Company Reviews (and beyond)- Page 15

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 2/23/22 at 7:09pm

Ah man, do you know who will be on for Fitzgerald?

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/23/22 at 7:12pm

Nicholas Rodriguez will be on for Fitzgerald. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 2/24/22 at 10:48am

ljay889 said: "Nicholas Rodriguez will be on for Fitzgerald."

Rodriguez has been on for Fitzgerald, but Matt Wall is scheduled to cover the role on Thursday.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 2/24/22 at 12:15pm

Nicholas Rodriguez 

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 2/24/22 at 3:46pm

How does one look up outages? I am looking at tickets for 3/17 and 3/18 and if there’s a way to know if a key cast member will be off, I’d love to reference. Thanks!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/24/22 at 4:45pm

Story in the New York Times today following music director / conductor Joel Fram’s bout with long COVID:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/nyregion/joel-fram-broadway-covid.html?searchResultPosition=1

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 1:36pm

Grrr...wrote a review last night, complete with covers, and it didn't post. My Playbill is packed in my suitcase - so I'll update that later. 

 

Good lord,   I loved this. So very much. I see 3 actor noms (Lenk, LuPone and Doyle), director, and set design. Revival.

I had issues with the lighting... whenever they were in the apartment units.  The big shadows were distracting...to me (my companion didn't notice).

Lenk was terrific. I thought she sang terrific....which I was worried about based on earlier comments here. Her acting choices were fresh and she must be a joy to do book scenes with....she listens like nobody's business.   Sure, she wasn't a cuddly Bobbi, but she's a pretty unhappy person at this juncture.  Her friends love her because they already know her.

LuPone - really, what is there to say? Its like the role was tailored to her. She had the audience eating out of her hand.

Doyle - who knew he could do comedy?! And then switch so quickly to the very touching scene immediately afterwards.  The love he gets from the audience (assuming what I experienced last night was typical) must be so gratifying for him and so well deserved!

 

Such a terrific evening, FAR surpassed Music Man, which I caught on Weds.(which I liked, and like quite a bit - but didn't love.)  

[JasonC3]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 2:53pm

I've seen eight productions of Company over the years: London, Broadway, regional theater..  None had an excessively warm or cuddly Bobby.  That's just not inherent in that role.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 3:44pm

SO glad you loved the show, dramamama! This really is such a special and remarkable production in every way. I'm still holding out for a cast recording!

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 3:55pm

Thank you for your post dramamama! I was there last night as well. I really, really, really adored the show, but I have to agree that the shadows were a little distracting at times. For me, the higlights were the set design, Lenk, and LuPone. I laughed to much during Doyle and Simard's scenes. The understudies were Nagarajin for Susan, Wall for David, and Dickey for Paul (all of which were great).

Updated On: 5/26/22 at 03:55 PM

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 2/28/22 at 8:04am

Per Variety: "Patti LuPone tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

The theater legend will sit out her ongoing role in the current Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” while she recovers from the virus. She is expected to return to the production on Tuesday, March 8, a spokesperson for the show said. LuPone reported symptoms before the matinee of “Company” on Feb. 26 and received an additional COVID test which came back positive. A second test confirmed the diagnosis.

“She is home resting, and everyone wishes her a speedy recovery,” the spokesperson for “Company” said in a statement."

https://variety.com/2022/legit/news/patti-lupone-covid-19-broadway-revival-company-1235191121/. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 10:58pm

Nikki Renee Daniels was out tonight. Britney Coleman went on.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 11:15pm

Britney Coleman was great. Has she gone on in the role before?

Jennifer is really finding some great moments as Joanne and I think she can really come into her own in the role. 

There was no rain at the end of act 1 tonight sadly. 

[Rudy2]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 11:41pm

JasonC3 said: "I've seen eight productions of Company over the years: London, Broadway, regional theater.. None had an excessively warm or cuddly Bobby. That's just not inherent in that role."

Thank you! This needed to be said. In many ways the role is supposed to be a blank slate.

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/2/22 at 9:03pm

Nikki Renee Daniels has, unfortunately, tested positive for COVID. Britney Coleman will be Jenny till mid next week. Wishing Nikki a speedy recovery! 

Interesting to think about, but Company never had a big breakthrough when Omicron was raging through New York. Hope they all remain unscathed. 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 3/2/22 at 10:14pm

I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about Claybourne Elder’s performance as Andy. He has quite a bit of stage time in Act II, and I thought he was beyond hysterically funny. I really hope he gets a nom in the Featured Actor category alongside Matt Doyle’s pitch-perfect Jamie.

As someone who saw Katrina Lenk’s Bobbie pre-pandemic and thought she was good but not great, her Bobbie today is totally different and is ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL. Honestly might be one of my all-time favorite performances I’ve ever seen on Broadway. Her vocals are no longer shaky/unsure; they’re impressively strong and confident. Her evolution in the four minutes of “Being Alive” alone is a masterpiece of musical theatre acting, but the way she carries the audience from start to finish in a particularly demanding role is absolutely breathtaking. Bobby/Bobbie has never been in better hands.

