What About Bobby?

The show Company begins with Bobby's friends all calling his name. "Bobby," the various couples say, "come on over for dinner." And here's how they sweeten the offer: it'll "just be the three of us." Bobby is 35 years old and single. All his friends are married, and seem capable of only discussing the state of being married, their wedding, their kids, or worse, why Bobby isn't married yet. He is a perpetual third wheel or odd man out, and it's not so much fun anymore for him. Not surprisingly, his friends just don't get it. They think that if Bobby isn't married yet, and doesn't seem to want to get married, there must be something wrong with him. God forbid he just hasn't met the right person yet, or maybe he's just not ready.

Perhaps you can see why Company is a show that hits close to home with me. Though it was written and first performed in the 1970s, the revival now playing on Broadway (which I saw on Saturday night) feels current and relevant, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's almost as if this show is a musical — and better — version of the show What About Brian? I guess Stephen Sondheim really was ahead of his time. (Full disclosure: we wrote about Company in the November issue of Continental.)

Anyway, tempting though it might be to write a long, analytical review, I'll hold off and just say Raul Esparza (Bobby) is great, and I also liked Angel Desai (Marta), who sings "Another Hundred People;" Heather Laws (Amy), who sings "Getting Married Today;" and Leenya Rideout (Jenny). The simple yet elegant "set" and basic black costume design makes for a classy night of theater. And like with Sweeney Todd last year, John Doyle's gimmick of having the actors also serve as the orchestra works quite well, especially with the not-so-subtle symbolism of Bobby being the only character without an instrument to play.

I first saw Company in a high school production nearly 15 years ago, and over the years it has become more relevant to me. Consequently, I consider it an all-time favorite show. This new production only strengthened that distinction. If you're in New York, I highly recommend it.