Company (1996)

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Siskoid
I've seen the 2011 staging of Company with Neil Patrick Harris so often, any other version is going to seem strange, but Sam Mendes' small-scale 1996 production for British television, starring Adrian Lester in the main role, carves its own corner by making it explicit that everything is more or less happening inside Bobby's head, whether as memories or as ghosts goading him on. A dingy apartment, an inebriated night of self-reflection and self-loathing, a crushing loneliness driving the action. I don't think the voices are all that strong, though the soundscape is also impaired by the space and means of recording, perhaps, but the production makes up for it with intimate acting. Lester cuts a melancholy figure and allows his voice to crack during his songs. Sheila Gish as Joanne is more shouter than singer at times (recalling Elaine Stritch's breakdown performance in the original cast documentary), but she also puts acting before singing. I could name others, like Sophie Thompson's Amy or even Paul Bentley's Larry (a character one hardly ever talks about). The focus on intimate performance rather than on the music is at least interesting, and brings a lot of revelatory nuance to a play I knew by heart. 3 years 8 months ago