Company at the Connor Palace Theatre is an Absolute Treat (with Mixed Results)

These days, there are a number of plays, shown in this area and elsewhere, in which the lead male role is gender-switched leading to insightful and successful productions. And until that casting practice is banned by the Ohio legislature (after they have made sure gender guards are posted at all the public restrooms) we can enjoy the richness produced by female performers in male Shakespearean roles and perhaps many others.

In Stephen Sondheim’s iconic Company, now at the Connor Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square, the main role of the man Bobby has been switched to a female named, conveniently, Bobbie. While the show is an absolute treat, that casting flip turns in some mixed results.

This tale about a person resisting the temptations of marriage (the book is by George Furth, based on a series of his one-act plays) is a bit off-center with a woman in the central, marriage-averse role of Bobbie. It’s not that someone couldn’t compose a musical about such a woman, it’s just that Company isn’t that show and was never intended to be.

In the role of Bobbie, a game and bubbly Britney Coleman sings the songs well. But the lyrics are often a near miss, as if she were wearing a suit tailored at the Men’s Wearhouse—fine from a distance but not perfect when you look closely. This mismatch is inevitable since the play is essentially about relationships, and relationships are gender-driven no matter where the participants are on the gender spectrum.

As written back in 1970, Bobby was a passive guy, almost a cipher, who was responding to his friendly but intrusive gaggle of couples who want him to get married, now that he’s turned 35.

But age 35 is different for men and women in our culture, a basic truth we don’t need to explicate here. And unless we learn more about Bobbie’s character, it’s hard for the audience to sort out her motivations.

Setting that issue aside, Company was innovative when it opened as a “concept” musical with no traditional storyline. Comprised of short vignettes, the script maneuvers Bobbie through various situations where she interacts with her different married pals.

The touring company directed by Marianne Elliott soars in almost all scenes, but sags in a couple others. As mentioned above, the showstopper is “Getting Married Today” in which the gay men Jamie (Matt Rodin) and Paul (Jhardon DiShon Milton) have a wedding scheduled. But Jamie is nervous and shares his panic with Bobbie, setting the stage for a hilarious production number featuring a singing love priestess (Marina Kondo) and others urging him on as they appear from unexpected places, including the kitchen refrigerator.

Also excellent is “Sorry-Grateful,” a song by three dudes, Harry (James Earl Jones II), David (Matt Bittner) and Larry (Derrick Davis), who mull over the bipolar nature of a committed relationship: “You’re sorry-grateful/Regretful-happy/Why look for answers/Where none occur?”

Bobbie has an overnight hook-up with airline steward Andy (a delightfully dense Jacob Dickey) that culminates in one of Sondheim’s best songs, “Barcelona.” But the downbeat stinger at the end of the song falls flat here since the relationship dynamics are muddled by the gender switch.

A couple vignettes that also don’t work as well include an early visit to a couple that is having marital difficulties due to Harry (Jones II doubling) being on the wagon and Sarah (Kathryn Allison) being empowered by her jujitsu exercises. Their over-the-top acting choices feel out of tune with the rest of the show, more appropriate for a skit on Hee-Haw rather than this sophisticated urban yarn.

And while Judy McLane as Joanne (in the Elaine Stritch role) provides a dry dose of cynicism throughout the proceedings, she suddenly goes mellow during the acid drenched “The Ladies Who Lunch.” Anchored on her barstool and more drunk than dyspeptic, McLane concedes total ownership of the song to Stritch.

To her credit, Coleman spreads her vocal wings in the final song, “Being Alive,” giving it a warm and personal turn, even if her voice in the higher registers has a tendency to squee when it should soar.

The scenic design by Bunny Christie features square and oblong boxes, at times confining Bobbie by herself and the couples at other times, with the interiors of those boxes all painted in prison-issue monochromatic gray. Deal with that color scheme symbolism as you wish.

If Stephen Sondheim had written a musical about a woman who is hesitant about marriage, he would most certainly have written different songs. Since we can’t have that show, we should happily make do with the Bobbie version of the original—if for no other reason than Sondheim’s glorious songs await, as always, to delight us.

Company
Through May 19 at Playhouse Square, Connor Palace Theater, 1615 Euclid Ave., clevelandplayhouse.com, 216-241-6000.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter