm

We were also at the Grove in LA last night. Best take on Company we've ever seen. For once we actually recognized who Bobby was, and were sympathetic to him since he seemed to truly love his crazy married people, not just smirk at them. The scale of NPH's acting was perfectly suited to the camera closeup (something that could NOT be said for a couple of the husbands behind him). He was like a clear breath of fresh air amidst all the angst-ridden marrieds. His choking up during Being Alive was matched by lots of us in the house.

Posters here are right to rave about Christine Hendricks' take on April. She finally made the middle of Act II the highlight of the night rather than a downer waiting to get to Joanne's big moment.

And Patti's Joanne? Well for us that performance was the downer of the night. On a good day she could MAYBE try out for the Real Housewives of New Jersey, but to the manor born? God, no way! She resembled a cross between Callas and Aunt Clara from Bewitched, stuck in a red wig and totally inappropriate Morticia gown of black lace (ugh!) while everyone else wore smart flirty takes on '69 cocktail dresses. Wheres the dry wit? Where's the cool calm hauteur? Smart, tart, dry as a martini is someone else's song but matches Joanne. Sure, sure, she could still sing the hell out of Ladies Who Lunch, but sorry, that's a not a full performance.

Other quibbles? The camera work always seemed to be just a little late in catching the best moments of staging or choreography-- very hard to tell what was going on on the stage at large while we were watching the lead's closeups. A brief glimpse of changing projections on the back wall only whetted our appetites for a fuller use of projections throughout the night. (Or maybe they were there but the photography didn't register with the crappy projection system used at our theater.) And come on, James Noone, wasn't there ANYTHING you could have done to make Geminiani's conductor's podium a little less crappy staring at us upstage center during EVERY STAGE-CENTER SHOT?

Quibbles aside, we loved what Lonny Price and the cast pulled off, and now want to see a FULLY DESIGNED and staged version of this show make it back to Broadway (but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no more concert versions calling themselves fully staged shows.)