Company Reviews (and beyond) — Page 10

bwayphreak234 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "ashley0139 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Dylan Smith4 said: "This afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure to attend COMPANY! Can I just say, this was one of the best and funniest shows I have ever seen! Mingling with people who have seen older versions of the show and they all said this was the best yet!! Boy were they right! Marianne Elliott has done an outstanding job taking this timeless classic by the late Stephen Sondheim and update it for today’s audiences. Everything was modernized and included modern references that today’s audiences will understand. Let’s move on to the cast. Starting off with the Queen of Broadway herself, Patti LuPone. This was the first time I’ve ever seen her on stage and boy can that woman give a performance! She’s in her 70s and can still blow audiences out of their seats! Her showstopper “Ladies Who Lunch” made my heart stop for a moment because it’s a privilege to be in the presence of Ms. LuPone! This may be her last Broadway show, so I will always treasure it!! Moving on, Matt Doyle, expertly brings the character of Jamie (formerly Amy) to life. His big number “Not Getting Married Today” made me wonder how can one sing a number at that speed. I would like to know!! The whole number in general had me laughing my head off till it hurt. Continuing, Katrina Lenk’s Bobbie (formerly Bobby) is historic as it is. She is the first woman to play this iconic bachelor, now bachelorette character. I’ve heard mixed reviews of her performance, but I think after the improvements they made, they made the role more comfortable to her to sing. Her rendition of my favorite Sondheim number “Being Alive” brought new meaning to it. The people we have lost during the pandemic made us realize that we are lucky to be alive and should enjoy life as much as possible. Lastly, the trio Andy, PJ, and Theo make the classic song “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” the best trio I’ve seen on stage! In conclusion, this show is so funny and comedy is something we ALL need right now!! If you are feeling down, then get yourself to the Jacobs Theatre on W 45th street and take an afternoon or evening enjoying some of the best comedy on Broadway this season!"

Great review Dylan... I'd like to see this one with Britney Coleman as Bobbie. I loved Katrina inThe Band's Visit(she's the sweetest as well), but based on the mixed things I've heard about her here, I think it's best to see her understudy. The show will win quite a few Tonys this year... in my book, it's a lock for Featured Actor (Doyle), Featured Actress (LuPone), Set Design, and Direction, and it will also possibly win Revival of a Musical."

I don’t know why you wouldn’t go and form your own opinion about Katrina before just resolving to see the understudy who you know nothing about how they perform the role."

I'm up for a surprise. I saw Coleman go on as an understudy for Betty Schaefer in the most recent revival ofSunset Boulevardand I know she can tackle this challenging role even though it's a completely different beast.

I have also seen video footage of Katrina in this show; I thought she looked and sounded uncomfortable most of the time as Bobbie."

It's called LIVE theatre for a reason. Not prerecorded YouTube footage theatre. Why don't you see the show LIVE before sounding off an opinion on an actor's performance?

I did notice once during the opening number that Katrina had a rasp in her voice. I don't know if that was just a coincidence, but she powered through it. For the rest of the show, she was on fire. Do I think they made the wrong choice casting her in this role, yes and no. I say no because Katrina is a very talented actress and she delivered the dialogue perfectly. I ONLY say yes because I did notice she had some struggles with the big numbers, but I loved how she persevered through it! That takes guts and she proved that to me! I do wish they brought Rosalie Craig over from London, but Katrina did a wonderful job in the show.

A friend said, “They’ve cast Bobbi like Desiree, but “Alive” isn’t “Clowns.” Yet: Enough people seem to feel part of this overall interpretation is rendering the cathartic epiphany as more of a meditative - ruminative - soliloquy than a sudden breakthrough defined by a power ballad vocal. She was cast for her voice, not in spite of it. I’m not defending the choice but clearly it was an artistic decision. That’s why it’s hard to untether the performance from a cascade of creative ideas.

Just saw this production yesterday and oh was it lovely! I think we already knew this, but the cast is STACKED, and each deliver a phenomenal performance. Already planning my return to see it. Does anyone know if there are plans for a Broadway cast recording? I sure am hoping so.

