Saturday, April 9, 2011

NO STRINGS, GOOD TIMES: A few thoughts on the NY Phil's production of Company, which I quite liked:
  • Because most of the performers are actors first and singers second, the book scenes actually worked better than the songs in many instances. This was particularly the case with Colbert, who knocked his comic scene out of the park (he plays the guy who has his wife, played by Martha Plimpton here, demonstrate "kara-tay" on him), but whose chunk of "Sorry/Grateful" was merely OK.
  • However, two of the cast members known primarily for theatre work disappointed in their songs. I'm guessing that "Another Hundred People" is murderously hard to sing, but Anika Noni Rose seemed hoarse, and while her rendition was technically better, I preferred the passion Angel Desai brought to it in the revival a few years back. Patti Lupone did her thing as Joanne, particularly in "Ladies Who Lunch," which didn't do much for me--I found it over-enunciated and over-done, even though that mode kind of fits the song. That said, both of them got extended ovations from the audience at the song's end.
  • Interestingly, even though it was only a semi-staged concert performance, the production included "Tick Tock," an instrumental dance number centered around a love scene between Bobby and April (played here by Christina Hendricks, though she doesn't dance it). This benefits Hendricks, not just because it gets her less clad (yes, there's a negligee involved), but giving her character another scene, and it's nice to see her playing something far more reminiscent of where she is at the start of "Our Mrs. Reynolds" than Joan Harris. She also gets to sing, and acquits herself decently.
  • Because of where he's cast, Craig Bierko is largely wasted--his one "big moment" is a book scene in Act II that has not aged well (those who know the show can easily identify). He does what he can with the scene, but it's still one of the false notes in the show.
  • Although she largely disappears in Act II (again, because of the structure of the show), Katie Finneran is the MVP of Act I, with her rendition of "Getting Married Today" and the subsequent book scene, which is really funny and effectively serves as a turning point for Robert.
  • NPH has a hard job to do as Bobby--while he's the lead, he only carries three numbers in the show, and mostly has to function as a reactor to his friends. That said, it all comes down to "Being Alive." Most Bobbys treat it as a vocal showpiece, full of vibrato and big glory notes. NPH doesn't have that kind of voice, so he plays it differently--emphasizing the acting. The lyrics are repeated twice, with slight lyrical variations--the first time through, NPH chooses to read them cynically and bitterly, but progressing till he hits something, and there's a change until at the end, it's all about hope and joy. As Sondheim put it--the song "starts as a complaint but becomes a prayer"--and NPH nails that, making him quite worthy.
If you're a fan of Sondheim and/or NPH, the video will be worth seeking out, in part because the production will likely iron out kinks (best takes of numbers will be used and the sound mix will be balanced, I expect, eliminating the problem that sometimes happened with the orchestra being so large and effective as to swallow a performer's voice), but even on its own merits.

17 comments:

  1. Great review- thanks for posting. It confirms the reactions I had after I recently saw a local production. I came away feeling that overall the show has not aged well; in particular, I really disliked "The Ladies Who Lunch." The number brought the show to a screeching halt; the actress stepped forward and delivered it in a manner that made me feel like I'd suddenly started watching another, completely different Sondheim musical about a bitter drunk old woman. The number does absolutely nothing to further the storyline and says nothing at all about Bobby. Why does Joanne deserve this huge star turn?

    Even "Another Hundred People" begs to be rewritten so it doesn't make my 20-something friends ask, "What's the line 'my service will explain' mean?"

    The show's references seem increasingly irrelevant- I imagine, especially outside the NYC area. Sometimes a show can entertain and/or resonate even if an audience doesn't understand why certain things are supposed to be funny (or tragic); for this one, it just doesn't happen.

    I would want to see this particular production for the same reasons you did. But perhaps it's time to stop playing "Company" straight and to start presenting it as a full-on, self-aware time capsule of a time that no longer exists? (I say the same about RENT, btw).