I can’t rave enough about this production, which is so perfectly directed and has some of the best scenic design I’ve seen in years. I’ve sent friends to see it that aren’t even really big theatre or Sondheim people, and not one has come out of it with anything less than a rave. It really is musical comedy at its finest and is just a very special night at the theatre.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/2/22 at 10:56pm

I agree, Elder is absolutely sensational as Andy. I think Doyle gets more attention because his role is flashier, but they both absolutely deserve Tony nominations. I could also see Fitzgerald sneaking in there as well. 

I am completely with you on Lenk's performance. It's night and day from what she was doing in 2020 and 2021 previews. It's like something finally clicked and she found the confidence needed to really deliver every aspect of the role. You can tell how hard she worked on her vocals, because now the music flows out of her so naturally. Like you said, her vocals are no longer shaky, they are full and delivered with command. It truly make me sad that the critics didn't see this version of her Bobbie, but thankfully the Tony nominating committee and voters will be seeing this strong performance. I think once she dropped all hints of her performance artist persona (including the accent) it really helped her become Bobbie. 

I said this in the Simard thread, but if you weren't a fan of her performance or vocals in 2020 or 2021 previews, I URGE you to see the production again and give her Bobbie another chance. 

[binau]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 3:15am

I found a clip of Lenk in 2020 and I agree her vocals have improved so much plus she did seem to hold a bit of a strange accent that is gone now although it looks to me she might have always had the foundation for a strong acting performance. It is amazing the journey that she goes through in “Being Alive”. Something that sadly a cast recording won’t even do justice, although it’s a start. There is just so much complexity there that imo never existed in the ‘pre-Broadway’ London run. 
 

It might be a little disappointing if the character Caroline loses the Tony for a second time and I do think that role might lend itself to more Tony attention but at the same time Lenk is on Broadway right now doing excellent work and I would be thrilled for her and the show if the buzz shifted a little to Lenk. This revival is such an event! 

Updated On: 3/3/22 at 03:15 AM

[steven22]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 8:18am

ljay889 said: "I agree, Elder is absolutely sensational as Andy. I think Doyle gets more attention because his role is flashier, but they both absolutely deserve Tony nominations. I could also see Fitzgerald sneaking in there as well.

I am completely with you on Lenk's performance. It's night and day from what she was doing in 2020 and 2021 previews. It's like something finally clicked and she found the confidence needed to really deliver every aspect of the role. You can tell how hard she worked on her vocals, because now the music flows out of her so naturally. Like you said, her vocals are no longer shaky, they are full and delivered with command. It truly make me sad that the critics didn't see this version of her Bobbie, but thankfully the Tony nominating committee and voters will be seeing this strong performance. I think once she dropped all hints of her performance artist persona (including the accent) it really helped her become Bobbie.

I said this in the Simard thread, but if you weren't a fan of her performance or vocals in 2020 or 2021 previews, I URGE you to see the production again and give her Bobbie another chance."

I couldn't agree more. I wasn't a fan of Lenk at the first preview in March of 2020. I saw her a few weeks ago and was blown away. She's fantastic. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 9:39am

I'm impressed Lenk hasn't missed a show yet. Curious who would be first to go on for her whenever she's on.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 10:42am

Ran to see Simard last night and I was floored- I've seen it with the complete original cast and I haven't been this floored by a production in awhile. Jennifer is making Joanne her own- c'mon that gargling toward Larry post Ladies Who Lunch was hysterical. I agree, I think Lenk has settled in and her vocals are much smoother and sound fuller, she also seems much more at ease in Bobbie's shoes even in the book scenes she's found new moments to have fun. I thought this was especially evident in the Not Getting Married Today scene after the song when she proposes to Jamie, that moment landed much more this time- I know others mentioned it didn't feel natural previously and I agreed, but it worked for me this time around. Someone mentioned above there was no rain at the end of Act I on March 1, and sadly, last night there wasn't either- not a huge quibble, but it was a nice visual. There was also an issue with the set not going down after the first terrace scene, they paused the show for maybe 5 minutes and re-started. On the whole, I thought that everyone just seemed to be having more fun- even Doyle who was a standout for me the first time I saw it, seemed more grounded. Elder is definitely a standout, as others have mentioned, he's doing great work with a part that could really be over-played in a less skilled actor's hands. I went in for Simard and came out with a big smile- if you can see her, it's a real treat- Coleman and Allison are also giving wonderful performances in place of Daniels and Simard. I can't wait to take it in again! 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 5:29pm

Simard’s final show on Sunday is up on TDF if anyone is looking for tickets! Can’t wait to see her!

[binau]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 5:47pm

Is it me or does the show seem to be a bit of a nightmare in terms of technical malfunctions? Lol. 

[Rudy2]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 5:58pm

ACL2006 said: "I'm impressed Lenk hasn't missed a show yet. Curious who would be first to go on for her whenever she's on."

I was just thinking this the other day, and isn’t it funny that we think it, that we’re impressed? It wasn’t that long ago we would have expected that to be the norm.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/3/22 at 6:20pm

binau said: "Is it me or does the show seem to be a bit of a nightmare in terms of technical malfunctions? Lol."

I don’t get it either. It seems to be constant. I get that the set is very complex, but we’re not talking about Wicked scale. I would love any input from someone who can explain why this might keep happening with Company’s set.