Matthew Murphy
Company Bass Hall
Being both in my mid-30s and single, attending the musical “Company,” which is showing at Bass Hall through this weekend, hit particularly hard.
While laugh-out-loud funny in numerous parts — it’s the most I’ve chuckled at Bass Hall, ever — it was also incredibly intuitive and perceptive concerning the struggles of a single 30-something. It’s a dramedy in the truest sense of the word, and I left the theater feeling no closer to finding solutions to what society (and certain loved ones who will go unnamed) deems a problem, and I suspect this is the point. As cliché as it may sound, it is what it is, and no amount of pressure should force one’s hand in marriage.
The original, a Stephen Sondheim musical produced on Broadway in 1970, was an enormous hit, both critically and commercially, and took home six Tony Awards. As I was told, the book of this version remains largely unchanged — a series of vignettes between the main character, a single person about to turn 35, and their married friends who, despite having a plethora of problems themselves, feel the need to offer advice and solutions for the soon-to-be-35-year-old’s singlehood. The difference between the original and this revival, which hit Broadway in 2021, comes in the form of gender-swapping. Rather than the main character, Bobby, being a man, it’s now a woman (Bobbie) … talk about added pressure.
This modernized take certainly adds a wrinkle, as we’re now forced to consider Bobbie’s “biological clock,” and certain unfortunate and unnecessary pressures from friends, family, or society that are exclusive to women. Yes, there are other contemporary tweaks: there is now a gay couple and other married couples have also switched genders. The fact the dialogue and characters, despite originally written for opposite genders, work seamlessly speaks to our natural withdrawal from gender stereotypes. Not terrible to pat ourselves on the back for this accomplishment.
It is a lengthy musical — 2 hours and 40 minutes, by my watch — but it swiftly breezes through its vignettes; having wonderful dialogue doesn’t hurt. And the musical is particularly talky. Not Aaron Sorkin talky, but the spoken interactions between the characters is what drives the narrative forward.
And the creative and mostly minimal set design places more emphasis on the characters, all of which were wonderfully acted — there isn’t a weak chain in the link. I particularly appreciated the performances of the lead, Bobbie, played by Britney Coleman; her older, cynical friend Joanne, played by Judy McLane; and the hilarious take on her simple-minded flight attendant boyfriend, Andy, played by Jacob Dickey.
Bottom line: It’s an incredible musical I won’t soon forget, and I recommend taking in this weekend.
To purchase tickets to "Company," which will have its last performance Sunday, Oct. 6, click here.
