COMPANY Screenings Are Extremely Limited- Page 8

Posted: 6/21/11 at 6:42pm

i kinda liked that David came off as the one truly unpleasant husband--I've always read him that way...

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/21/11 at 6:50pm

It was a really nice "film" or document of the concert...glad it was a gift and I didn't have to actually shell out $$$ for it. Definitely not something anyone really HAS to see on a big screen. It could definitely wait until it's released on DVD or even blu-ray for that matter. Not that big of a deal to rush out and go see in a movie theater right now.
Updated On: 6/21/11 at 06:50 PM

Posted: 6/21/11 at 7:01pm

I get what you mean, but still disagree--for me the experience of seeing it in a movie theatre was a part of the fun (of course I admit I have a rather ****ty home entertainment system). If there were Broadway events like this in movie theatres much more often, I'd prob be pretty careful about what I would pic and choose to see, but...

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/21/11 at 7:06pm

Well, for those who have a sh!tty-@ss home theater system (e.g.: still own a 13" tube tv and a VHS or DVD player) please do yourself a favor and go see it in a theater now. If you own a 40" or bigger HDTV and a kick ass blu ray home entertainment system do yourself a favor and save your pocket change and wait for a blu-ray release....
Updated On: 6/21/11 at 07:06 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/21/11 at 7:47pm

It's definitely not something that "has" to be witnessed on the big screen, no. I hardly ever go to the movies because it's so ungodly expensive and this was even more, but to me there's something about seeing a piece you love that much on the big screen -- and I think that's kind of once in a lifetime. Like how special it was to go to the movies when Sweeney Todd opened and see "Stephen Sondheim" on a f*cking movie screen for the first time. That was special. So was this. It was so surreal, and while I would never go out of my way to pick a movie over a live performance, I think that feeling made up for the fact that it wasn't live.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/21/11 at 7:56pm

Yes, I can see what you are seeing luvtheemcee...it was definitely one of those events that doesn't come around often...Hey, when all is said and done it IS SONDHEIM and it is COMPANY....so ENJOY.

I did love the performances. It was all very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Posted: 6/21/11 at 9:19pm

luvTheEmcee, that's exactly how I felt. And I admit ti was kinda a cool surprise (I guess I should have more faith in my city which does have a decent arts community) that so many people came to the showing, and really seemed to get into it. (Similarly it was kinda exciting when Sweeney Todd came out that the movie, due of course more to Burtona nd Depp, was something on nearly all my freinds' radar and did well, even if I do have some major issues with that movie...)

Oh and I don't have a 13" tube tv, although I do gt mocked by everyone I know for still recording tv shows on VHS--but I definitely do need to upgrade my whole system... When I'm rich. Updated On: 6/21/11 at 09:19 PM

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 12:05am

Plus, at our packed screening (at the Grove in LA), every song's last note was greeted with a round of enthusiastic applause, every joke was met with a huge laugh, and the final chords were met with a standing ovation. The show was nearly as communal an experience as seeing the live concert in a concert hall would have been. That's a warm hug you can never duplicate watching the dvd (blu-ray or otherwise) on your fancy home theater screen.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 12:07am

*like*

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 12:23am

Finally saw it tonight. LOVED IT!! For me, it was a near perfect COMPANY. And I really liked the subtlety of the 70s feel. I agree that the show will always be grounded in its time period, but this production made the show seem so relevant and universal. I guess that's why COMPANY is a masterpiece.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 1:23am

Saw the film today, didn't really love it. Much preferred the Donmar cast (of which I saw a thrilling reunion concert earlier this year), though I guess I enjoyed this ensemble more then Doyle's revival. I was disappointed in Neil Patrick Harris's delivery of his songs in the first act. I thought they needed more urgency, uneasiness, doubt, ambiguity, etc. The acting was all around top notch and the book scenes definitely came off the best with a special shout out to Jennifer Laura Thompson and John Cryer who were both exceptional! I thought Patti LuPone gave the best performance and I guess Katie Finneran being a close second.

I have to say that I am shocked to hear everybody's unflattering opinions of Anika Noni Rose's "Another Hundred People." I think she comes the closest to Pamela Myers's original version. The way her voice wrapped around those high notes gave her interpretation great vulnerability. I just don't recall any other actress in that role being able to sing it the way Pamela Myers did, but I think Anika came the closest.
Updated On: 6/22/11 at 01:23 AM

Posted: 6/22/11 at 1:45am

Interesting thoughts... I'm not really sure if I think Bobby's earlier songs should sound that urgent--he really more or less seems happy being single till later on... (Which is why I have a love/hate relationship with putting Marry Me a Little back in, and to end Act I--I think in a way it gives too much away, though it does make sense coming up after the Amy scene).

