COMPANY starring Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone will open March 22 — Page 45

Double post

Updated On: 2/28/20 at 11:49 PM

Man this is awesome. Hope it sticks around long enough for me to see it in December. I know groups are on sale until then, so fingers crossed!

Just got tickets for Wednesday night and can't wait! Got Row B front mezz, partial view. Judging from A View From My Seat and seatplan.com, the view isn't that bad.

It's definitely going to be a different production from London, Marianne has said that since August. The basics of the set look very similar, but right now the biggest mystery is how the large title letters will be used.

ljay889 said: "It's definitely going to be a different production from London, Marianne has said that since August. The basics of the set look very similar, but right now the biggest mystery is how the large title letters will be used."

They're only used in one number

I will be recommending this to everyone (in addition to Come From Away). I love what this musical is. I've never seen a production before, let alone the first preview of a production of this show. I do have to admit it felt like some parts were a little slow? But that can be smoothed out during previews. I think by opening night this show will be in FANTASTIC shape. Buy your tickets ASAP because I predict a big hit!

ljay889 said: "I didn't want to put this in the previews ahead, but Rosalie has finally opened up about not transferring with this.

"WhenCompanyarrived in the West End at Christmas in 2018, there was talk of Craig going to Broadway with it. Before the run finished last Easter, however, she had a “difficult conversation” with her great friend Elliott and Elliott’s producing partner, Chris Harper. They had to tell Craig that they couldn’t take her with them. It makes no sense, commercially or culturally, to take a relatively little-known British performer to New York to play a New York part in a New York show. Craig understood that, painful as it must have been."

“Last year was very much a year for me to grow up and learn about the business aspects of the industry,” Craig says. “Companywas an amazing time, one that I will never, ever forget. It’s incredible that people get to see it in America, that’s wonderful, but I think in my naivety I thought that I would be going with it.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/interview-how-rosalie-craig-became-a-star-of-the-west-end-7ld0spzp9

As we expected at the time, this was pretty painful for her."

IMO, Rosalie was wonderful. I prefer her interpretation to Katrina Lenk's portrayal. I do plan to make a return visit to the Broadway production after opening.

Craig's portrayal in London was also divisive. Let's not rewrite the narrative with Lenk's polarizing performance that Craig was universally loved in the part, and that because of that she was robbed of the chance to come to the states with it. There was also a very mixed opinion of Craig's understudy in London. People have complained about all three women who have played the role now (West End and Broadway) and I maintain some of this is because these people - despite their joy at this revival and excitement about the idea of seeing a female reinvention of the leading role - aren't fully buying the way that reinvention actually plays.

Updated On: 3/6/20 at 04:53 PM

Michael Bennett! How wonderful to so you round these parts!!!!

Can there also be another issue at play? Is it possible that the actual role of Bobby/Bobbie is divisive? I feel like there were divisions over Raul, NPH, Boyd Gaines and probably as far back as Dean Jones and Larry Kert.

Personally, I have some complicated feelings about the role being a cypher and BEING ALIVE not actually being justified in terms of character arc, but I love living with those thorny issues and watching actors grapple with them.

My best friend saw it last night. He raved about it and then paused and said the only thing he wasn't crazy about was Lenk. He said she was good and he didn't have a problem with a woman playing the part, as it worked, but he just didn't feel she was the right choice. He said he thought it had to do with the songs themselves and a woman singing them. He said they seemed to be less powerful.

Could it be that these songs were written for male actors/voices and just don't have the same impact when sung by a female? So it may not be these three actresses performances but the material itself. (Does that make sense?)

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I think it's an interesting point to bring up because I see Marry Me a Little as more "true" to a man's perspective, where traditionally men are portrayed more as the one to want a casual relationship without putting in the work to build the relationship. But I think Someone is Waiting almost works better for a woman who may be more of a romantic but also satisfied with her current life and just wants a partner who can love and respect her as much as her friends. I suppose in this sense Being Alive skews more male because it's overcoming the barrier in Marry Me a Little, but it really could go either way.

Of course these are pretty broad generalizations but it could be something that's a factor in how we see these songs portrayed when gender swapped. And since they were originally written for men, there will probably always be a bit of friction. But I think it's also exciting that the new portrayal is challenging the traditional gender stereotypes in love and marriage.