After beginning performances November 15, Marianne Elliott’s gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company officially opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre December 9. The show was originally slated to open on the late Sondheim's 90th birthday March 22, 2020, but halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a series of vignettes, Company tells the story of New York bachelorette Bobbie (a twist on the show's original protagonist, the bachelor Bobby), who learns about the perils and pleasures of love, marriage, dating, and divorce from her married friends. The classic score includes “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Side by Side,” and “Being Alive."
Tony winners Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone, who star as Bobbie and Joanne, respectively, are joined by fellow returning cast members Matt Doyle as Jamie, Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as David, Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as Harry, Tony nominee Jennifer Simard as Sarah, Terence Archie as Larry, Etai Benson as Paul, Nikki Renée Daniels as Jenny, Claybourne Elder as Andy, Greg Hildreth as Peter, Rashidra Scott as Susan, and Bobby Conte as P.J. Manu Narayan joins the cast for its return, replacing Kyle Dean Massey as Theo.
Rounding out the company are Kathryn Allison, Britney Coleman, Jacob Dickey, Javier Ignacio, Anisha Nagarajan, Nicholas Rodriguez, Heath Saunders, Tally Sessions, and Matt Wall.
The production, which comes to New York after playing London's West End, also features choreography by Liam Steel, sets and costumes by Bunny Christie, lighting by Neil Austin, sound design by Ian Dickinson of Autograph, and illusions by Chris Fisher. Joel Fram serves as music supervisor and director, with orchestrations by David Cullen and dance arrangements by Sam Davis. Casting is by Cindy Tolan.
Company debuted on Broadway in 1970, earning 14 Tony Award nominations and winning six, including Best Musical. It was last revived on the Main Stem in 2006 in another re-imagined production, with John Doyle directing a cast of actor-musicians. Doyle and star Raúl Esparza earned Tony nominations, with the production winning Best Revival of a Musical.
As previously reported, Sondheim, whose thematically complex, lyrically nimble, and musically challenging scores changed the face of musical theatre during the latter half of the 20th century, died November 26. Throughout his six-decade career on Broadway, he earned eight Tony Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement honor in 2008, as well as eight Grammy Awards, one Academy Award, and a Pulitzer, influencing the musical theatre genre and inspiring countless artists.
