Company, the musical comedy masterpiece about the search for love and cocktails in New York, is turned on its head in Elliott's revelatory staging, in which musical theatre's most iconic bachelor is now a bachelorette. At Bobbie's 35th birthday party, all her friends are wondering why isn't she married? Why can't she find the right man? And, why can't she settle down and have a family? This whip smart musical comedy, given a game-changing makeover for a modern-day Manhattan, features some of Sondheim's best loved songs, including "Company," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side," and the iconic "Being Alive."
The production is entirely fused with the bluish glow of the cellphones which tether the characters together and, in many ways, the continued relevance of the themes of the piece shine through. Musings on connections and loneliness seem freshly pertinent as Bobbie flicks through voicemails alone in her tiny apartment. The comedy of each scenario is played up to cartoonish highs and Liam Steel’s sharp choreography punctuates the staging perfectly, making the evening a bonafide musical theatre smash. Elliott has concocted dreamy, surrealist imagery that takes us into Bobbie’s imagination and conveys a more emotional story than realism could muster. With sets and costumes by Bunny Christie, audiences are treated to imaginative visuals that supersede the standard LED screens of modern touring shows.
“Company” stands tall among Sondheim’s many great works, the likes of which also include “Sweeney Todd,” “West Side Story” and “Into the Woods.” Like those musicals, it continues to stand the test of time — and in this case, also adjusting to the times.
| 1970 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 1971 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
| 1972 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 1978 | Off-Broadway |
Equity Library Theatre Revival Off-Broadway |
| 1980 | Off-Off-Broadway |
Off-Off-Broadway Revival Off-Off-Broadway |
| 1987 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
| 1993 | Broadway |
Reunion Concert Broadway |
| 1995 | Broadway |
Roundabout Revival Broadway |
| 1995 | West End |
Donmar Warehouse Revival West End |
| 2002 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Sondheim Festival Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
| 2004 | Los Angeles |
Reprise! Concert Los Angeles |
| 2006 |
Cincinnati Playhouse Revival |
|
| 2006 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2007 | New York |
New York Concert New York |
| 2017 | Regional (US) |
Barrington Stage Company Revival Regional (US) |
| 2018 | West End |
West End Revival Production West End |
| 2021 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2023 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
Videos