Aaron Tveit in "Company" (A Review) (Barrington Stage Company)

By James V. Ruocco

That lost, perplexed, boyishly-handsome bachelor Bobby.
All that angst over not being married.
All that worry about not being able to find the right girl.
All those friends who arrive on his doorstep, year after year, for a surprise birthday party and cake that he simply would like to forget.
It's just not fair.
Or is it?

In "Company," Stephen Sondheim's lively 1970 Broadway musical, now being sumptuously revived by Barrington Stage, the 35-year-old Bobby, played by the sexy and charismatic Aaron Tveit ("Next to Normal," "Catch Me If You Can," "Grease Live"), spends a great part of the show watching his married friends kiss, cuddle, get stoned, get drunk, get divorced, fight, flirt and tell him for the umpteenth time why he shouldn't be alone.
He listens and observes with bemusement and envy. And he responds, all too well.
But oddly, he's afraid of making a commitment. He likes being single. He likes having sex. And yes, he's always willing for another door to open and take him on a brand new adventure.
Who could blame him?

As played by the enigmatic Aaron Tveit, Bobby's complicated plight and final resolution, is real, raw, honest, soulful, cheerful, passionate and very moving. There's also a vibrant charm, passion and natural dreaminess to the character that makes Tveit's interpretation of Bobby much more believable and grounded than that of his Broadway predecessors Dean Jones, Larry Kert, Boyd Gaines and Raul Esparza. Back then, all four were simply acting out a part and nothing more.
Here, Tveit plays Bobby. But he also owns the part. Big difference.

From the moment he appears on the Barrington stage, he is Bobby, front and center, backwards and forwards, etc. Moreover, there's real talent behind that boyish allure mixed with just the right amount of poise, presence, flair and personality. Sure, it's all rehearsed, but Tveit makes us believe we're seeing his Bobby for the very first time. There is nothing remotely calculated about his facial expressions, line delivery, body language or interaction with the other onstage actors. Though he wasn't born when "Company" was first conceived, you'd swear Sondheim and playwright George Furth wrote Bobby with Tveit in mind.
It's the musical performance of 2017. And one, you'll want to see again and again.

Vocally, Tveit's voice is beautiful, polished, strong, commanding and natural. He pays close attention to the beats, lyrics and different rhythms of every Sondheim song he sings. And when he takes center stage and joins the entire cast for a song or two, he avoids that annoying grandstanding you find in other Sondheim shows where the lead actor looks you right in the face with private thoughts that cry out, "Hey, look at me. I'm in a Sondheim show."

With the emotional "Being Alive," Tveit passionately reveals the quiet longing and intimacy Bobby desires with another person. The stirring "Marry Me A Little" conveys his confusion and doubt over a real relationship while "Someone Is Waiting" poignantly portrays the character's quiet yearning for that special something collectively shared by his married friends.  Glorious, riveting and focused, three essential traits necessary for interpreting a song...In this case, Sondheim. And Tveit has the gift...and so much more.

Anyone familiar with the musicals of Sondheim ("Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd," "Follies") immediately knows that in order for a show to work both musically, dramatically and theatrically, you must have a director who completely understands the intricacies, dynamics and colors of the story, its music and lyrics, its characters, its rhythmic wordplay, its quirks, its beats, its ticks, its sensations and its pulses. Enter Julianne Boyd, the tremendously talented director of Barrington Stage's "Company."

Staging the two-act musical, Boyd brings real purpose, depth, understanding and vision to her splendid, five-star incarnation of Sondheim's popular 1970's musical. She embellishes the flip, satiric and poignant underbelly of the composer's and author's vision, its atypical language and fragmented scene structure, its twisty predicaments, its playful paradoxes, its juicy revelations about marriage and divorce, its sexual content, both straight and homosexual, its cowardice, its icy sarcasm and its surprise twists of fate. 

There's a lot going on here. And, yes, there's a lot to digest in this production, which takes its cue from the 1995 Roundabout Broadway revival that featured new dialogue by George Furth, the addition of one new song ("Marry Me A Little")  and the inclusion of some intriguing facts about Bobby's bisexuality and hints of a homosexual flirtation rallied by his best friend Peter.

Regardless, it all comes together quite swimmingly.

Boyd always know what buttons to push, where to put the primary focus, how to build and develop a given scene, how to thrust each principal character or supporting character into the spotlight, how to introduce an individual song or production number and lastly, have it play out entirely without bringing the onstage action to a halt or failing to reach the intended vision of its creators.

