Company, the musical comedy masterpiece about the search for love and cocktails in New York, is turned on its head in Elliott's revelatory staging, in which musical theatre's most iconic bachelor is now a bachelorette. At Bobbie's 35th birthday party, all her friends are wondering why isn't she married? Why can't she find the right man? And, why can't she settle down and have a family? This whip smart musical comedy, given a game-changing makeover for a modern-day Manhattan, features some of Sondheim's best loved songs, including "Company," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side," and the iconic "Being Alive."
Like all of Sondheim's shows, the score is gorgeous, intricate, and challenging, and this touring cast does a tremendous job. Britney Coleman's Bobbie is charming and expressive as she enacts some of the most recognizable standards of musical theatre ('Marry Me a Little,' 'Side by Side by Side,' 'Being Alive') with rich, powerful vocal styling. Other standout numbers are the darkly ironic 'Ladies Who Lunch,' vividly performed by Judy McLane, and, of course, the impossibly staccato patter of 'Getting Married Today,' delivered in a flawless, astounding performance by Matt Rodin as Jamie (supported by fiancé Paul and Marina Kondo's hilarious apparating priest.)
The creative team led by director Marianne Elliott wisely leans into this confusion rather than attempting to cover it up. Several hints exist that these events may only be happening in Bobbie’s head, from Neil Austin’s ethereal, purple-red lighting to the way supporting characters emerge from surreal places (a refrigerator, a cake) to the exaggeratedly large birthday balloons in the shape of the number “35” that tower menacingly above Bobbie like Shelley’s “Mont Blanc.”
1970 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1971 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1972 | West End |
London Production West End |
1978 | Off-Broadway |
Equity Library Theatre Revival Off-Broadway |
1980 | Off-Off-Broadway |
Off-Off-Broadway Revival Off-Off-Broadway |
1987 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
1993 | Broadway |
Reunion Concert Broadway |
1995 | Broadway |
Roundabout Revival Broadway |
1995 | West End |
Donmar Warehouse Revival West End |
2002 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Sondheim Festival Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2004 | Los Angeles |
Reprise! Concert Los Angeles |
2006 |
Cincinnati Playhouse Revival |
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2006 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2007 | New York |
New York Concert New York |
2017 | Regional (US) |
Barrington Stage Company Revival Regional (US) |
2018 | West End |
West End Revival Production West End |
2021 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2023 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
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