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Post by theatremadness on Nov 24, 2016 23:16:21 GMT
Exciting news that Company will be making a return as the 3rd show in the first season of Elliott Harper Productions, with Marianne Elliott directing. But the words 'contemporary adaptation' scare me! Heard that it could be a female lead....
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Post by anthony40 on Nov 24, 2016 23:21:14 GMT
Yay! Another Sondheim!
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Post by theatremadness on Nov 24, 2016 23:22:39 GMT
Female lead it is! I actually have no idea how I feel about this. Can't decide!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2016 23:28:58 GMT
sh*t the bed
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Post by theatremadness on Nov 24, 2016 23:36:17 GMT
Air stewardess April becomes air steward Andy. This is giving me such strange feelings!
I mean there goes the joke in Barcelona...."June"......"Andy"......*silence*
And surely Marta & Kathy will need to change too? Michael and Karl? And all the lyrics in Someone Is Waiting?
Also, it will be set in 2017.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2016 23:43:06 GMT
As a commitment-phobic woman I'm ready for this.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 24, 2016 23:58:48 GMT
OK.... I remain to be convinced by this approach. But will try to keep an open mind.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 0:01:19 GMT
Cynthia is after Rosalie's job...
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Post by theatremadness on Nov 25, 2016 0:04:15 GMT
Of course she is! She had another of her twitter conversations a while back when people were asking her to come back to London, saying that there wasn't anything exciting enough being done for her to come back to London for. Felt like she'd done all there was to do. For someone like Cynthia, this kind of gender blind/gender bending (which is it?) musical casting is what she seems to be looking for.
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Post by Baemax on Nov 25, 2016 0:33:39 GMT
I love the idea of gender-flipping Bobby, but I don't know that Rosalie Craig has the sort of voice I'd want for it, and I wish they weren't being so heteronormative by flipping April as well. Be interesting to see where they go with the rest, especially Kathy, Marta, and maybe Joanne and Peter too.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 25, 2016 0:43:53 GMT
They wanted to do a gay version with Daniel Evans and Alan Cumming as Joanne but this sounds more exciting!
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Post by Jon on Nov 25, 2016 1:49:38 GMT
I wonder which theatre they're planning to put this as well as the other plays, I imagine it'll be somewhere like the Gielgud or the Harold Pinter.
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Post by viserys on Nov 25, 2016 5:45:51 GMT
I would only watch this is if they also change the godawful ending. If they keep pressing the message that female Bobbie can only be happy when she's finally coupled up, they can sod off back to the 70s where this belongs.
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Nov 25, 2016 6:46:24 GMT
They wanted to do a gay version with Daniel Evans and Alan Cumming as Joanne but this sounds more exciting! They should get Alan in to play 'Joe'. His 'Ladies Who Lunch' is epic. This is interesting. I was hoping my first live Company would be classic, but this certainly throws the cat amongst the pigeons
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Company
Nov 25, 2016 7:37:39 GMT
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Post by loureviews on Nov 25, 2016 7:37:39 GMT
Cautiously interested. Have only seen this once, with Tim Flavin as Bobby, directed by Paul Kerryson at Oldham Coliseum.
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Company
Nov 25, 2016 7:38:47 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 25, 2016 7:38:47 GMT
Sondheim is a tough sell in the commercial sector
RC is not known outside of the board and similar places
Where is this (and the other two productions) taking place?
I want to know if Sondheim has worked on the adaptation
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 25, 2016 9:18:52 GMT
I haven't seem Company before, so wish I had seen the regular production with a male Bobby before seeing this experimental product!!!!
However I will be open minded as Simon Oxford judt said.
The amount of independent production companies we have now, we have: Michael Grandage, Marianne Elliot, Jonathan Church, Jamie Lloyd, Kenneth Brannagh and sure we are going to get a Nicholas Hytner when his new theatre opens. So don't know if all these companies (excuse the pun) is a good thing? But the proof will be in the tasting - I have enjoyed what I have tasted so far, the menu though just gets more appetising.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 9:23:25 GMT
Never been much of a fan of 'Company' really and Rosalie Craig is just so *meh*. This will definitely be one to see only if there's a hefty discount on it methinks (and I guess there will be offers-a-plenty for it).
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Post by mallardo on Nov 25, 2016 9:32:39 GMT
Bad idea. Changing Bobby means changing everybody - couples swapping genders - if it's going to make sense. Can you see Sorry-Grateful, a male POV song if ever there was one, sung by the wives? Or Not Getting Married Today sung by Paul instead of Amy? Or three men singing You Could Drive a Person Crazy??? Company is virtually a perfect show - why mess with it. Has Sondheim approved?
