So, you know what my favorite musical is.
Next in line (and not too-distant a cousin musically and lyrically) is Sondheim's Company.
I was just telling Risa and Keith about it this weekend at dinner. It introduced a little-homo Jeremy to an alcohol-drenched Elaine Stritch. Even as a youth I connected on some level with her version of "Ladies Who Lunch." (Little did I know that it was a staple for drag queens the world over.)
Anyway, the newest version of Company on Broadway has been getting lots of hype. Its directed by the same guy who recently brought back Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd." Yeah, you heard about it, all the actors double as musicians. So they're all on-stage all the time and people like Patti LuPone have the chance to wow you even more by displaying their prowess on an instrument.
So that's the same set up for the new version of Company. Some people like it. Others, not so much.
The cast album doesn't come out until March 6th, but some pirate-y type person has taken it upon themselves to upload video clips of the newest production to YouTube.
Below is the show's centerpiece--"Being Alive." In bad productions of Company, Bobby is merely the hub around which the cast of zany Gothamites rotate. In a good production of Company (and this to me, looks like a good production), Bobby's inability to break free from his bachelorhood is the reason the rest of the cast appears so zany. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Bobby is the lens through which the rest of the cast is viewed--so by the time we get to "Being Alive," it either resonates because Bobby was portrayed well, or just falls flat, because, who really cares about this 35 year-old bachelor who can't commit.
Anyway, that's just my take on the whole thing.
So, here is the amazing Raul Esparza taking a huge bite of the number. Enjoy!
Next in line (and not too-distant a cousin musically and lyrically) is Sondheim's Company.
I was just telling Risa and Keith about it this weekend at dinner. It introduced a little-homo Jeremy to an alcohol-drenched Elaine Stritch. Even as a youth I connected on some level with her version of "Ladies Who Lunch." (Little did I know that it was a staple for drag queens the world over.)
Anyway, the newest version of Company on Broadway has been getting lots of hype. Its directed by the same guy who recently brought back Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd." Yeah, you heard about it, all the actors double as musicians. So they're all on-stage all the time and people like Patti LuPone have the chance to wow you even more by displaying their prowess on an instrument.
So that's the same set up for the new version of Company. Some people like it. Others, not so much.
The cast album doesn't come out until March 6th, but some pirate-y type person has taken it upon themselves to upload video clips of the newest production to YouTube.
Below is the show's centerpiece--"Being Alive." In bad productions of Company, Bobby is merely the hub around which the cast of zany Gothamites rotate. In a good production of Company (and this to me, looks like a good production), Bobby's inability to break free from his bachelorhood is the reason the rest of the cast appears so zany. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Bobby is the lens through which the rest of the cast is viewed--so by the time we get to "Being Alive," it either resonates because Bobby was portrayed well, or just falls flat, because, who really cares about this 35 year-old bachelor who can't commit.
Anyway, that's just my take on the whole thing.
So, here is the amazing Raul Esparza taking a huge bite of the number. Enjoy!
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