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 6:55am

"The show was nearly as communal an experience as seeing the live concert in a concert hall would have been. That's a warm hug you can never duplicate watching the dvd (blu-ray or otherwise) on your fancy home theater screen."


Depends a whole lot on the size and responsiveness of your movie theatre audience, too. Many people here have seen it with 3 people in the audience, as they are reporting. I have more people than that, watching my "big fancy home theatre screen."

Updated On: 6/22/11 at 06:55 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 11:19am

Looks like it's been extended to run for additional dates. That's a great sign for future productions.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/152057-Film-of-Company-With-Neil-Patrick-Harris-and-Patti-LuPone-Extends-Limited-Run-in-Cinemas

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 11:21am

I'm really curious about how much money they made. I know a lot of you said you were at sold-out or nearly sold-out shows (I...was not), so I would imagine they did pretty well.

[pwb]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 3:13pm

Thanks Jewishboy. I hadn't known there was a reunion concert of the Donmar 'Company' last year (10 Nov) in London. The BBC broadcast of the 1st run in '96 was very influential for me (and my choice as best cast and 'filmed' production). <...Ah, maybe it's 'the 1st time' that's always the best!> Please share more details on this concert if any tidbits come to mind.
Cheers,

[Barcelona]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 5:19pm

Ooh, this extension is going to be horrible for my wallet

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 5:25pm

Ooh, this extension is going to be horrible for my wallet

Mine too; I'm going for a 3rd time tomorrow night :)

[jewishboy]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 5:32pm

pwb, I was introduced to the Donmar cast through the video recording and loved everybody's acting and interpretations. I thought that Adrian Lester sounded too shrill at some points, but he was still very good. The biggest revelation was Sophie Thompson as Amy in the scene after "Not Getting Married Today." At the reunion concert, Adrian Lester was in incredible voice and his "Being Alive" was the best I've ever heard, or seen. Sophie Thompson was great as usual and Clive Rowe and Rebecca Front were both excellent as Harry and Sarah. But, back to Lester, his Bobby was similar to Harris's with respect to how friendly and genuinely in love with his friends he was. However, I think he revealed more of Bobby's insecurity, which added a lot.

[Barcelona]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 5:48pm

Hmm...it's only showing for one night (tomorrow) in one theater in my area. Not much of an extension if you ask me

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 5:50pm

There's one tonight and one Sunday in my area. Honestly, though, that's probably more than enough to meet the demand.

[logan0215]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 7:08pm

Some of the inflections she used made me think that Martha Plimpton could most certainly play Carol Channing in a biopic. Anybody? Anybody?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 6/22/11 at 7:49pm

EricMontreal22: 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.

Eric - Thanks for your thoughts. I look forward to spending another night together with you separately some time in the future. I also appreciate your comments on the Tick Tock dance. I understand now that it's often omitted, probably explaining why I had either forgotten about it entirely or never knew about it in the first place.

With all those copulating couples, I half expected declarations of love, post-coital disappointments, and then learning from Collins that Angel had died.

Seriously, I did try to learn a little more and the folks at Google sent me right back where I started. Some interesting insights:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=920410


Updated On: 6/23/11 at 07:49 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/23/11 at 2:09pm

Musically, it was a mixed bag, but dramatically it made - to me - a surprisingly strong case for this being, beyond the superlative score, a truly brilliant and not at all dated show. The scenes were all beautifully played and there was a clarity to the work that amazed me. Lupone played her seduction scene brilliantly as a challenge to Robert to be open to love, as if she never expected to score with him adn knew exactly what she was doing and the power she had to pull it off. Robert's "But who will I take care of?" became her triumph, not here defeat. This resonantly paralleled Amy's resisting Robert's proposal, similarly finding in it the certainty that she belonged with Paul and was ready to marry him after all. I liked everyone in the cast, especially Lupone, Finneran, and Plimpton. Hendricks and Colbert were delightful.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/23/11 at 2:36pm

i kinda liked that David came off as the one truly unpleasant husband--I've always read him that way...

I remember reading a review of a prodcution a while back and, while I can't remember the production or the source, it gave the impression that there was an edge to the David and Jenny scenes, perhaps making the implication that he was abusive to her. Does anyone ever remember reading something like that? It referred to some kind of movement David made, I think, and the way Jenny flinched in response to it.

I guess I just never payed much attention before, but Jenny's last line to Robert at the scene jumped out at me when I went to see this last week. "I don't know. Maybe you're right. Whoever knows?" Is that a response to Robert's earlier, "You're the girl I should have married"?