Somebody hold me too close. Somebody hurt me too deep. Somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep and make me aware of being alive. Being alive. That’s the plea of protagonist Bobby in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company (book by George Furth) which is currently gracing the stage in the elegant Opera House at The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts in our nation’s capital. Originally produced in 1970 Company was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six.
Fun fact: Furth wrote 11 one-act plays about marriage in New York and Anthony Perkins (yes, THAT Anthony Perkins) of Psycho fame expressed interest in directing it but gave it to Sondheim to look over. Sondheim, in turn, asked famed Broadway producer Harold Prince for his opinion and he thought the plays would be a good basis for a musical about New York marriages examined through a central character. Dean Jones starred in the title role of Bobby, and the show also featured other notables such as Beth Howland (who went on to play in the TV sitcom Alice) and Elaine Stritch whose character’s signature song “Ladies Who Lunch” became her trademark. At the time there had never been a show like Company, which dealt with such topics as dating, marriage, and divorce. In the early 1990’s Sondheim and Furth modernized the show, cut some dialogue, and revised the libretto.
Well, it’s been almost 35 years (a magic show-themed number) since then and Company has gone through yet another refresh. Say goodbye to Bobby and hello to Bobbie. A gender-bender twist has turned the main character female but that’s not all. Fans of the show will be familiar with the engaged couple Paul and Amy. Amy is now Jamie, and the soon-to-be married pair is now gay. And, in keeping with the gender of the central character in his modern telling, the three women from all productions up until now who Bobby had been dating have been replaced by men who are now dating Bobbie. The result of these changes makes for some good theatre and modernizes the production (cell phones anyone?) in such a manner that, for a show that came out in the 1970’s, will appeal to current audiences in so many nuanced ways that it’s just something one must see to experience.
The set is simple and not complex, but don’t let that fool you. Several roll-in flats housing Bobbie’s apartment, a bedroom/bathroom, a living room, kitchen, and front housing facade come in and off throughout the show seamlessly. They serve as backdrop for the various vignettes in which Bobbie interacts with her married (and soon-to-be married) friends.
The show begins and ends with Bobbie’s friends throwing her a surprise 35th birthday party. Bobbie (played by Britney Coleman) is unmarried, and her friends are concerned about her, wanting her to finally settle down and find a man. Coleman’s “Bobbie” is complex and beautiful. She’s the kind of friend anyone would love to have, loyal and always there for you. Yet, this seemingly carefree bachelorette can love so much more, and craves the need to be loved just as equally, and her journey towards that acceptance and self-revelation, told through acting and sung with powerful conviction, will leave you both crying and cheering for her by the end (“Being Alive”).
Looking at marriage through a microscope, Bobbie’s married friends are as diverse as can be, yet each bring their own dynamic. Joanne/Larry (Judy McLane/ Derrick Davis) are the rich typical New York types. Joanne is on her third marriage (or is it fourth?) yet, for all her pretentiousness, there’s a vulnerability to her character that is a perfect foil for Larry who not only knows her well but who loves her deeply. McLane’s philosophizing bar room toast (“Ladies Who Lunch”) toward the end of Act 2 was one of three numbers that, quite literally, stopped the show.
Peter/Susan (Javier Ignacio/Marina Kondo) as the couple who are happier divorced are hysterical to watch. And take note of Mondo’s turn as the “Priest” in the number “Getting Married Today”. Comic genius.
Harry/Sarah (James Earl Jones II/Kathryn Allison) are a hoot as the couple who are trying to give up their vices for a healthier lifestyle but are having a bit of trouble with willpower. Their chemistry with each other makes for some good laughter, and the physical comedy bit they do (“The Little Things You Do Together”) will have you rolling in the aisles. Allison’s physicality, and her interactions with Bobbie (“did you just ask another question?”), as well with Jones, are hysterical.
David/Jenny (Jed Resnick/Emma Stratton) have one of my favorite scenes in the show. Watch for their interaction with Bobbie on the front steps of their apartment building. I don’t know what is funnier, that scene or David’s ever present tube socks.
Finally, we have Paul/Jamie (Jhardon DiShon Milton/Matt Rodin), the young gay couple on the cusp of tying the knot. Paul truly loves Jamie, but Jamie is a tad fearful of marriage. OK, let’s be honest: he’s a basket case and takes the expression “pre-wedding jitters” to the next neurotic level. The gender bender version of “Getting Married Today” was another showstopping moment, with brilliant kitchen staging to back up Rodin’s frenetic fast-paced ballad that is probably, hands down, one of the best I’ve seen to date. I don’t think I’ll ever look at my refrigerator the same again.
These couples genuinely care about their single friend (“Poor Baby”) and there is also a beautiful song (“Sorry-Grateful”) that rings out with glorious three-part harmony when Bobbie asks some of her male friends if they are ever sorry they got married.
And let’s not forget about the boys. Andy/PJ/Theo (Jacob Dickey/Tyler Hardwick/David Socolar) are the men Bobbie has been dating. PJ is the wild one of the three (bad boy in jeans and black boots), Theo is a preppie through and through and Andy is a nice guy although a little…touched. Each of these men have their own moments with Bobbie in another number with inspired and brilliant staging (“Another Hundred People”), but it’s Dickey’s performance as the dimwitted handsome flight attendant with blue briefs (go see the show) that will stand out in your memory long after the curtain has gone down. The couple’s love scene (“Barcelona”) not only makes for some good laughs but also permits the audience to get inside Bobbie’s head and see some her fears by way of a series of fast paced on/off stage clever body doubles. In fact, this “on the outside looking in” technique is used a few times in the show, including a dramatic ending to Act 1, and cleverly allows Bobbie to see what is going from the prospective of an observer, furthering her travels in self-discovery and enabling her to objectively examine her life.
With a simple yet sophisticated set, superb and clever staging, powerful voices and a heartfelt story to tell, the result is a refreshed, modernized classic of a 35th birthday party you don’t want to miss. Spend some time with Bobbie and her friends and you will perhaps turn that microscope onto your own life, think of your own marriage or your married friends, think of the Bobbie (or Bobby) you may know or might have known and, in so doing, understand their struggles a bit better, invite them over for dinner and enjoy each other’s company. After all, that’s what it’s really about, isn’t it?
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
Company plays through March 31st 2024 in The Opera House of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
