Well, dear readers, I just this moment got home and am beginning these notes late, so let me start at the end and work backwards. But before I do, may I just say that it is February – can you believe it? But it’s true and it is my fervent hope and prayer that February will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.
Tonight I saw a production of Company. Now, a little history: I saw Company here at the Ahmanson Theater with almost the entire original cast, and George Chakiris as Bobby Baby. I was already a huge Harold Prince fan because of his stunningly brilliant production of Cabaret, and his lovely production of Zorba. But as brilliant as Cabaret was (that production was a game changer, as they say these days), nothing could have prepared me for his production of Company or even the show itself. There simply had never been a show like it – not in look, not in feel, and certainly not in its non-linear storytelling vignettes, so sharply written by George Furth. And, of course, that score by Stephen Sondheim, a breathtakingly original and perfect score, beautifully orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick. Of course, in sound, they had to thank Promises, Promises – for the pit singers, for the rhythm section and the entire feel of the orchestration. It was actually electrifying to see. The set by Boris Aronson was a marvel and so perfectly suited to the show. Michael Bennett’s choreography was also brilliant – simple when it needed to be, show stopping when it needed to be, and, in Donna McKechnie’s solo turn Tick Tock, erotic as could be. It was also perfectly cast, so perfect that in at least one case no matter who has played the role afterward the performance has never been topped, and that would be Elaine Stritch. These days when anyone in any production does that number, they are greeted with bravos and huzzahs immediately after it’s done. But if you saw the original you know just how uncomfortable that number made the audience, and in the case of the matinees it was REALLY uncomfortable. That was partly because of the song and partly because of Miss Strich’s brittle and caustic and truly frightening rendition of it. I saw the show several times during its run here.
Since that run, Mr. Prince’s work has been ripped off many, many times by much lesser talents. But Mr. Prince did not repeat himself – no, he went on with one amazing production after another, mostly the Sondheim shows of the 70s – and what productions they were: Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd. Each completely different and each completely incredible. Now, all of these shows, every one of his masterpieces has been revived many times by many people and had productions all over the world. I’ve seen tons of them and I have to tell you that in not one case have I ever seen any production to rival his originals. I’ve enjoyed some, hated others. What is always off-putting to me, however, are the productions that think they know better than Mr. Prince, that change the text, that rearrange things, cut songs, add songs and, for me, never for the better, and that includes the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall Cabaret.
And it also includes Company. I think the big changes began with the Roundabout production or maybe they happened before that. I saw that production, and while the cast was fine, I loathed the changes with every fiber of my being. Gone was the original opening, replaced by an endless scene of Bobby listening to phone messages – I think they originally did these changes to rewrite the material that had dated, but that, to me, is like trying to rewrite Oklahoma! so it’s not dated. Company is firmly of its time and there’s no problem keeping it that way. I could not believe that the original ending of act one was changed to include the song Marry Me a Little, which had originally been written for the Being Alive slot. For me it completely ruined what was a brilliant act ender. I can’t remember if Tick Tock was cut from that production, but it’s been routinely missing for the last decade. The orchestration was reduced to ten or twelve pieces and sounded like it. The gay scene was added, which I also found completely not necessary – they didn’t need it in the original, which worked perfectly, so why add it? Listen, fellas, Company didn’t need your help, even if that “help” came from Mr. Furth and Mr. Sondheim. I mean, trying to cut all the dated stuff? Really? Then remove the pot scene, rewrite the lyric “or my service will explain” and get rid of the karate scene while you’re at it. So the updating or getting rid of dated stuff just doesn’t wash with me.
Anyway, I don’t really have much to say about the production I saw because it used the revival script, orchestration and score. From the costumes, this seemed to be set in the early 70s, so the answering machine opening, well, they didn’t have answering machines in 1971, they had answering services, hence the line “or my service will explain.” The gay scene is just as awful as I remembered it and Marry Me a Little is just terrible where it is placed. It should not be in the show at ALL. And the half a band sound just cannot replace the amazing original orchestrations, with some extraordinary string writing that you just cannot play on synth. One thing Mr. Prince really understood (and understands) is pacing, something this production lacked. It was close to two hours and forty-five minutes long. The cast, for me, was a mixed bag – and while it may have been a directorial choice, to have Bobby played as if he’s in a Quaalude or sleepwalking haze just can’t work. This show has an internal motor and that motor runs all the time. Yes, the rhythms change, but the motor never stops. It’s right there in the text. My friend Chelsea Emma Franko did very well with Marta and singing Another Hundred People, although I didn’t love the way it was staged. As to Joanne, well, I just think I will never get over Miss Stritch, so it’s not really fair to comment on any other actors who play that role. It’s just so indelible in my mind and no one I’ve seen has ever captured what she captured and I’ve seen some really good actors play it.
All this by way of saying that Mr. Prince was, for me, perhaps the greatest gift to musical theater ever. I know when people speak of these things it’s always Jerome Robbins or Michael Bennett or Gower Champion – but as a director, I just think Mr. Prince topped them all in terms of vision, imagination, and his innate sense of the material and how to shape it. The others certainly were geniuses and created enduring masterpieces. But Mr. Prince always deserves to be right up there with them all.
Prior to that, I had dinner at CPK with the Staitman clan. I had a small Caesar and their 600-calorie salmon. Prior to that, I’d awakened at around nine-thirty, after eight and a half hours of sleep. I stayed in bed till eleven, just thinking about a lot of stuff, then got up, answered e-mails, then got dressed and went and picked up a package. Then I came home and decided there was no way I was going to the book fair. I’m just not in that mode right now. So, I finished proofing the book, then began entering my fixes. When I’m through with that, then I’ll enter the fixes of proofer number 1, some of which I’ll run by Muse Margaret first. Then I just relaxed until it was time to leave.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. Then I’ll relax until it’s time for our three o’clock stumble-through. Obviously I will not be doing any watching of anything called a Super Bowl. After the stumble-through, I’ll go grab a light dinner, then come home and relax.
Tomorrow, I have some banking to do in the morning, then I’ll relax until it’s time for sound check at five. Then they open the doors at six-thirty, and show is at eight. I will, of course, have a complete report for you. Tuesday we’re back to rehearsing Inside Out. We’ll resume with act two, stopping and starting and cleaning up the staging. When we finish that, if we have time, which we should, then I’m going to drill every musical number several times, as well as anything that involves being out of their chairs. That way on Wednesday we’ll be ready to do a complete run of the show, rough as it may be – hopefully the actors will all be off book by then. After we run, then I’ll clean and do detail in the book scenes. That will also happen on Thursday and Friday. After the rehearsal on Friday we begin our paper tech and I’ll stay until we’re through with it. Saturday is the first of our two ten out of twelve days, although it is my intention not to work those long hours – I think we’ll do eight hours each of those days. Then we have Monday off, and then it’s tech and dress, two previews, and we open. What a whirlwind it’s been.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora of the mambo, because today we have us two birthdays to celebrate. The first birthday belongs to dear reader Kerry. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader Kerry. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER KERRY!!!
Our second birthday belongs to our very own Donald Feltham. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own Donald Feltham. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DONALD FELTHAM!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, relax, have a stumble-through, eat, continue entering fixes and maybe watch a motion picture. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, eternally grateful to Harold Prince and his contributions to the growth of the American musical theater. I’ve met him a few times and he is a lovely and charming man. Yes, I met Prince Charming. And just a reminder that it is my fervent hope and prayer that February will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.