COMPANY To Close On July 31, 2022- Page 4

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:33am

I'm gutted and pissed. 

[inception]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:07am

Last night I looked at maybe getting a ticket to a second performance while I am visiting in July.  The discount codes no longer work on dates I checked, even though only about 10% of seats were sold.

Then I checked the date I already had seats for.  Again only about 10% of seats already sold.

I feel like a chump for paying full price months ago, when the new block of seats were first added, instead of waiting for a code & using it when it was still active.

Although the show may be well known & loved by veteran theatre goers, how do you sell it to a general audience?

A conversation:

"What's it about?"

"This lady is turning 30 & all her friends lecture her about how she should get married."

"Hmmm...maybe tickets to Hamilton aren't really that expensive after all."

 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:16am

Truly devastated by the news, but after seeing the show in January, I wouldn't be surprised it was running at a loss. It's definitely not like the last revival, with a static set and the cast doubling as the orchestra. This was truly a five-star big-budget production, and at least for awhile, it was nice to see producers invest in a big production of a Sondheim show, aside from any number of Into The Woods versions. 

[betyourass]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:37am

Does this mean TOnys Awards don't matter as much as they used to? 

[Det95]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:39am

I'm gutted and heartbroken to see this close so soon. I had tickets to see it for a third time when I'm in the city late August for ITW. This is one of the most perfect productions of anything I have ever seen. It really deserved to run for a lot longer.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:41am

After seeing this production of COMPANY, I raved about it to my neighbor when she invited me over for lunch.  A few weeks later she called to tell me her sister had just seen the show and "couldn't figure out what it was about."

[Lisalemann]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 10:07am

inception said: "

Although the show may be well known & loved by veteran theatre goers, how do you sell it to a general audience?

A conversation:

"What's it about?"

"This lady is turning 30 & all her friends lecture her about how she should get married."

"Hmmm...maybe tickets to Hamilton aren't really that expensive after all."

"Unfortunately I do feel that it is hard to market to the general public.  We saw it the night before the Tony's and it FAR exceeded my expectations.  I wanted to see Patti - but I also had a hard time explaining to my mother and sister what it was about.  I said, "it's about a women turning 35 and all her friends are married and she's feeling the pressure to do the same"...which my mother said sounded depressing :)  I told them - "just trust me" and they raved about it afterwards.  I do think they should have done another number on the Tony's rather than the opening number - which doesn't showcase the better songs from the show.  I think Side by Side by Side or I'm Not Getting Married Today would have sold the show better to people who didn't know that much about it.  Oh and while I get it that the early reviews weren't fantastic - it's still shocking to me that Katrina Lenk didn't get a Tony nomination - she was absolutely incredible in that role.  I really hope they film it for posterity. 

 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 10:12am

betyourass said: "Does this mean TOnys Awards don't matter as much as they used to?"

They've never meant much for musical revivals void of a good Tony performance and Company's was meh at best. The cramped box set did not play well on TV. The only real beneficiary is typically the Best Musical winner and even this year, I imagine that bump was stunted due to it only receiving 2, not much air time and a mess of a performance number. When shows win BIG at the Tonys, it can really move the needle. Thinking of the 10 wins for A Band's Visit, specifically. I fear Strange Loop will have a hard time even matching the length of that show's run given all circumstances.

[Londonskyguy]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 10:22am

I am heart broken over this news. , I have been following the numbers and sadly I am not surprised. Perhaps some real quick cast changes to shake things up and save this brilliant production! Taylor Swift for Bobbie, and Tyne Daley as Joanne ?  Save Company!!!

[CompanyCastAlbumPetition]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 10:46am

Hi all! Big fan of this production of Company and am heartbroken it is closing without a cast album. I'm not sure how else to convey to Chris Harper how badly us fans want this album to be produced other than aggregating signatures in a petition. Figured it's worth a shot.

Please sign below and circulate to all your Company-loving friends and family. Hopefully this can make a difference before the show closes next month!

https://chng.it/cLbsgPdwRF

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 11:35am

Sondheim revivals don't last long, unfortunately, so sadly this shouldn't be much of a surprise. Not counting West Side Story and Gypsy, the only Sondheim show on Braodway in the last 25 years to last more than a year was Little Night Music (which closed after 14 months). Even Into the Woods, likely his most accessible show to the masses, closed after less than 8 months. So an 8-month run for Company is actually pretty good all things considered.

