Finding Answers | “Company” @ Hollywood Pantages / BIH
Company (Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages)
Saturday was one of those rare beasts: A two-show day. We started the day with Clue at the Ahmanson. We ended it with Company at the Pantages. Company is one of those increasingly rare Stephen Sondheim musicals that I’ve never seen, although I’m familiar with the music (c’mon someone, mount Road Show or The Frogs in Los Angeles).
I first became familiar with Company through the 1970 original cast album with Dean Jones and Elaine Stritch. It’s a hard show to understand through the cast album, although I did enjoy the music. I also have the 2006 revival with Raul Esparza and Barbara Walsh. What I remember from that show was the “Making of…” PBS special. But again: Connecting with the plot line was difficult.
Last night we saw the latest revival at the Pantages. This was the “gender-swapped” version, where bachelor Bobby was swapped to become bachlorette Bobbie. It was updated in other ways: some couples were gay (especially for “Getting Married Today”); others were interracial, and of course, the original ladies Bobby was interested became guys. It was also updated for the times: landlines became cell phones; there were loads of selfies. The casting was color-blind. Having not seen the original version, I can’t address how the gender swap affected the storyline-but I will say the new storyline worked well and held my interest. More on that in a minute.
What didn’t work well was the staging. The artistic conception for much of the show was to have the action take place in enclosed boxes or rectangles with only the fronts open. For those sitting in the pricey orchestra seats clearly in the center, that was great. For those that were on the side, the side walls of the “room” tended to block action and make things hard to see. Please, scenic designers and directors, consider all of the site lines when you block your show, and ensure things are reasonably well visible from all seats in the theatre. The sound also had a problem similar to the Ahmanson: it was muddy and hard to hear. We were in row Q, so that shouldn’t have been the case. Sound designer representatives, when you load in, remember to listen from all points in the theatre and tune the speaker angles to have clear sound as much as possible.
Returning to the story: Now that I’ve actually seen the show, what did I think of the story. Let’s summarize first: The story concerns Bobbie, who is turning 35. She’s unmarried, and her friends are pressuring her to get married. Correction: her coupled friends are pressuring her. She doesn’t seem to have happily uncoupled friends. Through a series of vignettes, we see her spending time with those friends, and observing that their marriages aren’t quite what they seem to be. Some pretend to be happy, but fall back on their vices. Some are scared to get married, even though they love their partners. Some are happier divorced from their partners than married. Some find their happiness in the bottle. This just adds to Bobbie’s confusion: she wants to be married, but is getting mixed signals. Her relationships are helping: potential spouses decide they’ve had enough of her non-commitment and go to someone else. The one that might stay is, to use a metaphor from the earlier show, about as smart as Col. Mustard.
Figuring out her conclusion is hard. It appears to be that she decides the best thing is to be happy with herself as she is: to be alive. She doesn’t need to depend upon others for her happiness. This is her epiphany.
The performances during the show were outstanding. I particularly enjoyed Britney Coleman’s Bobbie. She brought a joy and happiness to the role that was infectious. She was a lot of fun to watch. She also had a great singing voice. Judy McLane’s Joanne was good, but it is hard to imagine she matched up to Stritch. Still, she handled the “Ladies Who Lunch” quite well, as well as “Little Things You Do Together” Also fun to watch was Marina Kondo’s Susan. Most of the other cast members were good, but particularly didn’t stand out too strong. The reworking of “Little Things” didn’t quite have the sonic zing of the original; and the fellow that did “Getting Married Today” didn’t quite have the breath control necessary.
So, should you go see this? I think so: I think it is a very strong version of Company, and the gender switch works. Of course, if you’re a purist, and can’t stand color-blind casting, then you might want to stay away. Go see one of the innumerable productions of Into The Woods or Sweeney Todd instead. Company continues at Broadway In Hollywood/Hollywood Pantages through August 18. Tickets are available through the BIH Website.
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Company. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by George Furth. Originally produced and directed by Harold Prince. Directed by Marianne Elliott. Choreographed by Liam Steel.
Cast and Crew: Britney Coleman Bobbie; Judy McLane Joanne; Matt Bittner David; Derrick Davis Larry; Jessie Hooker-Bailey Sarah; Javier Ignacio Peter; James Earl Jones II Harry; Marina Kondo Susan / Priest; Jhardon DiShon Milton Paul; Matt Rodin Jamie; Emma Stratton Jenny; Jacob Dickey Andy; Tyler Hardwick PJ; David Socolar Theo. Understudies: Matthew Christian; Christopher DeAngelis Dance Captain; Kenneth Quinney Francoeur; CJ Greer; Elysia Jordan; Beth Stafford Laird; Emilie Renier; Christopher Henry Young Dance Captain, Fight Captain.
Music Department: (♯ indicates local): David Cullen Orchestrator; Joel Fram Music Supervision and Additional Vocal Arrangements; Sam Davis Dance Arrangements; Charlie Alterman Music Director, Keys 1; Michael Aarons Music Coordinator; Adrian Ries Asst. Music Director, Keys 2; Catherine Michetti Bass; Anthony Scandora Drums; ♯ Jen Choi Fischer Violin; ♯ Ira Glansbeek Cello; ♯ Jeff Driskill Reed 1 (Alto Sax, Flute, Piccolo); ♯ Brett McDonald Reed 2 (Tenor Sax, Clarinet); ♯ Damon Zick Reed 3 (Baritone Sax, Bass Clarinet, E♭ Clarinet); ♯ Charlie Morillas Trombone; ♯ Patrick Tice-Carroll Keyboard Sub; ♯ Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; Kaye-Houston Music / Anne Kaye, Doug Houston Music Preparation; Phij Adams Music Technology; Lucy Baker-Swinburn Music Technology Assoc.; Randy Cohen, Randy Cohen Keyboards Synthesizer Technician; Martin Lowe and Phij Adams “Company” Dance Remix.
Production and Creative: Bunny Christie Scenic & Costume Design; Neil Austen Lighting Design; Ian Dickinson Original Sound Design; Keith Caggiano Tour Sound Design; Chris Fisher Illusions; Campbell Young Associates Wig & Hair Design; Tara Rubin Casting Casting; Thomas Schall Fight Director; Claire Warden Intimacy Director; Emilie Renier Asst. Choreographer; Steve Bebout▾ Assoc. Director; Simone Sault Assoc. Choreographer; Tanisha Fordham Consulting Assoc. Director; Port City Technical▾ Production Management; Bond Theatrical▾ Tour Booking, Marketing & Publicity; Work Light Productions General Management & Producer; Jay Carey Production Stage Manager; Matthew Brooks Stage Manager; Megan Ciszek Asst. Stage Manager; Timothy R. Semon Production Supervisor; Michael Coglan Company Manager. ▾ indicates same role on Clue.
Favorite Minor Credit: Law Offices of Dora M. Komura, PC/Stephanie Friedberg Immigration Counsel. This is likely due to the UK staff and production folks.
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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at - it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.
Upcoming
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Theatre /
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Music / ◊ Other Live Performance - Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):
- August:
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Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
- September:
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Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Randy Newman’s Faust ⊕ at The Soraya
- October:
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American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper;
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Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals;
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Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
- November:
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Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly
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Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC;
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La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre
On the Theatrical Horizon:
Patrick Page will be bringing All the Devils Are Here to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in April 2025. Looks interesting.
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