Griffin Theatre revives Sondheim classic 'Company'
Romance is easy. Courtship is easy. Saying “I do is easy.
Marriage is hard. And it's not all it's cracked up to be according to “Company, Stephen Sondheim's urbane, alluring look at marital discord that examines the subject from the perspective of several upper middle-class New York couples and the sole singleton around whom they orbit.
Not everything is rosy in these relationships, which are underscored by doubt and disillusionment. Yet “Company which combines Sondheim's gorgeous melodies and droll lyrics with a discerning book by George Furth suggests that love, or something like it, can bloom even in the rockiest soil.
Griffin Theatre's respectable, zealously performed revival updates the 1970 groundbreaker with an iPhone and telling costumes from Alison Siple. Aside from that, director Jonathan Berry doesn't tinker with the original, although I expect his clever and arresting uses of silhouette and shadow may find their way into subsequent productions. Ultimately, “Company doesn't require updating. It resonates because fear of committing oneself to another person, of committing to the wrong person or of never committing at all is timeless.
It's embodied by “Company's detached, wary Bobby (Benjamin Sprunger), a 35-year-old bachelor surrounded by married and soon-to-be-married friends who encourage him to plunge into matrimony's rough waters. Bobby experiences firsthand their complex, imperfect relationships, revealed through a series of vignettes that play out on Jessica Kuehnau's spare, bi-level set, whose black and gray palette suggests New York City's concrete and steel.
The funniest involves the endearingly neurotic Amy played by Elk Grove Village's Darci Nalepa whose frenetic “Getting Married Today delights and whose wedding-day jitters threaten her relationship with her fiancé, Paul (Danny Taylor). The most uncomfortable involves acerbic, oft-married Joanne (Allison Cain, more weary than predatory), whose husband Larry (Larry Baldacci) resists her efforts to sabotage their marriage. David (Paul Fagen), meanwhile, longs for the freedom he gave up when he married sweet Jenny (Lombard's Nikki Klix). Then there's perfect couple Susan (Grayslake's Laura McClain, whose voice is simply glorious) and Peter (a deliberate Robert McLean) whose divorce improves their relationship. Finally there's newly sober Harry (Trey Maclin) and weight-conscious Sarah (Mari Stratton), who express their frustration through karate, one of the little things they do together.
Also obsessing over Bobby are bohemian Marta (petite powerhouse Dana Tretta), appealingly dim flight attendant April (a very funny Samantha Dubina) and Kathy, the one who got away (poignantly played by Wheaton's Elizabeth Lanza).
Recognizing the commitment-averse Bobby won't deliver what they desire, the dynamite trio bids him farewell with “You Could Drive a Person Crazy, a showstopping send-off pristinely sung.
The acting is quite good, but the show suffers from sluggish pacing. Two hours and 40 minutes is a stretch.
More problematic, however, is the diligent but ultimately miscast Sprunger, whose performance was characterized by intonation and phrasing problems that made “Being Alive, Bobby's musical epiphany, a disappointment.
Sprunger's Bobby is so impenetrable, it's difficult to care about him. Yes, Bobby's an enigma, but he's an enigma with charisma, and Sprunger displays none of the magnetism that would inspire so much affection from so many.
That said, Griffin's production delivers some terrific musical moments.
Case in point: the deliciously peppy act two opener “Side By Side/ “What Would We Do Without You? and the haunting “Sorry-Grateful, a frank account of marital ambivalence and devotion beautifully sung by Maclin with Fagen and Baldacci. In addition, music director Allison Kane's tight, four-piece ensemble is first-rate.
Too bad a poor sound mix resulted in the accompaniment occasionally overpowering Sondheim's wry lyrics.
“Company
“Company"
Rating: ★★½
Location: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, (773) 327-5252 or <a href="http://griffintheatre.com">griffintheatre.com</a>
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 14
Running time: About two hours, 40 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $22 to $32
Parking: Metered parking nearby
Rating: For adults, includes strong language and sexual content