Read the whole thing here.Two weeks after Stephen Sondheim’s death, a revival of his first great musical has arrived on Broadway. And while revivals of “Company” long ago became common—I’ve reviewed five—this one, directed by Marianne Elliott, is by definition exceptional, for it is a high-concept production originally mounted on London’s West End in whch Bobby, the seemingly confirmed bachelor whom all his friends long to see married, becomes Bobbie, a sexy bachelorette in a red pant suit, played by none other than Katrina Lenk, who shot to stage stardom as a result of her performance in “The Band’s Visit.”
What’s the point of the gender juggling? According to Ms. Elliott, the original premise of “Company,” which was first performed in 1970 and in which Bobby has just turned 35, is no longer valid for contemporary viewers. Casting him as an unmarried woman of the same age, by contrast, is consistent with the experience of today’s women, who are forever being asked why they haven’t settled down, gotten married and started a family (nobody, she says, asks men the same question anymore). Hence this production….
This one makes the same mistake, only in a more systematic way, and I don’t see how updating “Company” serves the needs of so masterly a show, which was prophetic in 1970 and doesn’t require Ms. Elliott’s help to be relevant in 2021. Nor am I enthusiastic about her staging…
