"Company" coming to Broadway in the fall

So, this past October, Sweeney Todd made a splash on Broadway as directed by minimalist director John Doyle, who reinvented the show by having all of the actors double as onstage musicians. Easily one of the most original productions of this year, what could come along to top it -- or at least match it?

Company!! Having debuted on Broadway in 1970 and gone on to win the Best Musical Tony in the year of its opening, Company is coming back to Broadway with direction by Doyle. This production is currently playing in Cincinnati and received great reviews. Considering Sweeney will probably still be on Broadway in the fall, this will make for two experimental Doyle-Sondheim shows running at the same time, and, frankly, I hope they keep on coming. Raul Esparza (tick, tick...BOOM!, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Taboo, Rocky Horror Show) will play Bobby, the bachelor in a group of married friends. What seems most intriguing is how the instrumentation will portray the couples as playing together. From what I've heard, Bobby doesn't play music until the end, when, as he sings "Being Alive," he realizes that he must learn to engage, a concept that seems similar to the moments of connection in Sweeney that I just loved. Ahh, I can't wait!!


(Left: Raul Esparza and company in Company at Cincinatti's Playhouse in the Park; Above: Al Hirschfeld's drawing of the original Broadway cast of Company, led by Dean Jones)