“Company” opens with Bobbie coming into her tiny apartment dragging a mylar balloon showing the number 35 and carrying a brown-paper-bagged bottle of bourbon. She pours a drink and listens to her voice mail, one of which is from a friend who lets it slip that Bobbie’s friends have a surprise party planned for her.
Bobbie is single and surrounded by married friends who want to know why Bobbie’s not married. What follows is a series of vignettes, with Bobbie’s married friends showing her what their marriages are all about.
There’s a musical underscoring of many of the transitions between scenes that sounds like a ticking clock. You know, Bobbie’s biological clock.
This is Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” which won six Tony Awards when it was originally produced in 1970. The 2021Broadway revival – which swapped the lead performer’s gender from male to female – won five more Tonys, including one for Best Revival of a Musical.
Being a Sondheim show, it is lyric-heavy with some tricky music, but everyone handles it very well. “Company” is the final show of the Providence Performing Arts Center’s 2023-2024 season, and runs through Sunday, April 28.
Some of the vignettes are flat-out hilarious. The first features Sarah (Kathryn Allison) and Larry (Derrick Davis). Sarah’s very controlling, correcting just about everything Larry has to say. Larry has a drinking problem, while Sarah must marshal her willpower to avoid eating the brownie she offers to Bobbie. Their scene is dominated by Sarah demonstrating her jiu jitsu skills on Larry.
Others are funny but more poignant, like the one where Jamie (Matt Rodin) and Paul (Jhardon DiShon Milton) are preparing for their wedding. Jamie has cold feet, and sings “Getting Married Today” perfectly. The song is interrupted by minister (Marina Kondo) who pops up unexpectedly in different locations, lightening the mood.
There’s a lovely three-part harmony by Bobbie’s boyfriends – Andy (Jacob Dickey), Theo (David Socolar) and PJ (Tyler Hardwick) – in “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.” Dickey plays a larger role as a ditzy airline attendant with zero self-esteem who happily proclaims, “I’m dumb!”
The second act gets a little weird, with “Poor Baby,” which is sung by most of the cast to Bobbie and Andy while the couple is actively engaged in Bobbie’s bed. Shortly afterward, there’s what can best be described as a techno goth dance number that serves as a backdrop to Joanne (Judy McLane) as she sings “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
The thread that runs through the entire show is Bobbie (Britney Coleman). Coleman plays the role well, running the emotional gamut. She gets to display her impressive vocal range with “Marry Me a Little” and her powerful belting in “Being Alive.”
I’d never seen “Company,” but I did know some of the music. I did enjoy the show, but on the way out, I did notice some patrons shaking their heads. Some said they didn’t get it. So, like everything else in theater, you’ll have to make up your own mind. “Company” is worth seeing.
“Company” runs through April 28 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. For tickets and information, call the box office at 401.421.ARTS or visit www.ppacri.org.