Boyd is such a clever, ingenious auteur, this "Company" far surpasses the brilliance of the original 1970 Broadway production, the fanciful 1995 Broadway revival and the salty and pungent 2006 Broadway edition where most of the actors played their own musical instruments. At Barrington, you are never once reminded that "Company" was created 47 years ago. With Boyd at the helm, it's as if you're seeing this Sondheim musical for the very first time.

Kristen Robinson's set design, Brian Tovar's lighting and Sara Jean Tosetti's costuming, heighten the allure.

The inevitable greatness of "Company," of course, also comes from Sondheim's pungent, prolific, saucy and melodic musical score. From sweet and bouncy ensemble numbers about friendship and the right girl to a patter song about not getting married today and others about sexual enticement, renunciation, rebirth, being single, commitment, bored housewives, loneliness and vodka stingers, the composer/lyricist casts his spell all over you, reels you in for the night and lets you happily bask in the lyrical beauty, wit, drama, tension, uncertainty and snappy sarcasm of his brilliant, celebrated "Company" score.

In the more than capable, inventive hands of musical director Dan Pardo, Sondheim's imaginative musical arrangements and vocals glide merrily across the Barrington Theatre stage with decided interest, gusto, color, joyfulness, purpose, passion and artful precision. Every single song, lyric and pulsating beat is marvelously recreated by Pardo and his orchestral team, which, in turn, allows the material to breathe, beguile and enchant just as Sondheim originally intended.

It's all here: popular solo numbers that inch their way into duets; trios that evolve with perfect pitch and harmony; complicated ditties that work their way into larger production numbers; and delectable character turns that stun, excite and thrust the action forward without hesitation. Not a piece of the Sondheim "Company" puzzle is missing under Pardo's dynamic guidance.

The upbeat, inspired choreographic style of Jeffrey Page is well suited for "Company's" surprisingly simple and playful production numbers. Every one of them, including the title opener and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" are upbeat, smart, witty and ingeniously conceived without any sort of nostalgia or datedness. Nonetheless, Page is also not afraid to take chances. He wisely cuts the frenzied solo dance number "Tick-Tock," which was created for Donna McKechnie in the original 1970 Broadway production and would probably bore the Barrington Stage audience to death and add little relevance to the night's proceedings.
Elsewhere, Page completely reinvents "Side by Side by Side," which opens Act II of "Company." Originally, this production number was staged with top hat and cane and danced by most of the cast. Here, Page concocts a splendid, revelatory song-and-dance sports number (tag football with Bobby as his dreamy football star) which respects the soft-shoe elements of the original, but unfolds with such athletic excitement and brio, you happily applaud and cheer its choreography until your hand hurts. Well done, Mr. Page.

The supporting cast of "Company" is personable, dynamic and perfectly in sync with all things Sondheim. In the role of Joanne, the part made famous by Elaine Stritch in the original 1970 Broadway production, Ellen Harvey puts her own spin on the drunken, often delusional character, the show-stopping "Ladies Who Lunch" and just about everything she does and says in the production. While Stritch will always be connected to "Company," Harvey, nonetheless, is the real deal.
Her boozy, stinging interpretation of  "Ladies Who Lunch," Sondheim's  brilliant assault of women who live off their husband's paychecks, plan parties and brunches, attend Broadway matinees and shop uncontrollably, explodes with the glacial sarcasm and wit he intended. It also reveals a private, troubled side to Joanne that was missing from both the 1995 and 2006 Broadway production of "Company." Harvey, in turn, never misses a beat, vocally or dramatically. You can't help but love her, or wish she could be your very best friend.

Lauren Marcus as Amy, the bride-to-be who suffers a major anxiety attack on the day of her wedding, practically stops the show with "Getting Married Today," Sondheim's marvelously fast patter song that vocally and comically reflects the character's complete, rapid meltdown. Marcus beguiles in much the same way as Beth Howland did way back in 1970, but takes it to a new level using some choice lyrical phrasing and comedy shtick that suggests a very young Carol Burnett.

Playing dumb and clueless without any hesitation, the gorgeous, sexy Mara Davi gives the character of airline hostess April a delicious sweetness and confused pizzazz that's so beautifully conceived (her comic timing is impeccable), you quickly forget every other actress who played the part including Susan Browning and Jane Krakowski. Her "Barcelona" duet with Tveit is pitch perfect and completely charming. Her bedroom seduction scene, also with Tveit, is hilariously staged and choreographed by Boyd. Both actors are incredible.