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 11:35 AM

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 11:40am

CompanyCastAlbumPetition said: "I'm not sure how else to convey to Chris Harper how badly us fans want this album to be produced other than aggregating signatures in a petition."

Are you paying for the recording? Not trying to be a jerk, but just saying, everyone posting about how much they love it and how much they want a recording isn't going to keep it open. They need money, period.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:04pm

I found out about this last night while sitting about 50 feet from Matt Doyle waiting for The Music Man to start. I'm also sad to see this closing so soon. I just bought tickets to take my mom on Saturday and was surprised at how easy it was to find a great seat.

I'd love a cast recording too but I'm also still holding out hope that they filmed the entire thing for PBS when they filmed the documentary.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:10pm

betyourass said: "Does this mean TOnys Awards don't matter as much as they used to?"

They can matter if the show is good on its own and just need exposure. However, I have no idea what they were thinking doing that number. That stage swallowed up that set and there are much better songs. It's a hard sell to people these days, I tried explaining it to a few people and they didn't care.

This was a gorgeous production, my second favorite of this show. 

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:13pm

Jeff Kready will be playing David (opposite his real wife Nikki Renee Daniels!!) from July 5th - July 24th! Christopher Fitzgerald will be out till the final week of the run.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:16pm

BCfitasafiddle said: "Jeff Kready will be playing David (opposite his real wife Nikki Renee Daniels!!) from July 5th - July 24th! Christopher Fitzgerald will be out till the final week of the run."

Oh, I may get a chance to see him! That would be exciting! I have somehow seen understudies for all the women (except Bobbie) and yet only one male role understudy (for PJ). I would like to see more.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:32pm

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 12:32 PM

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:59pm

betyourass said: "Does this mean TOnys Awards don't matter as much as they used to?"

I’d dare to say that it means Tony performances may matter more than the actual awards. Choosing a boring number which has been performed at numerous other press events, pre-recorded and mixed atrociously, and then not put online like every other shows’ performance… just a complete failure. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 1:22pm

They should have done the "Drive a Person  Crazy" trio. Or just had Clay in his underwear, ha.

[fbueller]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 1:33pm

I guess Patti really doesn’t have any tolerance for audience members paying her salary not wearing masks!!!   LOL

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 01:33 PM

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 1:48pm

The show is closing at the end of July, aka after a month of potentially maskless audiences. Can we please be done with these unnecessary “Patti LuPone mask” comments. It’s obviously not the reason and if it’s supposed to be a joke, it’s really not a good or interesting one at all

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 01:48 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 1:50pm

Please, some recording label, before this show is gone for ever: record a cast album. Please, please, please, please, please!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 2:02pm

RippedMan said: "They should have done the "Drive a Person Crazy" trio. Or just had Clay in his underwear, ha."

That is one of only two quibbles I have with the show.  I just didn’t think it worked and would have looked positively silly out of context on the Tonys.  My only other criticism was the opening number, which was just too claustrophobic, even if I know why it was staged that way.  Should have been Being Alive, aside by Side, or (my choice) Not Getting Married.  That number would have shown how much humor was in the show.  I think a lot of people who occasionally attend the theatre think Sondheim is too dry…this would have combatted it.

As a note, I figure that I have seen at least 7 different productions of Company and, quibbles aside, I think it is materially better than any other version, including the original, which I saw with both Dean Jones and Larry Kert (I thought Jones was better).  Ironically, I think the staging of the two numbers I quibble about are much better in the original production; but I think it works much better with a female in the lead.  That biological lock really adds a whole new dimension to the challenges  Bobbie faces.

 

[Ftworthguy]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 2:29pm

I hate this news -- I was lucky enough to see it on March 2, 2020, their first 'first' preview.   It was an electric night at the theatre.   It was also the last production I saw on that trip and the last I've seen in NYC.   We have a return trip planned for Aug and it was going to be my first show back -- kind of a pandemic bookend.   

I'm glad I got a chance to experience it. 

[AlmostFamous3]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 3:57pm

The London cast recording of this production is really great. I know many love the Broadway cast, but there's really no reason to record it twice.