FYI: Company has the single best pricing for broadway week! Down to $20.50 for Wednesday matinees and $30.50 for evenings!

https://www.nycgo.com/broadway-week/browse/71019

What I liked:

Patti Lupone has still got it.

"Not Getting Married" was superb.

What I didn't like:

The whole attempt at trying to update, this was a period piece full of stuff that was missing.

The choreography pales in comparison. Side By Side had no flair. I wanted the sixties dancing.

The boyfriends doin the song they do sucked hard.



Next time I wish the original comes back.

The marketing of the London Company always suggested to me that Marianne Elliot’s vision of the show is more what is being shown in NYC right now. From this image I was expecting Craig to be that sexy powerful NYC woman but in reality she was as described more warm goofy girl next door innocent type. Lenk finally did it.

JasonC3 said: "I love Company ... it all of its iterations, but I hardly ever spend any time thinking about whether or not the characters seem like New Yorkers."

Strange you don’t take stock in the setting of the show. The show is LITERALLY about finding love in NYC, not Florida, not the Midwest, New York City. And it’s not an accident that specificity is there, it raises the stakes. The city is very much it’s own character…Another Hundred People anyone? Lol


The London production’s shortfalls on this aspect can be metaphorically summed up by that London ad artwork. Anyone who knows New York would look at that and ask where the heck she is because the Chrysler building is certainly not in Times Square near the Red Lobster. Rosie and the rest of the Brit ensemble broke accents nearly every other line, the Brooklyn brownstone set looked straight out of suburban Connecticut and they all dressed for a day at the country club. Bobbie even came into Jamie’s apartment with a fascinator on like she was on her way to the royal wedding. That lack of authenticity hindered it, many of the original reviews mention this of the London production, albeit not so egregious to sink the concept obviously.

Updated On: 1/12/22 at 08:01 AM

jkcohen626: FYI: Company has the single best pricing for broadway week! Down to $20.50 for Wednesday matinees and $30.50 for evenings!

https://www.nycgo.com/broadway-week/browse/71019

It also looks like additional center orchestra seats were added for the upgrade price of $125 since the sale first started. I just picked up Orch D101 & 102 for early February. These were not available when I checked on Tuesday. Now that's a good deal for premium seats!

"Deeply funny" I've never heard that phrase before.

ashley0139 said: "Leaving in the morning to fly to NYC to see this show for the 2nd time on Sunday (assuming everything goes ahead as planned) and I just can't wait to see it again. Assassins tomorrow makes it a pretty Sondheim-y weekend."

Have a great time! My trip last week was inspired by Sondheim’s passing. Assassins on Tuesday night and Company (and Caroline, or Change) on Wednesday. All great!

Went to the show tonight after having caught it in previews back in 2020 and WOW has it improved! I had already loved the take on it before, and some of this could just be me seeing more from a second viewing but it felt like they really took a look at the book scenes and seemed to emphasize certain aspects of it to draw connections between different scenes or to lead into the songs in a way I hadn't noticed before. Katrina Lenk sounds fantastic (I never had a problem with her before but I can't deny that she sounds much stronger now) and her Being Alive nearly brought me to tears. Not only was it sung well, but it was the best-acted version of the song I've seen. Matt Doyle has really upped his Jamie, adding phrasing and emoting to Getting Married Today in a way I didn't think was possible at that speed, and I think the entire night club scene works much better now.

There was a small set malfunction where they had to hold the show for a couple minutes (right after Being Alive too!), which was funny because the last time we saw it we also had to hold for a set issue, but Katrina handled it with great aplomb, throwing a look to the audience once it got up and running again. The audience ate it right up and were generally very responsive to the entire show. A fantastic night of theater and I'll definitely be planning another trip back.

Was also there last night. The feeling in the audience was electric. Has a cast recording been announced yet? Really would love to be able to listen to this amazing cast over and over.

I've been told from an extremely reliable source that a cast recording is "hopeful" and being looked into. My fingers are crossed. The London album has become almost unlistenable to me. They managed to make the orchestra sound small and tinny, whereas in the Jacobs it sounds bright and full.