I saw the show in January and absolutely loved it. Marianne Elliott’s take is a hugely exciting, fresh one that stays totally true to the original version. It won’t replace the classic Company, but this version will definitely remain alongside it. There’s two very minor drawbacks to it which are the gender balance of solos is a bit off compared the original and some of gender changed lyrics aren’t quite as good as how they were originally written. But that’s absolutely nothing to be upset over, it’s the smallest of things and people new to the show won’t bat an eye about them. And what’s the point of focusing on that when the other alterations are so fantastically done. The lead now being a woman really raises the stakes of the piece given the double standards of woman settling down earlier and the biological clock. That alone justifies the retelling, but all the other changes they’ve made only add to it.
The whole thing is stunning to look at. The lighting and the sets are magnificent. While I didn’t think of it until reading someone else’s mention, it’s a lovely touch to have Bobbi traversing the stage like she’s Alice in Wonderland, which they thankfully don’t try and make too on the nose. There’s often a dream like feel to the locations, and I love how Bobbi at times feels boxed in by the smaller sets, nowhere is that more apparent than in the opening. The costumes are all delightful, particularly the red paint suit. Eye catching when they need to be but never too over the top. The whole thing sounded crystal clear, and while far from a dance show, it’s spectacularly choreographed.
The cast is pretty much perfect. Patti LuPone is just as good as she’s been made out to be. She was having a total ball and the audience was eating it up, she got applause just for the lead in line to Ladies Who Lunch, which she quite obviously killed. She’s everything the role should. Hilarious, cool, playful, and the fact that she can still sing that damn good at her age is amazing. It’s her Tony, no one else has a shot. Terence Archie is an excellent partner for her. The Joanne and Larry pairing has always been the show’s most uneven in terms of showcases, but he really does hold his own with her, being incredibly likable and charming, whilst also striking the right balance of loving his wife while not just letting her walk all over him. Their big moment together is brilliant, with her excellently letting her guard down whilst letting him have the spotlight over her for once.
Matt Doyle is easily the male standout. I love the changing of Amy to Jamie, and I love how it’s going to allow both of the standout supporting players to not cancel each other out come time for awards. Cause as of now, the Tony looks to be his, and rightly so as he is an absolute riot in this. His delivery of Not Getting Married Today doesn’t let a single word get lost while also adding in as many laughs as he can get. He’s an endearingly adorable mess and he makes the perfect transition to maturity and joy. Etai Benson is a delight opposite him. He lets you know before Jamie does that he’s be alright with his Paul, being as sweet and loving as can be, and you really do feel for the guy at the end of act one. Like Archie, his role is not the showcase of the couple, but he plays so perfectly opposite Doyle that he never gets lost in the midst of his partner’s rambling.
Jennifer Simard is a total hoot as Sarah. She’s already got a solid role on her hand, but she really does mine it for all the laughs that she can get, her timing is truly stellar. It’s a bit of a shame this version gives her no real solos, though in a way that kind of helps her portrayal that her unique delivery doesn’t have to change when singing. Christopher Sieber is excellent alongside her, being just as funny as he always is while offering a totally lovely rendition of Sorry-Grateful. Bonus points for bringing out few laughs in the number.
The boyfriends are all fantastic. Claybourne Elder wonderfully plays up the stupidity of Andy but doesn’t let him just be a punchline, he really makes you like and feel for him. I hope he’s remembered come Tony time. Bobby Conte is exhilarating as PJ. With all the lyrics and high notes in addition to so much movement doing Another Hundred People, he never gets lost in it. He seems to have really found his footing compared to the tiny desk version. Manu Narayan is a wonderfully sweet Theo. I loved the decision to give him those high harmonies in You Could Drive a Person Crazy, they sounded awesome and it makes up for him not being at the center of Tick Tock. That number’s probably the best altered one in this version. Sondheim clearly knew the original version wasn’t quite fitting for the new versions, and it’s every bit as good as the original.
Christopher Fitzgerald gives one of the most impressive performances of the night. He gets every laugh he can out of David (now with Jenny’s lines), making a standout performance out of a role that’s really not a standout. Nikki Renée Daniels plays a strong straight man against him and fantastic in Not Getting Married Today. Greg Hildreth and Rashidra Scott don’t have much in the way of a showcase, but they’re both very funny and likable, and the switching of lines in their first scene like the other swapped couple is a very smart touch.
As for Katrina Lenk, I think she was mostly excellent. Not anywhere near deserving of some her notices, though not the revelation that some have called her. She’s fantastic in all of her book scenes, and I actually think she delivers a great vocal performance in almost all her solos. There’s two exception, the first is when she starts singing in the title song, which I personally found underwhelming though not bad, and she got stronger as she went along. But then there’s Being Alive, where she’s acting her ass off but it just didn’t sound all that great. Still, her acting chops still make it pull through, and even if the show’s best number wasn’t exactly what I’d want it to be, she’s still one of the best performances I’ve seen in the part, which really is far more difficult of a role then I think a lot of people realize, asking an actor to sing challenging, emotional music whilst getting very little in the way of offstage breaks and having to play an intentionally underwritten character.
Overall it’s really just a lovely production, I wish I could see it again. One of Sondheim’s finest works with thrilling changes and some of the best staging you’ll see in a musical.
