Review: COMPANY National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago

Director Marianne Elliot’s gender-swapped COMPANY centers on Bobbie, a 35-year-old single woman living in New York City with a chorus of married friends full of opinions about her relationship status. Stephen Sondheim’s intellectually and emotionally stimulating musical originally focused on Bobby, an elusive bachelor who, for most of the show, seems reluctant to settle down. Based on a series of vignettes by book writer George Furth, COMPANY was a 1970 exploration of marriage and romantic relationships. While it’s since been sometimes accused of being dated, Elliot’s reimagining of the material makes it fresh and expands out the musical’s central theme to become a search for connection. This COMPANY is a touching portrait of one woman’s attempts to connect with her friends amid a bustling New York City, simultaneously a connecting and isolating place. 

I think the switch from Bobby to Bobbie feels so entirely natural that it’s hard to imagine doing this musical just about any other way in 2023 (Elliot’s production debuted at the National Theater in 2018 before transferring to the West End and later to Broadway). This vision is brilliantly realized with book changes that help contextualize some of the key switches. Bobbie’s best friend, originally Amy, is now Jamie, who has a crisis on the day of his wedding to Paul. Although not all of the revised dialogue totally lands, overall the concept works, and most of Sondheim’s specific cultural references are preserved.

This ensemble is first-rate, and Chicago audiences will be especially excited to see James Earl Jones II as Harry (a great foil for Kathryn Allison as his wife, Sarah) and Ali Louis Bourzgui, who was phenomenal in the title role of THE WHO’S TOMMY at Goodman Theatre, as Paul — the Jamie’s fiancé (played by Matt Rodin — in the original production, Jamie was Amy). The ensemble nails their harmonies, particularly the disembodied chorus of “Bobbies” chiming in at the beginning of the show, and throughout, a representation of Bobbie’s liminal status.

As Bobbie, Britney Coleman is a mystery. But then again, that’s precisely the point. As originally written, Bobby was elusive and unknowable; oftentimes, he was a participant-observer of his friend’s actions. Here, Coleman makes Bobbie into a master of social monitoring, which is often culturally ascribed as a feminine trait. Bobbie’s a real empath as she shifts her mannerisms and behavior to accommodate her friends’ emotional revelations. She also has a soaring, crystalline voice with a pure tone that’s endlessly pleasant; Bobbie’s not an easy vocal part, but Coleman has a sense of ease about her. The catch, however, is that because Bobbie is so adept at social monitoring, she’s also unknowable to the audience. It’s hard to tell precisely what Bobbie wants, which is particularly keen in the show’s act one closer “Marry Me A Little.” 

It’s in the moments leading up to “Marry Me A Little” that Coleman allows us to see what I think is closest to the true Bobbie. Fittingly, this depth of character is revealed during one of the show’s most fantastic moments. Elliot’s production, and this tour cast, absolutely nail the act one climax “Getting Married Today.” On the day of Jamie’s wedding, he has an anxiety-ridden breakdown as he contemplates pledging his “fidelity forever” to Paul. Rodin is divine as the frantic, frenzied Jamie, delivering his patter song at warp speed. Bourzgui is a magnificent foil for Jamie as the calm, patient, and loving Paul. Rodin and Bourzgui deliver a stunning contrast necessary to make the song work, along with a dynamite performance from Marina Kondo (who also plays Susan) as the song’s female soloist. Delightfully, Kondo keeps popping up in stranger and stranger places to deliver her verses. Also worth noting: I was drawn to Bourzgui in every single one of the group numbers in which he appears.

In what might be a millennial woman’s pipe dream, Bobbie has three men on her dating roster who seem surprisingly ready to commit. As Bobbie’s lovers Andy (originally April), PJ (originally Marta) and Theo (originally Kathy), Jacob Dickey, Tyler Hardwick, and David Socolar give an uproarious performance in “You Could Drive A Person Crazy” in which they opine about Bobbie’s mixed signals. Their harmonies are impeccable, and the antics are at a ten. It’s a specific, hilarious contrast to Bobbie’s more grounded and mysterious energy. 

The vignettes with Bobbie and her suitors are also highlights. Dickey plays Andy as a well-intentioned but unintelligent soul, a flighty flight attendant if you will. Bobbie and Andy’s post-coital number “Barcelona” certainly lives up to its awkward, blustering energy. Hardwick plays PJ as full of verve and endless optimism about the possibilities of New York City, which he reveals in his solo “Another Hundred People” and in his wistful conversation with Bobbie. Socolar is warm and genuine as Theo, perhaps the most eligible of Bobbie’s suitors, though Coleman’s frantic energy in their exchange reveals her reticence about the connection. Even in these conversations, we see Bobbie as a social monitor; she’s a slightly different woman with each of the men she dates, and it’s unclear which one is the “real” Bobbie (if any).

While this staging reveals a deep understanding of COMPANY’s theme about the elusive search for connection, Bobbie’s final revelation that she might, after all, really want marriage, seems rushed. There’s a glimpse of it in the second act piece “Tick Tock,” which also now serves as an obvious reminder of Bobbie’s ticking biological clock. 

While Bobbie’s older friend Joanne’s 11 o’clock number “The Ladies Who Lunch” is usually a hallmark of the show, here it’s presented with a rather light touch. Judy McLane handles the song vocally just fine, but it’s not the kind of bravura performance that’s been a staple of some past productions. Likewise, Joanne’s proposition that Bobbie sleep with her husband Larry doesn’t land quite right (in the original production, Joanne propositioned herself to Bobby). 

It feels pivotal that Bobbie then poses the question “Who will take care of me?,” changed from “Who will I take care of?” in the original book, because that affirms traditional gender roles. But I wasn’t convinced that Joanne and Bobbie’s conversation set Bobbie down the path strongly enough for COMPANY’s stunning finale “Being Alive.” Coleman performs the number beautifully, and I have no quibbles with that. But in a musical that’s so deeply emotional and a meditation on human connection — or lack there of — I think the latter part needs higher stakes. 

Undoubtedly, this COMPANY reminded me why this is an absolute masterpiece from Sondheim. It’s an intellectually and emotionally stimulating production. The show’s themes of longing for connection and the human desire to have someone see us for who we truly are are entirely present. I’ll drink to that! 

The Broadway In Chicago engagement of the COMPANY national tour runs through November 12 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 West Randolph.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Review by Rachel Weinberg

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