Company London

[kofler22]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 6:27pm

No reports yet from the first preview? Can’ t wait to hear something!!!

[JBC3]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 6:29pm

http://theatreboard.co.uk/thread/1950/company?page=43&scrollTo=233229

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/29/18 at 2:22pm

Patti looks INCREDIBLE

https://twitter.com/companywestend/status/1046091187726299142?s=21

Updated On: 9/29/18 at 02:22 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/29/18 at 2:36pm

Patti looks FANTASTIC!!!!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/29/18 at 2:51pm

It’s seems from early reports that “ Not Getting Married “ is the single showstopper and a tour de force 

[binau]

Posted: 9/29/18 at 2:54pm

Wow. That’s such an amazing shot of Patti in character. WOW.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 9/29/18 at 6:32pm

rosscoe(au) said: "It’s seems from early reports that “ Not Getting Married “ is the single showstopper and a tour de force"

 

more than that stopped the show actually...tonight the audience gave extended applause to Patti's Ladies Who Lunch, which was more than well deserved...also the young man who sang Not Getting Married did stop the show, but also the very first number Company got the evening off to a roaring start!...i forgot how much fun this show is...the Neil Patrick Harris version that was screened in movie theatres a few years back was trying to hard to be "sophisticated"...this cast was having fun and so was the audience...i also believe if this transfers to Broadway someone like Sutton Foster would make a great Bobbie...Rosalie Craig was good but i think there is room for her to grow in this role...everyone else was letter perfect in my book...

one thing as someone who actually saw the original production in the Summer of 1970, i still remember the Boris Aronson sets...this production was on a smaller scale in many respects...not a bad thing but my memory is of this amazing mutli level set...

overall a terrific show and i am glad i flew to London to see it!!

 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 9/30/18 at 7:23am

So, I was at the first preview last Wednesday, and I really enjoyed it. For the purists, you won't find this production that different from any other revival of the show, because at the end of the day all the changings are pretty superficial. If on the one hand this production is not nearly as brave and groundbreaking as it could have been (or as it claims it is), on the other it preserves the meaning and dynamics of this beautifully written show withouth the cringiness often associated with the retelling of classics. A part from a couple of scenes still too focused on Bobbie not being married at the venerable age of 35, the show works well with its 21st century setting, so well that you can mostly forget it was written in the 70s. As others have pointed out, Elliott recycled a few elements from Angels in America and - I agree - they worked better here than in Kushner's epic.

Rosalie Craig is a very solid Bobbie, she might not be a vocal powerhouse, but she found a lot of emotions in scenes that might otherwise be a bit of a chore. Her bench scene with Theo (aka Kathy) was intense and moving, and her Being Alive was deeply felt without being suicidal. Besides, she looks terrific in red and has great chemistry with the whole cast. Speaking of Theo, Matthew Seadon-Young was very good and underused; the best of the gentleman callers was Richard Fleeshman's Andy/April, who makes a great impression with and without his clothes in the bedroom scene and Barcellona. George Blagden's PJ (Martha) was by far the weak link (of the whole cast), partly because *she doesn't have the range* for Another Hundred People, and partly because he was trying to make some accent but God knows what it was. Still, the three of them work really well together and their "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" was brilliant.

The highlight of the evening was, imho, Getting Married Today: Jonathan Bailey is fantastic, but the whole scene is hysterical. It got the biggest ovation on the first preview (except for a few people standing after Being Alive), and it was truly marvellous. But the production is really full of great momoments and gems, both in the book scenes and the songs, with other highlights being Side By Side and Marry Me A Little. 

Patti is very Patti, but she found some moving depth in the scene before Ladies Who Lunch and her offering up Larry to Bobbie (a potentially cringy moment in this gender-swapped reading) came across as Joanne giving voice to her fear of being left. Patti looked fabulous, but she has sounded better. Oh, and the "And here's to the girls who just watch-- Aren't they the best?" suddenly became very poignant and aimed at Bobbie.

On the whole, it's a hugely enjoyable production, with a fantastic cast and that balanced mixture of novelties and conservativism that will satify both innovators and purists. It's not as brave as you would expect, but still a shiny, fun, moving and thrilling night at the theatre.

****

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 9/30/18 at 9:26am

Does the production include Tik Tock?

[JBC3]

Posted: 9/30/18 at 9:50am

QueenAlice said: "Does the production include Tik Tock?"

Likely now Tock Tik to honor the gender switching.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/30/18 at 10:36am

QueenAlice said: "Does the production include Tik Tock?"

I never really cared for this piece. It's a nice composition, but always feels out of place when it is included. I know it was written to show off Donna's talent, and I am sure it was thrilling to watch her dance to it, but now it seems like a throwaway.

[Skywalker3]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:54am

Jordan Roth is listed as one of the producers! So a Broadway transfer seems likely. 

[rjm516]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 8:36am

I'm seeing it this weekend! I'm so excited. Also not a weekend goes by when I don't have to tell someone to put their phone away in the theatre here so I'm eager for Patti to take over that job for me for one show :P 

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 10:19am

Skywalker3 said: "Jordan Roth is listed as one of the producers! So a Broadway transfer seems likely."

Cool! I'm curious --- who makes the decisions on which cast members goes with the transfer. Is it the director or producer? I can see Patti definitely transferring but I am curious whether Rosalie would. I understand with revivals a big name tends to be needed in order for the show to recoup.

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 1:15pm

No Tik Tock

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 2:59pm

Wick3, I’d imagine a give and take with both producer and director, with Equity also playing a part. Equity seems to have gotten pretty open over the past few years, allowing entire casts to transfer from London. Would LOVE for this to come over! With Roth involved, maybe the Kerr if North Country doesn’t happen, or a very limited engagement at the Hirschfeld pre-Moulin Rouge?

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:05pm

I'd be SHOCKED if this didn't transfer, honestly.

It won't be this season.

But I think we'll be seeing this come in Spring 2020.  

Updated On: 10/1/18 at 05:05 PM

[Valentina3]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:35pm

I so want to hear Bailey's Not Getting Married Today ugh. His Last Five Years audition video is on my work playlist.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:35pm

I so want to hear Bailey's Not Getting Married Today ugh. His Last Five Years audition video is on my work playlist.

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:38pm

Sondheimite said: "I'd be SHOCKED if this didn't transfer, honestly.

It won't be this season.

But I think we'll be seeing this come in Spring 2019."

So...this season.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 7:07pm

LesWickedly said: "Sondheimite said: "I'd be SHOCKED if this didn't transfer, honestly.

It won't be this season.

But I think we'll be seeing this come in Spring 2019."

So...this season."

 

lol!

 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 7:44pm

This would be a great season for it to come in... since right now, the only confirmed musical revival is Kiss Me, Kate. The optics alone of those two revivals competing against each other all but assures a win for Company.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 7:52pm

I agree, I think a spring (2019) transfer is pretty likely.

[BPfan81]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 10:31pm

Great shot, indeed. How long is LuPone in this English production of Company?

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 10:45pm

Unless it gets extended the show is in West End until December 22nd. 

Normally on Broadway the holiday season is one of the busiest (and most expensive) time to see theater. I wonder if it's the same case in London. Do you guys think this show will have an extension or two?