Company--Tick Tock

I know that the current revival of company cut this song, but does anyone have any insight as to what Kathy's dancing represents in this song? I understand April and Bobby's dialogue and such but what is Kathy's arc in this song?

I love the "Tick-tock" number. There have been some who have argued (perhaps successfully) that the reason the dance was created in the first place was to give something for Donna McKechnie (Michael Bennett's muse) to do in the original production.

But I've always felt the number was great because it represents the physical loneliness of not being able to connect with another human being. Robert's "hook-up" with April is something of a meaningless one night stand - and McKechnie's dance articulated the different feelings that go a long with that and was particularly powerful juxtaposed with the warm "I Love Yous" of the married couples.

I personally think it’s an important part of artistically representing Robert's struggle with commitment and connection and I'm a bit sorry that so many productions cut it now.

And for the record, the number is cut in the current script made available from MTI, who licenses the show, but is apparently available upon request.

Doodle (and MB), I imagine this might be why they just cut it except by request.
After all, can you just imagine the number of really bad "Tick Tock"s that would be perpetrated upon the community theatre-going audience?

I think thats part of it Bwaysinger, but the other part of it is that increasingly, COMPANY has become a "chamber piece" of sorts: almost every staging I've ever seen, outside of NYC, has been in a tiny black-box theatre which don't generally have stage room for a big dance number. I think thats actually the main reason why the number was cut from the Donmar production.

People tend to forget that the original Broadway staging of COMPANY was pretty big. Huge orchestrations etc.

The recent Seattle production had the sufficient stage room (and the full, wonderful orchestrations) for the number and Anna Lauris, who played the part, was the show's dance caption...so I was rather let down that they didn't include it...mainly out of curiousity because I've never seen the scene with the dance included. Looking back, I wish I'd asked David Armstrong about that when I had the brief chance to talk with him...I'm going to blame hunge and jet lag.

---

They didn't use it at the Kennedy Center either.

I think Sondheim and George Furth feel the show works fine without the number. And the orchestral demands for including it (you really also need the vocal minority choral parts) plus the demands of finding a dancer who can really do it justice probably are viewed, more often than not, as just more trouble then they are worth.

To add a bit more to the original question, in the original libretto, the stage directions for the dance are that the dance represents the difference between having sex and making love. Hope that helped!

---

You can see McKechnie do the dance in the video of the touring production of COMPANY (from 1972) at the Lincoln Center archives.

"In Doyle's version, she'd have to dance with a trombone, right?"

Actually she would bump it with a trumpet.

---

"And the orchestral demands for including it (you really also need the vocal minority choral parts) plus the demands of finding a dancer who can really do it justice probably are viewed, more often than not, as just more trouble then they are worth."

Musicians, singing and dancing in a musical are trouble? Right there is where musical theater dies.

---

I think the idea signifies the late 60s/early 70s shifts, too, but I think as far as a general commentary on relationships, it's still a valid differentiation today. If ideas of detachment are in fact more valid today, I think that plays in, even if the distinction of having sex versus making love isn't one that people... actively consider as much today. Not sure if that makes sense.

I've gotta get to Lincoln Center sometime soon. I like Tick Tock on the CD, but I'm really curious to see how it was staged.

---

Updated On: 12/20/06 at 01:26 PM

Its such a shame when it is cut. Kathy's part becomes so much smaller and less developed.

its one of my favorite pieces of music.

---