***** Doesn’t everyone have a “group”?. I think that at some time in every person’s life, they are part of a “group”. I know that in my second marriage, we were part of a social group that resembled the one that is what Stephen Sondheim and George Furth created in “Company”, one of the powerful musicals dealing with life and changes in said life. This is the story about a young person reaching a certain point in life ( turning age 35) and those who are their besties. The original character was a confirmed bachelor named Bobby, but when they decided to redo for Broadway, they decided to make the main character Bobbie ( Britney Coleman does a nice job, but is not as strong as her ensemble) female. They have also made some other gender changes, and perhaps since I have been witness to great evolvement in the world of theater, I did not mind any of them. In fact, the scene with Jamie ( Matt Rodin, a Glenbrook North Grad, is amazing and does one of Sondheim’s most difficult songs, “”Getting Married Today” with great ease) and Paul (Ali Louis Bourzgui , who we just saw in “Tommy” at The Goodman) is what I would have to call a “show-stopper”. The audience was so swept into this number and its presentation, I think they would have given them a standing ovation. It was that good!
Directed by Marianne Elliott on a wonderful ( and easy) set by Bunny Christie, this two-and-a-half-hour play moves quickly and never has you looking at your watch. It is always nice to have a road company hit town and see some familiar “Chicago” actors on the stage. I know that we have the talent and it is always great to see that the Broadway people recognize us for what we bring to the table. Another bright moment in this show is Joanne (brilliantly handled by Judy McLane) does her “The Ladies Who Lunch”. This is another example of the way that Sondheim takes words and stirs them up to make lyrics that truly make a statement.
A lot of audience members who have never seen this show know many of the songs from albums recorded by Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin, who love Sondheim, but they just did not know where they were from. Now they know. All of Bobbie’s friends are surprising her for her birthday and all want to know why she has yet to settle down and make a life. During our visit into her life we get to see the experiences of her friends, both single and married and the men in her life. The three men do a song that I cherish as it has been my theme song with my wife for over 20 years. The song is “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” and the three guys are adorable ( Andy, Pj, and Theo played by Jacob Dickey, Tyler Hardwick, and David Socolar). By the way, PJ does a superb job in handling another Sondheim tongue twister “Another Hundred People”.
The other ensemble members are as follows: Kathryn Allison, Will Blum, Derrick Davis, Javier Ignacio, James Earl Jones II, Marino Kondo and Emma Stratton. Most audiences do not appreciate the importance of the ensemble in a musical, large or small, but these people are more than players doing some lines and songs. They dance, they help move set pieces and are the glue that holds the pieces together and makes the play complete. This ensemble is dynamite. I am sorry that Jane had to miss this powerful show and hope that we can catch it before it leaves town. I would love to watch it again. It was that good!
The story is well told and we get to see life through Bobbie’s eyes. I am sure you will “get it”!
“Company” will continue thru November 12th with performances as follows:
Thu, Nov 2:7:30pm
Fri, Nov 3:7:30pm
Sat, Nov 4:2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sun, Nov 5:2:00pm & 7:30pm
Tue, Nov 7:7:30pm
Wed, Nov 8:2:00pm & 7:30pm
Thu, Nov 9:7:30pm
Fri, Nov 10:7:30pm
Sat, Nov 11:2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sun, Nov 12:2:00pm
Show Type: Musical
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Company”.
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