Cover photo: The North American Tour of COMPANY. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
Stephen Sondheim’s and George Furth’s 1970’s musical COMPANY has been reimagined and jolted into the 21st century. The revival was born from a Sondheim and Marianne Elliott collaboration that won five Tonys in 2022. It’s currently playing in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from October 31 to November 12, 2023.
This fresh take involves gender reversals, which allow us to ask questions about love, life, and marriage in a more relatable, modern way–and one which highlights the female perspective from the main character, Bobbie.
Bobbie has just turned 35, and she is surrounded by good company. But, she wrestles with realizations of loneliness and doubts about partnership in the face of friends who question when in the world she will find a lifelong partner. These friends are a cast of diverse characters whose own struggles in love are both comedic and reflective of the realities of marriage.
The stage design uniquely puts each scene into boxes on stage, allowing Bobbie to step in and out of moments in time. We are shown the snippets of Bobbie’s interactions with her friends that have made an impact on how she views and questions love, from wedding day jitters to a romantically heated jujitsu fight. How do her friends do it? Are they happy?
At other moments, she’s stuck inside a box, such as when she finds herself alone in her home on her birthday, unable to open any door, or when she physically crawls out from a balcony to escape the awkward moment when her friends announce their divorce. Is marriage worth it? Is she ready to “settle down” in the big city of New York? Bobbie is restless as she moves from one box to the next.
Britney Coleman (Bobbie) is both playful and powerful, with vocals on songs like “Being Alive” that acutely shift you from comedy into emotionally gripping ballad. An audience favorite is the impressive and highly amusing patter song, “Getting Married Today,” performed by Matt Rodin (Jamie)--a scene that is then amplified in absurdity by the illusions woven into the set design.
If you are looking for something to laugh about, something to relate to, something to reflect on, this show is for you. While other musicals are beloved for the way they pull you into a fantastical universe, COMPANY grounds you in a thought-provoking reality that reminds us what it’s like to be alive.
Find more information about COMPANY and Broadway in Chicago at www.broadwayinchicago.com/.