MY 2 CENT REVIEW: Company (The Movie)

If you know anything about me personally, you know I'm a true "Broadway baby".  I grew up with fondness for Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals (The King and I, etc.), moving onto a crush for Kander & Ebb (Cabaret, etc.), in my teens until I found my true love, Stephen Sondheim in my twenties. It happened one afternoon while sitting in my 1st bedroom in my parents house which housed a TV.  I was mindlessly watching TV when I stumbled up on "Sunday in the Park with George" featuring Mandy Pitinkin and Bernadette Peters on A & E.  I was curious at first and soon became captivated.  I never heard a musical like that.  Complex vocal and orchestral arrangements, unique and sometimes biting lyrics, incredible stage direction and innovative set design and effects.  From that moment on...I wanted to know more.  To hear more...to experience more of Sondheim's art.

I have since seen 3 different productions of "Sunday in the Park with George" and each moved me to tears. I've been blessed to see a production of "A Little Night Music", which convinced me that the song, "Send in the Clowns", (when in context), is not a horrible song.  I even converted, in some small ways, my husband who's not into musical theatre.  Last year, we went to see the incredible production of "Sondheim on Sondheim" which explored his telling of his songwriting and his career combined with stellar performances of his music from such greats as Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and the always surprising Tom Wopat (yes, Luke Duke).  I own DVDs of "Into the Woods", "Putting it Together", "Sweeney Todd" (the original cast), "Sunday in the Park with George" and the last Broadway production of the film I'm discussing now...as well as the documentary of the original cast recording.  Am I obsessed?  Yes.

Today, I was blessed to receive a surprising text message from fellow "Musical"-lover Keri asking me if I was interested in attending a Fathom Event at a movie theatre in Oak Ridge with sweet man, James.  It was latest production of the musical COMPANY, which got a great preview on this year's Tony Awards.  COMPANY is my 2nd favorite of all the Sondheim musicals.  It details the relationships of the main character "Bobby", and his interactions with 5 couples of married friends.  It's an honest, not sugar coated, sometimes cynical but in the end...endearing portrait of marriage and the views of a single man who is a voyeur into the lives of his friends.  It also details 3 dating experiences of this man who's just not sure what side of the coupled fence he'd prefer to be on at this time in his life.  I quickly threw on some clothes and out the door I went.

I am SO glad I got it together in time to see this showing.  This production of COMPANY pairs the genius of the New York Philarmonic with insanely good performances by Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton (who the hell knew she could sing - and well), Christina Hendricks, Craig Bierko, Jon Cryer, the sublime Broadway grande dame of our age, Patti LuPone and that's only to name a small few of the performers who round out the cast.  The timing was incredible.  The cast so true to the material which has really stood the test of time (as the play originally was produced first in the 70s).  The themes are still both true and relevant.  The music, still moving.  The joys and struggles of marriage so beautifully set to music.  Trying to act cool, I couldn't help but clear a tear away as Neil Patrick Harris belts "Marry Me a Little" and the original add-on song "Being Alive".  Even songs from the male perspective hit notes of resonance with many married women including "Sorry, Grateful".  Add to that, Patti LuPone's almost TOO perfect belting of "Ladies Who Lunch"...it was musical gold.

I HOPE that this is a production that see's a release on DVD at some point, but in the meantime if you want to see musical theatre at some of its finest...get thee to to a theatre near you (I've seen it listed as playing this week at CARMIKE Wynnsong on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM), and give the old musical a try.  It might surprise you how relevant some of the old stuff can be.

In order to wet your appetite, I give you the first song back after the intermission (which is somewhat different than a lot of the songs in the musical).  ENJOY and buy your ticket NOW!