Tony/Olivier-winner to direct gender-swapped COMPANY; Sondheim approves- Page 2

[Valentina3]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:29pm

imeldasturn said: "Cynthia sang a stellar being alive in London a couple of years ago

http://through-my-memoirs.tumblr.com/post/136061019929/cynthia-erivo-sings-being-alive-from-company#notes"

 

I'm crying here. THANKYOU SO MUCH.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:37pm

didn't Sondheim shoot down an all-male version of COMPANY a year or two ago?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:46pm

My two cents:

I don't think Robert was written with any intention of him being gay. Sondheim and Furth say he is straight. That said, you could certainly make that choice as an actor or director. Sometimes an author is not the best interpreter of their own work.

Regarding a female in the role, it's interesting but if they are going to make Joanne become "John" and stuff I don't know if the production would work except as a fun concept for those who already know the show really well.

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 8:19pm

imeldasturn said: "Cynthia sang a stellar being alive in London a couple of years ago

OMG I had completely forgotten about this (and didn't know there was a recording floating about). If this was the rendition at "WestEnd Recast" that I saw she ALSO stopped the show with "Memphis Lives In Me". 

Updated On: 11/27/16 at 08:19 PM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 8:47pm

Oh. My. Dear. Goodness. I now want nothing more than a fully staged Company with Cynthia Erivo at the helm so I can bawl my eyes out to her live "Being Alive." THANK YOU for posting, imeldasturn!!!

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 9:28pm

umm, where is this audio/video of Erivo's Being Alive? I've searched and can't find it.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 9:31pm

ACL, imeldasturn posted it on the previous page!  https://through-my-memoirs.tumblr.com/post/136061019929/cynthia-erivo-sings-being-alive-from-company#notes

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 9:49pm

completely missed it. thank you!

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 12:50pm

I've been saying it since age 15 and I'll share it here too. I don't care if you are Larry Kert, if you portray Bobby as gay you lose the whole point of the piece. It essentially turns into a coming out story, when in reality the moral is SO much more deep and complicated than that.

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 1:37pm

Years ago I saw a production of Company that my friend was in. Due to an unexpected sickness, the Larry was unable to perform and had no understudy. The stage manager, a youngish woman, had no choice but to step in and play the role for that performance only- she was referred to as Laura, and gendered pronouns changed, but nothing else was changed at all.

 

It gave Joanne a very interesting character fillip- a woman who has been married, repeatedly, to men, but has partnered up with a woman this time around and doesn't feel the need to explain or justify. Granted it was a last-minute emergency quick fix, but there was an interesting character study.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 2:24pm

At first I was like "mrrrr, no," but then I gave it some thought and I think it could actually bring something really valuable and interesting to the show. I'm down. I'll be super curious about more details of the changes as they emerge! 

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 2:24pm

Sorry, double post. That's what I get for vanishing for so long.

Updated On: 11/28/16 at 02:24 PM

[SweetLips]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 1:11am

What will they do with June/April--can't see a pilot being that indecisive about leaving and not turning up for his flight-maybe a steward though.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 2:04am

i think it has been established that Bobbie and the girlfriends are now lesbians

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 3:50am

The director said that April will become an Andy so who knows what will happen to the other two girls

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 8:18pm

Has anyone else heard any updates about this production of Company? Is it still coming out in the West End in the fall?

 

[goldenboy]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 8:56pm

Back in 1979 there was something called the Octagon Theatre Club. They performed in the Carter Hotel Ballroom.  They did shows like Apple Tree, 110 in the Shade and Drat the Cat. I was cast in an all male version of Company.

We rehearsed for a few weeks and few days before we were to open the Producers got a cease and desist and the show never opened. Rumor had it the cease and decist came from Sondheim. Who knows. We never opened.

It really worked with all male couples and Bobby being single. I remeber the it was "a Steven kind of Sammy.. a Jimmyish Jerome....Someone is waithing warm as Steven"'

Are we ready for this yet?

[CallMeAl2]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 10:51pm

ACL2006 said: "didn't Sondheim shoot down an all-male version of COMPANY a year or two ago?"

In my opinion, an all-male Company is a gimmick. But making Bobby bisexual and switching one or two of the couples to same-sex pairs would be interesting.

[wiggum2]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 11:31am

There's a lot of lyrics that will need to be changed... Doesn't Joanne call Bobby Robert in poor baby(and in other places)... WIll she be Roberta?

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 11:43am

There is also a lot of 'fella' and 'kiddo' used.  But you could spin it as affectionate ribbing of a butch chick.

I saw Victoria Clark and Gregg Edelman do a gender swapped Barcelona and it was very funny.  He played it as a Spanish flight attendant with a Castillian lisp.  

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 12:04pm

If Company's subtext were that Bobby can't commit to any woman because what he really wants is a man, than the actual text of Company would be a disaster.
Which fortunately it isn't.

Anyway, I agree that I'm not sure "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" would be convincing as a song sung by three guys who want to marry Bobbi.  
However, it might be interesting as a song for three of Bobbi's married women friends who can't deal with her repeatedly turning down such eligible men.

[wiggum2]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 2:16pm

imeldasturn said: "The director said that April will become an Andy so who knows what will happen to the other two girls

 

"

How is Barcelona gonna work then?

 

[asimplegal2]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 2:18pm

wiggum2 said: "imeldasturn said: "The director said that April will become an Andy so who knows what will happen to the other two girls

 

"

How is Barcelona gonna work then?

 

 

"

Because male flight attendants exist ?

[Kad]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 2:18pm

It'd be sung by two women. Not sure what the issue is there.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/21/17 at 2:23pm

It was noted above that they may make 'April' 'Andy' and male.  But it will still work.  Though the joke of 'June' 'April' will be lost.