Nora Shell, cast in the role of Marta, another one of Bobby's girlfriends, delivers a powerhouse rendition of  "Another Hundred People," that popular Sondheim song that deftly attacks the N.Y. lifestyle and it's phony, impersonal inhabitants. This show-stopping vocal literally blows the roof off of  Barrington Stage. You'll love it!

Also impressive as both actors and singers are Joseph Spieldenner (Paul), Rebecca Kuznick (Kathy), James Ludwig (David), Kate Loprest (Susan), Paul Schaefer (Peter), Jane Pfitsch (Jenny), Lawrence E. Street (Harry), Peter Reardon (Larry) and Jeannette Bayardelle (Sarah). Every one of them is perfectly cast for their respective roles and quite adept at bringing Sondheim's "Company" magically to life on the Barrington Stage.

"Company" is being staged at Barrington Stage Company (Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union St., Pittsfield, MA) through September 10.

For more information, call (413) 236-8888

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 3, Broadway/National Tour: Jonathan Larson's "Rent" (A Review)

 

By James V. Ruocco

The lyrics for "Rent" are unmistakably familiar.

"How do you document real life

When real life's getting more like fiction each day?

Headlines, bread-lines blow my mind

And now this deadline, eviction or pay rent"

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Moments so dear

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes

How do you measure - measure a year?

In daylights - in sunsets

In midnights - in cups of coffee

In inches - in miles

In laughter - in strife"

And well, they should be....

"Rent" was...."Rent" is...."Rent" remains the celebrated work of  Jonathan Larson, the 35-year-old composer/lyricist and author who died of an aortic aneurysm on January, 25, 1996, just days before his exhilarating rock opera made its official big debut off-Broadway to heightened fanfare and subsequently, was later transferred to Broadway in April of the same year, where, it became the "Hamilton" of its day.

Of course, this came as no surprise to anyone in the cast, in the audience or on the creative team.

Back then, the two-act musical, which won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Musical Score, among others, transformed the face of musical theater with its unexpectedly catchy, musical score of salsa, reggae, opera, electric rock, pop and Sondheim-tinged eclecticism. Its complicated, angst-filled story of gay and straight characters fighting for life and survival in N.Y's bohemian milieu of St. Mark's Place, was fueled with grit, hope, pulse, desire and unabashed vitality. And when the "Rent" cast stood on the edge of the proscenium stage facing the audience at the start of Act II and sang the soul-searching "Season of Love," a tearful reminder of living and measuring life on borrowed time, your heart just about broke and broke....and broke.

I remember it well
Sitting there, fifth row orchestra center at the Nederlander Theatre, just two days after its big Broadway bow, I remember thinking, "How lucky am I to be sitting here watching this musical." and..."How lucky are those people on stage ...Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Fredi Walker, Taye Diggs, Jesse L. Marin...to get to do something like this eight times a week."

Twenty-one years later, "Rent" still works and reworks that same theatrical magic on its audience as it did for first-niters on 79 East Fourth St in the East Village and at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. The cast is new. The production is brand new. The sets are brand new. The costumes are new.
But make no mistake, this is "Rent" is all its colorful, heartfelt, cinematic-like glory.

One major difference.

This time around, however, the audience.....well, at least 85 percent of them, anyway... come to "Rent" knowing every song and lyric, every line of dialogue, every characterization, every tick, beat or nuance, every dance move, every shock or surprise. They also know all the inhabitants of Larson's colorful bohemia (drag queens, drug addicts, homosexuals, lesbians, songwriters, dancers, filmmakers, homeless people and those with HIV) and how they evolve during both Act I and II. But it doesn't really matter.
They applaud all their entrances and exits. They sing out loud. They laugh, they cry, they jump out of their seats. They shout the names of the characters. They often lose control and go absolutely crazy when a song starts or finishes.

Some are actors, Broadway groupies, college students, homosexuals and very wealthy theater buffs who live, breathe and die for theater. And let's not forget those exhilarating "Rentheads," who started in all way back when. They still follow the show from city to city and many of them have seen "Rent" more than 500-600 times.
They set the tone for the entire performance. They get the on-stage actors pumped up and ready to
go...And then, its happens..."Rent" explodes. And what an explosion it is.

The 20th Anniversary Touring edition of "Rent" more than delivers its emotional wallop of snap, crackle and pop. It works everyone on stage and off into a fervent, often playful sense of delirium, which, when you think about it, is probably what Larson envisioned all along. It stands the testament of time and warrants a definite revisiting. It also sounds livelier and louder than ever did before.


