To be married or not to be. That is the question that drives the musical comedy Company. With its book by George Furth, the breakthrough 1970 Broadway musical features music and lyrics by iconic American composer Stephen Sondheim that cast a comedy-inflected, nuanced eye on the once de rigueur institution. In doing so, the show did the same for the Broadway musical.
Now, Footlight Players offers its hand at the beloved work in a frothy new production at Queen Street Playhouse with some standout moments certain to resonate with those on either side of the marriage fence, or anyone who appreciates Sondheim’s singular artistry and inimitable wit. Directed by Kyle Barnette, it runs through May 10.
Full disclosure: On lone afternoons in front of my laptop, I’ve been known to command that Alexa fire up the original cast recording of “The Ladies Who Lunch,” which famously features Elaine Stritch laying phenomenal waste to the number in a manner so arresting and aching and bracing and wry that it always scratches whatever existential itch has seized me. (Translate: At Queen Street Playhouse, Maggie Worsdale is set up to slip into some formidable shoes.)
But first, the show’s set up. It’s the 35th birthday of a genial New Yorker named Bobby. At the party thrown by a set of five married or engaged couples, it’s clear he’s on the fence about whether to be married. His pals have ample to offer, both by way of unsolicited advice and by their often squabbling, complex example, too.
At the same time the show serves up a trio of prospects for the bachelor – Kathy (Giulia Marie Dalbec), April (Elizabeth Hoyland) and Marta (Ariana Snowden) – whose personalities could not be more distinct from one another, wide-ranging options that further complicate Bobby’s cold feet.
To spotlight pros and cons, Bobby (Brandon Chinn) bops bemusingly from one visit to the next with this made-in-Manhattan rogue’s gallery, mulling in world and song whether settling down to enjoy the company of one person is advised. The show amiably frolics then submerges in the well-known crests and dips of musical theater, while at the same time foregoing well-trod pablum to offer a soundtrack for contemporary paradoxes.
Take recovering alcoholic Harry (Hancock) and dieting foodie Sarah (Jessica Shamble), who together battle their temptations by battling one another in their new pursuit of learning karate. Joanne (Worsdale) and company parse this in the bright, quirky “The Little Things You Do Together.” Or Southern-fried Susan (Madelyn Knight) and hubby Peter (Matthew Foster) who crack their marital contract, or straight-laced Jenny (Erin Rosebrock) and hipster David (Joshua Broome) who enjoy their own wedded high via Bobby’s joint.
That takes a turn for the poignant with the ruminative male gaze of “Sorry-Grateful,” sung by Aaron Hancock as Harry, Joshua Broome as David and Johnny Cassell as Larry. Worry not: The female perspective has its say as Bobby’s love interest form a mirthful old-school trio deliver the light-hearted “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” – and Jenna Newman’s virtuosic, Amy Sedaris-channeling rendition of altar-queasy bride Amy in “I’m Not Getting Married Today.”
At the same time, Company also sheds light on a complex relationship close to my own heart, the one with Manhattan. In this production, this is magnificently manifest in Ariana Snowden’s glorious go at “Another Hundred People” that dares you not to embrace the daunting proposition of joining the surge of the city.
But for me this show hinges on “The Ladies Who Lunch,” the Vodka Stinger-clinking salvo by the thrice-married Joanne, wife of Larry (Johnny Cassell) who takes dead aim at the plight of the kept woman. This is no small feat for any actor and I’m delighted to say Worsdale wholly owns the role, commanding the stage and the song with an authority illustrating her professional chops and emotional reserves. As the jaded Joanne offers, I’ll drink to that.
As Bobby, Chinn heads out of the gate holding his cards, but this noncommittal mien ultimately reveals his inner angst and yearning Joanna calls him on his m.o. He then unleashes a soul-stirring, heart-grabbing “Being Alive,” demonstrating that this dilemma as old as time can be wrapped in Broadway jazz hands.
Experiencing Company through a contemporary lens did have the unexpected effect of revealing it as the period piece it now is. In a world that has lately gone utterly cynical, one in which marriage-as-contract has ascended the highest echelons, the unvarnished truisms on the institution’s pitfalls don’t startle or soothe in quite the way they did when this show hit the boards, and can seem downright quaint in the bloodsport that is today’s world.
Still, the craving for companionship at the heart of the work transcends. Don’t fret, Bobby, that’s the human condition. You’re in good company.
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Footlight Players at Queen Street Playhouse, 20 Queen St. Shows at 7:30 p.m. on May 1, 2, 8 and 9 with 3 p.m. matinees on May 3 and 10. Tickets start at $55, with some discounts. More: footlightplayers.net.
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