PBS to record COMPANY this Saturday?- Page 5

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 10:53am

This is something I could see A&E or HBO possibly doing.

Esp. with HBO just signing on to do "Year of Magical Thinking"

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 10:55am

I would love to see a tour of this show, and I'm one of those people who lives in the middle of nowhere. I'm lucky in that I can travel to NYC to see the shows I want to see, but most folks around here only see theatre when it comes to us. People here, from all walks of life, go crazy for tours, regardless of the show. The current non-eq AIDA tour, for example, got a lengthy and rwody standing ovation. We only wished they could have stayed for more than one night and that was for a not great production. Company will never make it to a 15th tier city like this but it will get closer than NYC, hopefully Minneapolis or Chicago, and many of us country folk from around here will go see it.

[viola13]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:00am

I'm an intern at PBS, and Great Performances is the department over from mine, so I'll go ask around and see what's up when I get in tomorrow.

I really, really hope this gets picked up.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:00am

I'm happy that this seems to be going through - whenever it ends up airing, and on whatever channel, hehe.

I also hope that they have a good editor who doesnt chop this up. I'm not even that crazy about the video preview on bww, to be honest.

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:05am

Backupbackupbackup. What I was trying to say is that Company is a show about New York. In an urban area, where the environment is similar to Manhattan, it’s going to be much more poignant to the audience. The show has some quirks that only New Yorkers can ‘get’, because hell, we’re actually living it.

I’m not saying that if you live in a suburban area you can’t appreciate or love the show, what I am saying is that, because New Yorkers can identify with “Another Hundred People” and Kathy’s scene or whatever, there’s an easier connection to the audience, which is why it would be difficult to have a full-fledged touring company.

(I was just going on about how great it is that the only problem was a while ago... and that one was started by me. Why do I screw up everything?!?!? *cries in corner*)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:15am

As far as the audience issue, I remember a significant amount of the buzz surrounding the transfer being about this issue. Some of the jokes didn't fly in Cincinnati because they were so VERY New York. Cast members have said they could tell when there were New Yorkers in the audience because on those nights, people got the jokes. But aside from that, this particular production has such a cynical sensibility, and I guess that's something people pretty often associate with our city, too. Some of that can definitely be put on other big cities, too, I think, but the difference in the audience reaction between the runs has been really interesting.

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:26am

I personally can't even see Company in LA. It's such a different mentality. There's some of the in-stuff that's not so important like, Marta's 14th street line (which is more symbolic than actually talking about 14th street), but the notion of becoming disillusioned in New York is entirely different than becoming disillusioned anywhere else.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:33am

I'm wary of how they would advertise a national tour for this production given the poor job they did getting the word out IN NY.

I agree that its a production that is very reliant on the audience's understanding of the sort of psyche of NY. But I mean, can't the same thing be said for Rent? Or Woody Allen's movies? Maybe not to the same extent, I guess

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:38am

I'm not saying that the score/book/performances can't be appreciated by people who don't live in New York, but a lot is definitely lost. If I could form a coherent sentence, I would say something about how I think that Rent's situation is different because it's a story vs. a song cycle. Eh... if I think of a reason why that I can actually express, I'll post back

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:40am

I think Rent transcends that New York thing, though. You can make all kinds of arguments about the period and the place, some of which I'd agree with, but at the end of the day, what the show SAYS is not dependent on where and when it takes place. I wouldn't necessarily argue the same thing for this particular production of Company, because it's really dark and ambivalent. I think that what it's ABOUT (relationships, etc.) could obviously fly in any time or place, but this particular reading of it has a pretty modern metropolis thing going on.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:47am

Yeah, I agree with you. Rent and Company start from very different places, it seems. Regarding the tour - I mean, the fact that this show wasn't that successful even in NY makes me wary that they would consider bringing it anywhere else, you know?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:59am

Yeah, that's what I was saying earlier. There are some shows that work with the reverse thinking, but this isn't one of them, IMO.

[jochang621]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:01pm

sex and the city was very much about NY, and yet its widespread popularity says that people in "nowheresville" still get it. there's something so universal about company, it will translate.

i've never lived in NY and didn't know the significance of 14th street, but I understood that marta thought NY was the center of the universe. it's not necessary to know these details in order to "get" the show.

"Has anyone ever been to a show while it was recorded? Are the cameras intrusive? Do they obstruct anyone's view?"

I was there at the Met Opera when they were filming. They had automated cameras on the sides of the stage, downstage, that would slowly elevate up and down. at one point, one of the singers even sang to the camera, but I don't think this will happen at Company. :) And no, it wasn't that disruptive.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:07pm

There's something universal about the text, absolutely. You can certainly still GET the show even without the details, but I'm still stuck on how many of the jokes that get HUGE laughs here fell totally flat in Cincinnati. I think this is a hard discussion to have because people will be like, "well, I'm not a New Yorker and I got it!," but we also don't want to make generalizations. I don't really know; I do feel that this reading of the show may make it a little bit less relatable to people who aren't in New York in certain spots, but not on the whole -- because obviously I feel very strongly about how relatable and cathartic the show is. And is that just because I'm a born and bred New Yorker? Probably not.

Updated On: 6/28/07 at 12:07 PM

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:13pm

Why do I have to screw up everything? *Headdesk*
What I am desperately trying to say is that it will be difficult for this show to find an audience/connect with an audience out of New York. It was difficult for them to find an audience IN the city...

Yes, Sex in the City has widespread popularity, but I don't think people out of the city got the episodes where designer stores are popping up in the Meat Packing district.

[jochang621]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:15pm

in the same way, REALLY different lines in Jersey Boys get laughs in NY, SF, and LA. I'm not sure if that's such a "bad" thing just because everyone doesn't think that one specific line is funny. but each destination will find experience a show uniquely.

