Sunday Showtunes

PHONE RINGS DOOR CHIMES, IN COMES PBS

“Company” is the revival of the hit Stephen Sondheim show about a bachelor who confronts his friends, all of whom try to give him advice and guidance about marriage.  It won the Tony for Best Revival a few weeks ago, but that wasn’t enough to keep it open – it closes tomorrow.  Today, however, the performance I saw (plus tonight’s show) was taped for a possible broadcast on PBS’s “Great Performances.”  There were 8 cameras that I could see (3 in the back of the house, 2 on the sides, 1 in each wing, and a crane camera in the balcony).  Maybe I’ll be on TV!   (I was in the 4^th row, on the house left aisle of the center orchestra section).  The show started about 20 minutes late due to the taping.

It’s directed by John Doyle with the same gimmick as his “Sweeney Todd” – the actors also play all the instruments. (Warning to future thespians – if you wanna be on Broadway, to paraphrase “Gypsy,” “you gotta get a music lesson”!)   It had the same characteristics – no set save for some clear lucite boxes, black platforms, a bare black theatre rear wall, and a mysterious Greek column center stage; people talk to each other while facing straight out front, and everyone constantly switching off/picking up/putting down instruments.  (‘You just ruined my life; now I will pick up my trumpet’.  ‘I have a heart-wrenching breakthrough to tell you about – I will now sit at the piano and accompany myself in B-flat.’).  Star Raul Esparza was not as histrionic as he was on the Tonys – and in fact much of the show seemed very casual – perhaps they were told to “tone it down” for the TV recording.

While I thought the gimmick worked better for “Company” than it did for “Sweeney Todd” since “Company” is an abstract show to start with, I still didn’t like it and found the choreography of the instruments distracting.  Also, everyone wore black – for my $120 I’d like to at least see a set and some costumes, please.  And the sound levels were bad due to everyone walking around all the time – the “orchestra” blend was off and the brass was sometimes too loud, drowning out lyrics.  I can’t remember EVER hearing a Broadway show where the lyrics were drowned out!

On the whole, I cannot say I enjoyed “Company” very much.  Please Mr. Doyle, hire an orchestra next time!  Let the actors act!

KSHO broadcasts to the Mid-Willamette Valley in Western Oregon.
Among the communities served are Albany, Corvallis, and Lebanon.