The North American Tour of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company is playing in Portland now through Sunday, July 21. Most of Sondheim’s witty, clever and sophisticated music and lyrics remain unchanged from the 1970 original Broadway production. But gender swapping the main character, turning a bride and groom into two grooms, and moving the setting to the present day has given Company fresh, new life. The result is so good, it won the 2022 Tony Award for best musical revival.
Company is a comedy that examines the pros and cons of married life. Bobbie, a single woman, is turning 35, and her friends — all couples — have gathered to celebrate the birthday of their favorite third wheel. And maybe help her find a husband. Or not. Because, as the cast sings, if “you like indescribable bliss” and “laughter filling your days,” then “what do you want to get married for?”
Every single person in the cast, including the four understudies who went on opening night, are stellar. They’re supported by ingenious staging and set design. Big, neon rimmed cubes of monochromatic gray slide around and click together to create the different Manhattan apartment homes of Bobbie and her friends. Wait until you see Paul and Jamie’s hilarious wedding breakfast scene, complete with a quirky priest in rainbow socks and Birkenstocks who turns up in the most unexpected places.
That being said, I suggest leaving the kids at home. A show about finding love as you approach middle age is one that mature audience members will appreciate more than teens or even young adults. While officially recommended for ages 12+, there’s a lot in the show I wouldn’t want my 12 year-old to see. For one, most scenes include drinking, several involve someone getting drunk and there’s a whole scene about a character’s drinking problem. Then there’s the very funny scene where Bobbie and two of her friends get high smoking pot. In the bedroom scene, the actors strip down to their skivvies and jump under the covers, and what happens next doesn’t leave much to the imagination. It’s true that most teens have been exposed to some level of sex, drug and alcohol use through tv shows and movies. But if you think watching a sex scene on screen is awkward, watching it on stage is even more so, especially if you’re sitting next to your mom or dad.
So get a sitter, and enjoy a great grown-ups night out. Tickets can be purchased at Broadway in Portland and range from $34.75 – $129.75.
And, for a show the whole family will enjoy, reserve your seats now for Broadway in Portland’s 2024-25 season opener, Peter Pan, playing August 27- September 1. It’s a new adaptation, rewritten to respectfully represent indigenous characters.
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