COMPANY Screenings Are Extremely Limited — Page 5

Saw it tonight with 36 people (more than when I saw Memphis) and I loved it! It was better than I ever expected it to be. I enjoyed everyone especially Christina Hendricks who I was totally unfamiliar with since I don't watch Mad Men, Katie Finneran and NPH who choked me up with his Being Alive. Loved the Tick Tock Dance and Chryssie Whitehead's dancing was spectacular. Liked it so much that I think I'm going to see it again on Sunday and then pray that it comes out on DVD.

Updated On: 6/17/11 at 02:08 AM

Haybe, thanks for letting me know that but there's only one other showing here (Sunday at noon) and I can't make it. One of the other people got the web address of the company sponsoring it and said to write them and see what happens. In total, I probably only missed between five and ten minutes when all is said and done, but when you're paying $18, you don't expect stuff like this. Or an hour to sort out the problems and make a decision about what to do.

I'm a fan of the Doyle version...Esparza had me in tears with his "Being Alive," Harris didn't...but I really enjoyed this. I though the Bobby/April scene slowed the show to a crawl (despite Hendricks) but as I said previously, the cast (especially the women) was pretty awesome.

Updated On: 6/17/11 at 07:03 AM

Thursday evening in Central Illinois. 18$ ticket. 50 people or so.
I felt like I got my show back as the Doyle version really soured me with how flat and serious it felt. This one had more joy - a Bobby who really was struggling with his feelings. He works his way up to Being Alive. And the show was hilarious - I'd forgotten how funny the show can be.
There were some sound issues - particularly during Tick Tock - but it was great to see that dance! There were moments where you could hear the actor twice - into the mike and then back from the amplified voice out in the theatre. So, there were some sound mixing issues that maybe a DVD will fix.
I loved the staging - although you lost the idea that these people were all neighbors in the same building which the original set conveyed.
My daughter has been doing April's monolog for auditions so it was great for her to see it in context.

We saw it last night in Canton, GA, north of Atlanta. Sad to say that we were the only two in the theater when the show started. Three others came in after it started. Eventhough there weren't many of us, it seemed that everyone enjoyed the performance. No applause, but everyone laughed or groaned at the appropriate moments.

I thought it was a very good concert. While I was familiar with most of the music, it was the first time I'd seen the piece as a whole. I really enjoyed it, too.

NPH's Bobby was very likable. Other standouts to me were Katie Finneran and her crazy Amy, and Christine Hendricks. Thought it was fun to see Stephen Colbert in such a different environment. He wasn't too bad, either. I've always loved Martha Plimpton, so whether anyone else liked her, I did.

Patti, in case no one noticed, seemed to get the biggest ovation of any of the cast from the audience at the Phil after Ladies that Lunch. I think that was the best I have ever heard her sing it -- way better than at any of her concerts.

Anyway, I so hope this comes on DVD as I won't be able to make it to a second screening. It's a two hour drive from my house to a theater that is showing it. Just glad that for a little while last night, Broadway didn't seem quite so far away. If a Broadway show is just a train ride away for you, be thankful.

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Not to quibble but I don't think you were ever supposed to feel the couples were all neighbors living in a single building. Perhaps you got that impression from the original set, but the couples only link is that they are friends with Bobby- that's why there are introductions in the "surprise party" scenes.

I live far from New York City, at the intersection of disappointment and joy. For every lackluster tour of a Broadway hit (Curtains), there are moments of greatness when everything just works (In the Heights). Our regional theater scene thrives with a rich and varied selection of high-quality choices, but nothing erases that nagging question of whether our productions rival what Broadway audiences enjoy.

So when we have the opportunity to see filmed versions of Broadway events, we know that we are sharing one experience with theater-lovers everywhere. Our collective experience makes us feel like some of the cool kids, at least for a couple of hours.

The Company experience was one such pocket of joy.

Sure there were missteps. The sound balance skews in favor of the magnificent orchestra; even Patti Lupone sounds at times as if she singing from another room. I would have preferred a more powerful rendition of Another Hundred People from the usually reliable Anika Noni Rose. And I got a little bored during the Tick Tock number; I suppose I missed the point. (Can someone please explain the sex/love-making transition that others wrote about on this thread?)

But these are mere quibbles. I thought the performances were uniformly excellent. The actors responsible for the supporting roles brought with them a level of nuance I've missed in other productions. I'm not going to single anyone out in fairness to the others (Ok - Christina Hendricks was luminous). And Neil Patrick Harris truly defined "star" . . . he never appeared to act or pander to the audience, he both owned and generously shared the spotlight, and he actually made me care for a character I'd written off years ago.

I'm not delusional; I know I wasn't sitting in Lincoln Center. But 12 hours later I'm still remembering, still analyzing, still working out plot details and filling in the gaps, still laughing, and suspect I'll still be doing so tomorrow and many tomorrows after that.

And that's what it's all about, isn't it?

That's what it's really about. Isn't it? That's what it's really about.

Even if the original set gave the impression they were all in the building, I think it helps to remember that it's a concept musical - THE concept musical, if you will.

You know, as much as I hate the whole "homosexual experience" scene, I found it surprisingly uncreepy this time around.

Lonny Price answered, "Right" to "Will there be a Blu-Ray?" Hope that means yes; I think it does.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-EXCLUSIVE-Lonny-Price-On-Sondheim-COMPANY-20110617_page2

Yep, Kad and Addy, that's exactly what I thought, too.

Rumpelstiltskin, I share all your thoughts about how, oddly, exciting it is to see a show on screen when people are talking about it.

Re the sex/making love bit in Tick Tock--in the original choreography (which can be found from the 20th anniversary performance in part on youtube) there's a clear distinction between the exciting sex part and the more romantic second part.