The Musical Company *****

I first saw Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company in 1971, a few months after it opened its 700-performance run. I recently saw a gender-switched revival in San Francisco.

The play is still as fresh as it was a half century ago, especially with the decision to make Bobbie a woman with commitment issues, rather than Bobby the man in the original. The music is rousing; George Furth’s book, such as it is, is a book, and the music and lyrics are pure Sondheim. Need I say more?

Whether you have seen it before or not, see it in your city:

• Portland, OR. Keller Auditorium. Jul 16 - Jul 21. ...
• Seattle, WA. Paramount Theatre. Jul 23 - Jul 28. ...
• Los Angeles, CA. Pantages Theatre. Jul 30 - Aug 18. ...
• Las Vegas, NV. The Smith Center. Aug 20 - Aug 25. ...
• Dallas, TX. AT&T Performing Arts Center. Sep 25 - Sep 29. ...
• Fort Worth, TX. Bass Performance Hall. Oct 1 - Oct 6.

Comments

[Robert E. Malchman]

I saw recently that George Furth wrote Company, and was, "Wait, the guy from Blazing Saddles? That guy?" And sure enough, this comedic actor from the '70s (as I remembered him) was also a successful playwright. I had no idea.

Of course, you'd have to pay me my billing rate, and probably with a lodestar multiplier, to go see a musical.