Company Review 11/1 — Page 2

Yankeefan, critics were saying Raul would win a Tony for this 7 months ago. I don't see how the situation is any different from Christine Ebersole if that's your defense.

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The reason that SWEENEY worked so well is that Doyle's concentrated staging fit well with the strengths of the book and score, and the actors involved were all distinctive, richly defined personalities.

I love theatre that tries for something new. But just because something is newly staged, doesn't automatically mean it is sucessful. I had high hopes for COMPANY (it's one of my favorite Sondheim scores) but with the exception of Raul Esparza's performance, none of it worked for me. While SWEENEY felt all of a piece, (and worked beautifully), this COMPANY (an admittedly less structured show consisting of a series of musical vignettes) feels like a played-out gimmick.

COMPANY is a misfire because Raul Esparza (brilliantly defining Bobby as a magnetic cipher) is surrounded by a cast which though competent - they can play musical instruments fairly well and sing all right - fail to make any disctinct impression. They are all fairly anonymous and interchangeable. A glorious score that cries out for flavorsome personalities who know exactly how to deliver the material has been blanded down. Unlike SWEENEY, here Sondheim gets shortchanged for the sake of novelty.

Unlike the brilliantly clockwork staging of SWEENEY, this COMPANY is messy and cluttered by comparison. Whereas with SWEENEY, one soon forgot that people were playing instruments, here one is aware of it all the time - it seems like Bobby's friends are all auditioning for the Macy'S Thanksgiving day Parade.

Esparza is wonderful. Too bad the rest of this COMPANY and its staging isn't up to his standard.

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Updated On: 11/2/06 at 10:35 AM

I hadnt been over to allthatchat to see their reviews, but now that i have all i can say is it seems like a classic group of people in love with the original who are unwilling to see anything different tried with it. I would harly call these actor/musicians, "semi musicians who can act" as someone on that board commented. Each plays a VARIETY of instruments with elegance and uwavering technique. Thats really a bitter untalented a**hole who can call the cast of Company untalented. The one comment i can agree with over there was that I wish the "doo doo"s in You COuld Drive a Person Crazy werent replaced by saxophones. BUt the staging for the number is fine. And for everyone complaining over there about the lack of dancing...do they really think that after experiencing a whole hour and a half of a minimally staged chamber show that John DOyle is suddenly going to call in a choreographer and say, "what we need for act 2 is a big dance number to open! Everybody, grab your Cellos, aaand turn, step, kick ball change!" Its absurd to like elements of Doyles staging yet still demand traditional old fashioned musical theatre practices in numbers. The piece is a whole piece, and works well as that. It is elegant, clear, concise, and at times very moving. I'm with Sondheim. MOre praise for Doyle.

and master, id like to know just which actors played their instruments so poorly. i think you must remember that in a piece such as this, things may sound poor by the virtue that they are being played alone, without second or third parts played on the same instruments. The sound is a different one, sure. BUt id really like to hear your ideas on who can't play their instruments.

Updated On: 11/2/06 at 10:37 AM

Oh they can play their instruments. And they can sing OK. But none of them (with exception of Jane Pfitsch's Amy) had the "oomph" and presence of a Ceveris, Lupone or Feliciano. And COMPANY demands zingy actor-singer personalities. The contrast between Esparza's impassioned takes on "Being Alive" and "Marry Me A Little" with the Okay versions by the rest of the was jarring.

I always liked Barbara Walsh, but I thought here she was trying too hard to escape Strich's shadow. And failing.

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Updated On: 11/2/06 at 10:49 AM

But none of them (with exception of Jane Pfitsch's Amy) had the "oomph" and presence of a Ceveris, Lupone or Feliciano

Well it is all a matter of opinion. I for one think Lupone was the worst thing to ever happen to Sweeney. Cerveris was not much better (though I have loved him in everything else). Feliciano is awesome but we have not seen him do much.

I think the cast in this revival is perfectly fine. They are all very good actors. One of the best things about Sondheim's work is that you MUST be a good actor in order to pull off the material. You don't need to be a great singer (as we have seen in MANY of his productions). I don't think anyone in the revival loses the material through bad acting. Raul is as good as Lupone, Cerveris and Manuel put together. I've never seen a Bobby played this way. It's very interesting and quiet.

No joke.

When did that happen?

Oh my god. I just read on ATC that one of them left during intermission! He must have really hated it. Too bad he missed Raul's version of "Being Alive."

Sounds like those ATC people are overly critical. YES, 51 years YOUNG is correct! Thanks...

Saw Martin Short, wasn't overly impressed actually. Was just "OK". COMPANY (and Raul) are WAY better!

If you go to Raul's website (www.raulesparza.com) and click on the press link, links to many of the out-of-town reviews are provided. I went to check them out again last night, though, and they've either been removed from the paper websites or they've been put elsewhere on the servers. For the most part, they were GLOWING, and the critics (New York and otherwise) were pretty much making verbal love to Raul.

The comparisons to Sweeney are endlessly frustrating, but inevitable. To try to compare this ensemble to the ensemble players in Sweeney feels counterintuitive to me; part of the idea of Company is that they act like a big unit. I'm not saying it's excusable for performances to be under par, but I also don't think these performances ARE by any measure. I think it's probably both a blessing and a curse for any actor to work with Raul, though, because he's going to overshadow pretty much anyone you stick him on stage with.

I just think it's very difficult for people not to go into this waiting to measure it up to Sweeney Todd, which makes it more difficult to see this as a separate entity. It's not worth arguing with someone who says it doesn't work for them, because at this point, to me, it's really just a matter of personal preference -- people are already so divided on which way works better.

Whereas with SWEENEY, one soon forgot that people were playing instruments, here one is aware of it all the time

But isn't that the point? Yes, it's all heightened, but you really see why it's called Company. I think you're supposed to be very aware of it; Bobby's friends as his literal, metaphorical, and now musical accompaniment.

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Updated On: 11/2/06 at 12:32 PM

It was possible for me, Rath!
Patti could have been playing bagpipes in a kilt and I wouldn't have noticed anything odd Whereas I found the device distracting in COMPANY. For me, the only songs that were done to full justice were Raul's and Janes.

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Updated On: 11/2/06 at 12:46 PM

I don't see how the situation is any different from Christine Ebersole if that's your defense.

Who in Ohio was saying that? The chief critic of The Times said ebersole was one of the best performances ever. Like him or hate him Brantley knew what that kind of endorment would mean. Ebersole will win.

It wasn't "someone in Ohio", it was Charles Isherwood. Maybe not the "chief critic" of The Times, but no critic at The Times would throw around statements like "Mr. Esparza, giving what may well be the richest and strongest performance of his career" without warrant.


But none of them (with exception of Jane Pfitsch's Amy) had the "oomph" and presence of a Ceveris, Lupone or Feliciano
You're comparing the performance of what is basically the ensemble of Company to the leads in Sweeney. That doesn't make sense. Of course Sweeney Todd is going to have more presence in Sweeney Todd than Susan has in Company.

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Yes, Orange...but COMPANY needs an ensemble with a rich spectrum of personalities. And I wasn't feeling that.
Bobby has to remain a magnetic enigma.

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