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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Jun 17, 2011
As Stephen Sondheim musicals go, “Company” is what you could call non-traditional. And it was even more non-traditional when it debuted on Broadway more than 40 years ago. It lacks the sort of plot and narrative structure that lend themselves easily to feature filming.
But this all-star cast version, filmed before a live audience at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York, makes for great company in the multiplex. It’s showing in limited release June 19 and 21 at movie theaters throughout Wisconsin (see list below).
At the center of this work are the internal conflicts of eternally single straight man Bobby (a marvelous Neil Patrick Harris). His married friends envy his bachelorhood even as they try to nudge him into wedded commitment. At the same time, they reinforce Bobby’s single status by offering him an up-close glimpse of all the flaws in their relationships.
For instance, there’s the oft-married – and divorced – Joanne (the legendary, mega-watt Patti LuPone, pictured) and her latest husband Larry (Jim Walton). There’s the domestic disorder of Sarah (Martha Plimpton, who is a revelation) and Harry (Stephen Colbert, ditto), which verges on violence.
Not that Bobby’s single life is all it’s cracked up to be. We see him struggling with the three main romantic relationships in his life. Flight attendant April (Christina Hendricks), free-spirit Marta (Anika Noni Rose) and New England-bound Kathy (Chryssie Whitehead) all present him with the potential for happiness. If only he could come to some sort of decision about what he really wants.
None of this would be particularly extraordinary without the songs. Even if you are not a show-tune queen, it’s hard to resist the play’s signature numbers, the best of which include the title song, “The Little Things You Do Together,” “Sorry-Grateful,” “You Could Drive A Person Crazy,” “Side By Side By Side,” “Barcelona,” along with such eternal classics as “Getting Married Today,” “Another Hundred People,” “Being Alive,” and, of course, “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
Although it’s 40 years old, in its exploration of the comparative virtues of marriage and bachelorhood, “Company” might be more relevant than ever for the gay community, as it stands on the brink of marriage equality.
In Wisconsin, you can get some “Company” at:
POINT ULTRASCREEN CINEMAS 16, Madison
CINEMA THEATRES, LaCrosse
MARC CINEMAS, Sheboygan
EASTGATE CINEMAS 16, Madison,
TINSELTOWN KENOSHA, Kenosha
MAJESTIC BROOKFIELD 16, Waukesha
MENOMONEE FALLS 16, Menomonee Falls
RENAISSANCE, Sturtevant
SOUTH SHORE CINEMAS, Oak Creek
BAY PARK CINEMAS, Ashwaubenon
OAKWOOD CINEMA 12, Eau Claire
APPLETON EAST 16 CINEMAS, Appleton
