Company was in previews when the pandemic hit. It shut for over 18 months, but now that the pandemic has subsided the re-visioned version of Company by Stephen Sondheim is definitely one show not to be missed.
After a very successful run in London in 2019, the gender swapping version of Company is something that is creative and a new take on the Sondheim classic.
Bobbie (Katrina Lenk) is celebrating her 35th birthday with a small group of friends. But turning this age triggers a midlife crisis, as such, and we experience the mania surrounding the pressure and expectation Bobbie has on herself and why the world around her is coming close to crashing down.
Directed by Marianne Elliott, this reinvented version of Company is a fascinating idea. Swapping the traditionally male roles to female and vice versa. So we have a female Bobbie and a same sex marriage between Jamie and Paul. A clear twist of genders that makes it an incredibly relevant musical for 2022 that had the blessing of the late Stephen Sondheim, before he passed away last November.
Originally written by the late great Stephen Sondheim, switching up the roles does present the pressures a woman faces by society when she reaches a certain age and for Company that age is 35. We see Bobbie slowly unravel and she questions everything around her, including her friend’s relationships, which slowly unfurl in front of our eyes.
The music of Company is still a classic, especially “The Ladies Who Lunch” sung by the amazing Patti LuPone. Seeing her belt out this number is worth the ticket price alone. But the creativity of swapping the genders, as I mentioned previously, just works so well and makes this a musical that is modern, on point with expectations that face woman and how Bobbie is just questioning everything around her at this point of her life at this significant birthday.
Katrina Lenk as Bobbie is flawless. You cannot think of anyone else in this role. She is powerful but also slowly showing her vulnerabilities on stage. Bobbie slowly comes apart at the seams and Lenk is perfect. She captures the emotional rollercoaster people face when they start questioning purpose of their life.
Patti LuPone as Joanne is a force of nature on the stage. Your eyes are drawn to her every moment she appears. Stellar performance and you understand why she is world renowned as a living icon. LuPone as Joanne just cements her outstanding ability to command the stage.
Company is a nice welcome back to Broadway and a great show to remind the theater loving public why it is important to return to the theater. The current attraction to theater, apart from witnessing creative masterpieces is the simple reason to have a distraction from the outside world.
Company is an outstanding production that you will find yourself lost in the music and singing along with the Sondheim classics.
Company is currently playing Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on West 45th Street New York.