Moreover, this "Rent" is not a copycat, paint-by-numbers incarnation of the original 1996 Broadway musical conceived by Michael Greif. "Rent" director Evan Ensign isn't interested in dusting off the blueprints of that work to the point where his "Rent" is nothing more than a nostalgic, affectionate  tribute. Instead, he puts his own unique stamp on the production. He changes some of the original stage movement. He thrusts the action forward at a much brisker pace. He brings some of the upstage action downstage to make it much more effective for both actor and audience. He also respects and understands each characterization and only fleetingly, makes a minor change or two with the central characters.

Elsewhere, he lovingly preserves some of the original staging created by Greif, most noticeable n the opening "Rent" production number, the "Light My Candle" exchanges, the celebratory "La Vie Boheme," which closes Act I and "What You Own," a character-driven song in the middle of Act II.
Marlies Yearby's pungent choreography provides pulse, momentum, spunk, spirit and stamina, all of which are perfectly in sync with the on-stage proceedings.

Ensign also brings a certain unabashed playfulness and cheeky spin to "Rent's" many verbal and musical voicemails, phone calls and celebratory pronouncements, all of which are effectively staged and performed by members on the ensemble cast who tackle many, many different roles (waiters, parents, cops, bohemians, life support members, to name a few) and costume changes with creative and individual brio. That way, no one flips through their playbills out of sheer boredom. Or looks confused or lost by the action on stage.

The heart and soul of the show, of course, is Larson's inventive, intricate and driven musical score.
His creative mix of anthems, duets, ballads, gospels, rock songs, plot-driven laments and showstoppers is unbeatable. "Rent," "One Song Glory," "Out Tonight," "I'll Cover You," "Take Me or Leave Me," "Another Day," "Without You," "What Your Own," "Seasons of Love." The list goes on and on and on. And nothing gets lost in the translation. Larson's recurring themes: living on the edge, taking chances, fighting for survival, shielding loved ones from danger in the face of adversity are emotionally revisited by musical supervisor Tim Weil whose expert handling of the material would make Larson ever-so-proud.

The casting is superb. There is not a weak link in the entire production: from lead to supporting cast member and ensemble. No one could play the part of relentless Jewish filmmaker Mark Cohen like Anthony Rapp who created the role in the original 1996 Broadway production. That was a once-in-a-lifetime performance. The good news about this "Rent" is that the enigmatic Danny Harris Kornfeld doesn't even try to replicate Rapp or Rapp's Mark. Instead, he offers his own take on the character and never once misses a single beat. His singing is dynamic. His characterization in completely in sync with Larson's intentions. And he has plenty of charisma and personality to boot, which is exactly what the part calls for.

Is David Merino's sassy, three-dimensional character turn as Angel, the young drag queen who is dying of AIDS as sensational as Wilson Jermaine Heredia who originated the role on Broadway? Most definitely. It's a show stopping performance that the actor invests with just the right amount of passion, pathos and love. Everyone is the audience loves him and his flamboyant character. And when he cuts loose with "Today 4 You" and "I'll Cover You," the applause is deafening....and rightly so.

Kaleb Wells is ideally cast as the sexy, troubled singer/ songwriter Roger whose previous girlfriend committed  suicide. His anguished, emotional ballad "One Song Glory" is absolutely sensational. Skyler Volpe is equally engaging and sensuous as drug-stoked Mimi. Her wildly erotic solo, “Out Tonight,” a song that celebrates her zest for life and danger, is electrifying. And so is her performance.

Jasmine Easler and Katie Lamark also stand out as Joanne and Maureen. They have plenty of energy, power and charisma. Their big duet "Take Me or Leave Me" is charged with enough sexual energy and chemistry to cause a power outage. "Over the Moon," Maureen's crazy, avant-garde protest number is so unbelievably timed, both comically and vocally, it deserves a standing ovation in itself. 

Then again, so does this brilliant, energetically staged edition of "Rent." It deserves not one, but perhaps two or three standing ovations, if that is at all possible. Moreover, the exciting thing about the 20th Anniversary Tour is watching a completely new group of actors and actresses breathe new life into this familiar story of East Village bohemia. Yes, they are completely different from the original 1996 Broadway cast. But they share the same amount of love and passion for Jonathan Larson's work as everyone did before them. They get it. They understand it. And they perform it in ways that would have blown Mr. Larson away.

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss

No other road
No other way
No day but today