It's just a slight pet peeve of mine - like saying people aren't going to understand Les Mis b/c they're not French, or Wicked because we don't live in Oz, or Light in the Piazza b/c we're not Italian where full songs are sung in Italian.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:16pm

Well, I don't think you can apply that kind of thinking to EVERY show. The language barrier is an integral part of Piazza. Ideally, maybe we're not "supposed" to understand the words. Clara doesn't.

Updated On: 6/28/07 at 12:16 PM

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:23pm

^ We're not supposted to

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:32pm

I don't think anyone would argue that in any play or musical there will be references that only someone who is a part of a specific "culture" will get. When I read Kentucky writers like Bobbie Ann Mason or Marsha Norman I feel like I'm listening to friends and relatives--something a native New Yorker probably would not feel. But what Mason, Norman, and Sondheim also do is make their work universal enough so it can speak to a broader audience as well. That's the same reason we still have productions of Shakespeare's works 400 years on.

I'm sure where "Company" is concerned that there are jokes that may not "land" as well if you're not a New Yorker, but I still found it to be one of the most moving evenings I've spent in a theatre. What I DID relate to was Bobby's angst and ambivelence. As someone in his late thirties without a relationship, I often feel like Bobby--on the outside looking in and wondering exactly what it is that I want. I in no way think that the specific New York references detract from the overall enjoyment of the show by a non-New Yorker.

[mint0621]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:35pm

there is a universality in the show that anyone, regardless of destination, should appeal to. Just because some of the NY jokes fall "flat" doesn't mean that's necessarily bad. If anything, I feel that this show might perpetuate stereotypes of NY-ers; we are all blase, don't care about anything, wear black only...which are all things people think about New Yorkers anyways.

I think it's a bit insulting to think that the show should only be for NY audiences. If you think this way, you are giving far less credit to the understanding of the average theater goer :)

I've lived in New York for three years and have taken many out-of-towner friends to see this show and they have enjoyed it fully.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:39pm

I think we all agree that being a New Yorker is not a prerequisite to enjoying or being moved by Company, just like you dont have to be French or Italian to be moved by Les Mis or Piazza. You can absolutely relate to elements in the show - and of course not everyone is going to decode the text or music in the same way anyway. But the show's run in NY in itself has illustrated that the show isn't for everyone - even New Yorkers.

I think what we're trying to figure out is whether or not there are enough people in places outside NY who will enjoy it enough so that they can carry a successful tour.

Updated On: 6/28/07 at 12:39 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 12:39pm

Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to insult theater goers across the country or whatever. I'm just saying that certain parts of the show work best here. Not only does it use some of the stereotypes, but I think it taps into things we think about ourselves, too. As a WHOLE, it's not site-specific. Just in certain moments.

Updated On: 6/28/07 at 12:39 PM

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 1:06pm

What Another Hundred People is trying to say (probably) does not identify with people who do not live in New York. That's not an "in-joke", it's a major theme in the show.

You can be moved my Company if you don't live in the city, you just don't identify with it as much. I know that if I wasn't a New Yorker, I wouldn't be able to love the show as much as I do now.

[artscallion]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 1:21pm

Company is, and has been, done all over the country every day in repertory and community theatre ever since rights became available some twenty-five years ago. The only Sondheim shows that are performed more often are Into the Woods and West Side Story.

Just in the last six months it's played/playing in the following places:


* Samford University, Birmingham, AL, Apr 19-23.
* Webb School of California, Claremont, CA, Feb 9-10.
* Poway Performing Arts Company, Poway, CA, Mar 8-Apr 1.
* Hancock College, Santa Maria, CA, Jun 14-Jul 15.
* Connecticut College, New London, CT, Apr 26-29.
* Miami Acting Company, Coral Gables, FL, Apr 20-29.
* Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL, Apr 5-14.
* Arts Alliance, Evanston, IL, Apr 12-14.
* Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, Apr 12-14.
* Triton College, River Grove, IL, May 4-13.
* Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, Apr 13-22.
* Southborough Players, Marlboro, MA, Mar 24-Apr 1.
* Tufts University, Medford, MA, Apr 19-28.
* Salem State College, Salem, MA, Apr 19-29.
* Little Theatre of Owatonna, Owatonna, MN, Feb 22-Mar 3.
* Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN, Apr 20-23.
* Lindenwood University, Saint Charles, MO, Mar 8-17.
* Nena Productions, New Brunswick, NJ, Mar 16-25.
* New York Philharmonic, New York, NY, Mar 7-10.
* Ethel Barrymore Theater, New York, NY, Oct 30, 2006-(open)
* Playhouse South, Miamisburg, OH, Feb 8-18.
* Oxford Area Community Theatre, Oxford, OH, Jan 19-27.
* University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, Apr 27-May 6.
* Providence College, Providence, RI, Mar 30-Apr 15.
* Rogersville Playhouse, Rogersville, TN, Feb 2-11.
* Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, Feb 23-Mar 4.
* Four County Players, Barboursville, VA, Mar 9-25.
* Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA, Apr 19-22.


I love New Yorkers dearly, and yes, you are very "special" people. But the rest of us do "get it." Company is not THAT New York specific. And the few times that it is, most people are either familiar with the refernces or sophisticated enough to be able to get the gist of the reference.

Sondheim wants us to "get" everything. And that's how he writes. That's a big part of his genius.

[mint0621]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 3:45pm

Broadway audiences are largely made up of out-of-towners anyways...so just because it didn't find its audience in NYC does not mean that it won't otherwise. Given the scaled-back scenery/props and no separate orchestra will keep production costs down, and I am delighted that other audiences outside of NYC will be able to experience this unique production of Company.