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  2. Joseph J. Finn12:15 AM

    Assuming Craig Bierko played Peter, that part is a bit of a roadblock in retrospect and a sign of the times more than anything else.  I'm not sure if it even especially worked in 1970, but now?

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  3. Yes.  He plays Peter, but that book scene was added/revised by Sondheim and Furth for the first round of revivals in the 90s--it wasn't in the original score.  Finishing the Hat also indicates that "You Could Drive A Preson Crazy" had a lyrical tweak to remove a word that had become a slur.

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  4. Christy in Philly10:44 AM

    Great review. I am really glad I can say that I (1) went to Lincoln Center, (2) saw NPH and Patti Lupone perform live.

    Being Alive is the only song from Company that I knew really well before the show. I had seen performances of Ladies Who Lunch and Getting Married Today on Youtube. Having seen it, I actually don't really care for most of the music in the show. While I found Anika Noni Rose's performance one of the most memorable of the show, I didn't care for the song (the music more than the lyrics).

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  5. KCosmo12:39 PM

    Thanks for posting, Matt.  I am happy to hear that I made the right call here:  i.e., that my strong dislike of Sondheim trumps my appreciation for wonderful performers.

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  6. The program notes specifically stated that this production took place in 1970, though other productions have tried to play it more contemporary or without a time specificity.  Yes, some things have aged badly--"service will explain," April as a "flight attendant," which in the 70s was a glamorous profession and now, not so much, the treatment of drugs and alcohol (drugs more than alcohol), but a lot of it does work.  I do think a revised/updated book and some lyrical tweaks are in order if the show is going to be presented as taking place in the present day, but as someone nearing Bobby's age, a lot of the themes and concepts remain relevant.

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  7. Anonymous8:06 PM

    Thouroughly looking forward to the video. For some reason "Or my service will explain" is just the most grating time marker/anachronism for me every time I hear it. Right now I would replace it with "or I'll text you and explain" but I have the feeling the line sounded clunky in 1970.

    I'd love to hear NPH sing a restored "Happily Ever After," but I don't think the show really has any way to recover if that's your act break.

    Patty LuPone to me never sings in character- all of her songs are about the performance, and she never just gets out of the way of the song, (See "Anything Goes") which is why I really don't like hearing her sing Sondheim. She's probably the part I've been least looking forward to, expecially since no one's ever really figured out what dto do with "Ladies Who Lunch" other than imitate Elaine Strich, or pointedly not imitate Elaine Strich yet not bring much new to the song.

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  8. Eric J.9:50 PM

    That was me above.

    Currently watching "Company: Original Cast Album," which is available on Netflix Instant. If you're a Sondheim fan and haven't ever watched this, you're really missing something.

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  9. Heather K10:02 AM

    I really love that song, and aside from the obvious anachronisms, Another Hundred People really speaks to me and to a few specific times in my life both when I was 22 and just moved to NYC from nowhere eastern wachington having never lived in a city before and when I was 25-27 and living in Chicago and single and just the way you meet and dont and do connect with people all at once and as you find your life in a new city as a post-college/post-grad school adult and start to find that never going back to school there is no more summer vacation place in your life oh also while trying to find a someone unhorrible to be with.

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  10. me and the mister saw it on saturday, and I loved it.  I thought it was nice to see the show played with a lighter touch than the productions I'd seen before, probably  mostly b/c of the staging (which I thought was excellent) and NPH's being charming as all get out.

    I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Patti LuPone's Ladies Who Lunch (less so my husband, but he was one of the ones hit with the drink at the end of the song b/c we somehow got seats in the front row).  And You Could Drive a Person Crazy was never one of my favorite songs, but I thought this version was charming.

    Katie Finneran's Not Getting Married Today wasn't the best on Saturday in terms of singing, but she killed the performance aspect.  I loved Martha Plimpton, and was surprised at how well Stephen Colbert did.

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