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Company
Nov 25, 2016 9:35:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 9:35:33 GMT
Bad idea. Changing Bobby means changing everybody - couples swapping genders - if it's going to make sense. Can you see Sorry-Grateful, a male POV song if ever there was one, sung by the wives? Or Not Getting Married Today sung by Paul instead of Amy? Or three men singing You Could Drive a Person Crazy??? Company is virtually a perfect show - why mess with it. Has Sondheim approved? Why does everyone have to change sex? Only Bobby and his flames need to change?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 9:39:56 GMT
Where will it be? Will it be in London or somewhere else?
also very excited as I have really wanted to see company and this production seems interesting to say the least.
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Post by mallardo on Nov 25, 2016 9:47:37 GMT
Why does everyone have to change sex? Only Bobby and his flames need to change? Take a look at the text of the show. The men are Bobby's buddies/advisors/pimps (Have I got A Girl For You) etc. and the women are all attracted to him in one way or another. How would that work if Bobby was a woman?
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Post by theatremadness on Nov 25, 2016 9:47:58 GMT
Bad idea. Changing Bobby means changing everybody - couples swapping genders - if it's going to make sense. Can you see Sorry-Grateful, a male POV song if ever there was one, sung by the wives? Or Not Getting Married Today sung by Paul instead of Amy? Or three men singing You Could Drive a Person Crazy??? Company is virtually a perfect show - why mess with it. Has Sondheim approved? Why does everyone have to change sex? Only Bobby and his flames need to change? Yeah, Baz replied in a tweet to someone that it's a few changes, but Joanne will still be Joanne and in his words, 'Sarah strong, Harry now neurotic'. But I do kinda echo mallardo's sentiment!
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Post by Baemax on Nov 25, 2016 10:04:40 GMT
I wouldn't even change Bobby's flames tbh. Present Bobbie as a "cool girl" and a lesbian, leave the rest of the show the same (except Peter would now be asking about heterosexual experiences), shine some uncomfortable light on internalised misogyny and people's fetishisation of their gay friend Bobbie. Also my goodness but the scene where Kathy announces she's moving back up to Cape Cod to get married to a man would be a treat! Please let them at least leave Kathy female!
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 25, 2016 10:15:15 GMT
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Post by wickedgrin on Nov 25, 2016 10:19:11 GMT
Love the show Company. The last time I saw it (at the Harold Pinter/Comedy Theatre I think) starred Adrian Lester (sublime), the late Sheila Gish and Sophie Thompson. Adrian was the first black actor to play Bobby at the time. The production was fabulous.
Now of course we have this oh so fashionable gender swapping thing happening again. It's ridiculous! The Sondheim Society have approved this apparently and so I presume Stephen himself has. I know he has always resisted a gay version of the show and refuted the idea that Bobby is secretly gay in the actual piece.
As Ryan said above - there will be deals a plenty for this as it will not appeal to the general public. I'll go if I can get a cheap seat, but not a fan of Rosalie Craig I'm afraid.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 25, 2016 10:25:41 GMT
As Ryan said above - there will be deals a plenty for this as it will not appeal to the general public. It's the third production of a five-show season, following a play by Simon Stephens and a new version of Oedipus. I think that the intelligent audience will be able to cope with a Company reconfigured to make sense today with a Bobbie whose body clock is meaningfully ticking.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 10:29:57 GMT
Love the show Company. The last time I saw it (at the Harold Pinter/Comedy Theatre I think) starred Adrian Lester (sublime), the late Sheila Gish and Sophie Thompson. Adrian was the first black actor to play Bobby at the time. The production was fabulous. Now of course we have this oh so fashionable gender swapping thing happening again.. It was the Donmar production which you saw at Albany/Noel Coward Theatre. As did I! And where as yes I think gender swapping casts are in vogue at the mo I think it's far from ridiculous. Won't it be marvellous to look back in a decade or so and go 'wow, do u remember when all those fabulous women played those fabulous parts in the west end?? Wouldn't happen now!'
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 10:35:00 GMT
The Sondheim Society have approved this apparently and so I presume Stephen himself has. I know he has always resisted a gay version of the show and refuted the idea that Bobby is secretly gay in the actual piece. Unless Bobby in this show turns out to be a lesbian of course. Won't be much of a secret then . . .
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Post by Baemax on Nov 25, 2016 10:38:42 GMT
Love the show Company. The last time I saw it (at the Harold Pinter/Comedy Theatre I think) starred Adrian Lester (sublime), the late Sheila Gish and Sophie Thompson. Adrian was the first black actor to play Bobby at the time. The production was fabulous. Now of course we have this oh so fashionable gender swapping thing happening again.. It was the Donmar production which you saw at Albany/Noel Coward Theatre. As did I! And where as yes I think gender swapping casts are in vogue at the mo I think it's far from ridiculous. Won't it be marvellous to look back in a decade or so and go 'wow, do u remember when all those fabulous women played those fabulous parts in the west end?? Wouldn't happen now!' Personally I'm holding out hope that in a decade or so we'll be going "remember when people made such a fuss about all those fabulous women playing those fabulous parts, when it's just the norm now"?
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