Matthew Murphy
Britney Coleman as Bobbie and Jacob Dickey as Andy in the revival of "Company"
The Broadway revival of the 1970 Stephen Sondheim musical, “Company,” is making its way through Fort Worth this week. For those unacquainted, the original production, which was nominated for a then-record 14 Tony Awards, follows a mid-30s bachelor, Bobby, interacting via vignettes with his cadre of married friends. Though not quite reaching the heights of Sondheim’s “West Side Story” or “Sweeney Todd,” the comedic and at times profound “Company” was still a major hit and, with three separate revivals, has seen over 1,200 Broadway performances.
This third revival takes a slightly different approach and gender swaps the main character, who now spells it Bobbie. With some of the supporting cast’s genders and sexual orientations changed, this is no doubt a modern approach to the 1970 musical but, as Sondheim said of the revival before he passed in 2021, “What keeps theater alive is the chance always to do it differently, with not only fresh casts, but fresh viewpoints. It's not just a matter of changing pronouns, but attitudes.”
Before the show kicks off at Bass Performance Hall Tuesday, Oct. 1, we chatted with Jacob Dickey, who plays Andy in the revival — April in the original. Dickey, whose credits include the titular role in “Aladdin” and Moses in “Prince of Egypt,” grew up in a Marine Corps family and had stints living in Texas before ultimately ending up in Virginia Beach. His interest in singing and acting piqued while singing in church and he would attend James Madison University in Virginia before heading to Broadway. His father, who’s originally from Richardson, recently moved to Fort Worth, so Dickey will get to skip the hotel stay.
Before we got off the phone, Dickey assured us that his dad has a “a lot of things on his list” that he’d like to show him while in town. “We’ll see if he can get it done in a week.”
Fort Worth Magazine: Hi Jacob, so you’re on tour right now, right?
Jacob Dickey: I am, yeah. I’m in Sacramento, California right now.
FW: What’s that like?
JD: It’s really nice. I was here a few years ago with “Aladdin” on tour, but it’s been a minute. The weather is great. Can’t complain.
FW: How are you enjoying being on tour?
JD: I’m really enjoying it! [Bass Hall marks the last stop on “Company’s” North American tour] I am simultaneously ready to be home. A year on the road is a long time, but I love this show, and it’s a great group of people, and the travel has been amazing. But it can be tough. You’re out here for a long time, so I’m ready to be back.
FW: I understand this is a revival based on a 1970 musical, but they made a lot of changes. Can you explain some of these changes and why Fort Worthians should check it out?
JD: Well, the original came out in the early ‘70s by Stephen Sonheim and George Furth [who wrote the book]. It was the story of a young, well, a young-ish man on the eve of his 35th birthday, and you watch him interacting with all of his friends who are married or have been married. He interacts with some of his girlfriends of the past and present. And, basically, the big question is “What is the next step for Bobby?” Is he going to marry? Is he going to settle down? Is he going to continue his bachelor lifestyle and the pressure that society puts on that?
FW: I relate.
JD: Oh, great! Okay, so this version takes Bobby, who was a man, and makes it a woman. We have Bobbie. She has three boyfriends, a few of the other genders have also been swapped. One of her best friends is now a gay couple.
So, it takes all of those issues that were present in the 70s, the original production, and now highlights them in a more contemporary manner. Women these days, when they’re turning 35, they have a biological timeline. They have the pressures of society to be a professional, but also be married, but also live your own life, but also, everything. It’s all put on their shoulders. So, to see [the musical] through the lens of a woman on the eve of her 35th birthday in 2024 feels more contextualized for what we’re used to today.
Matthew Murphy
Company Bass Hall
FW: I remember seeing the “Oklahoma” revival a couple of years ago, and what fascinated me was how it was such a different approach to the original yet the book largely remained the same. It was the same story, same songs, same words, yet through some creative shifts, it felt like it changed everything. Is this revival similar? Or did they change the book, as well?
JD: It actually is really, really close to the original. The only things that have been changed are a few cuts made for time and the pronouns. Even the lead’s name is still Bobbie. It's really incredible because, similar to the “Oklahoma” revival, it speaks to what can be done with the timeliness of the script. So, the universality of what was written in the 70s still holds true today.
FW: What has typically been the reception of the show, especially from people who saw the original?
JD: To be honest, it’s been mixed. And I think that’s what’s exciting about this piece. It isn't a piece that every single person is going to love. It's a concept musical. It’s Sondheim music, so it's complex and different sounding than maybe what people would expect. But it’s mixed. We've had people who love the original and there's a nostalgia there and love how it was originally done. And then we have people who've seen it and come up to us and are, like, “We've never seen this done like this, and it's so exciting.”
I think the one thing that holds true is, at the end of the day, it’s a comedy. I think people are across the board surprised that every scene is hilarious. I mean, there are all these themes about life and love and the pursuit of happiness, but at the core, it’s all told through the guise of comedy.
FW: And I would assume that the comedy is what makes it universal. To be frank, you do have some people in Fort Worth who will see the gender reversals and change of sexual orientation for one of the couples and dismiss [the musical] as woke. They’ll put that label on it. But telling the story comedically, maybe that’ll make everything more palatable and even challenge their preconceptions.
JD: For sure. I mean, that's my favorite type of theater. It’s been really challenging and exciting to tour a show like this through America at this time because there are things that have challenged certain audiences that we didn’t expect. There have been audiences where we make the assumption they’re going to hate it, but they ended up loving it. You never know where people stand, and [the musical] does reach quite an array of people. Whether it’s the comedy, the story, or the lead, there’s so much for everybody in this.
FW: So, tell me about the character you play, Andy.
JD: Andy is a very, very sweet man. He was originally April, so he’s a flight attendant. We like to call him the resident bimbo.
It’s really interesting to play him because the way April was originally written is honestly a little cliché. I mean, she was a dumb blonde. So, now, flipping it on its head and seeing somebody who looks like me in the role — a bigger man who also maintains this level of spaciness — is hilarious. And it’s something that challenges audiences in a way. Some people comment and say, “It’s downright funny,” and some people are not really sure what to do with him because he is weird. I mean, the first thing Bobbie says about him is he’s sweet and he’s odd. I embrace that oddity, and it’s been really fun to play him. He means well the entire time, and sometimes he just doesn’t know what’s going on.
FW: So, do you have an ideal part in a musical you would love to take a stab at and play at some point? What’s your dream role?
JD: I mean, there’s tons. One that’s about to come out on Broadway, though I’m a little young for it, is “Floyd Collins.” It’s a musical by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau. It’s a very niche story about a guy getting caught in a cave and the story of trying to rescue him. But the music is so stunning, and it’s just a really cool contemplation on what matters in life and how you leave this world.
"Company" opens in Fort Worth Tuesday, Oct. 1, and will be performing at Bass Performance Hall through Oct. 6. Click here to purchase tickets.
