In Good Company

Okay, gang, here's how confusing I can get.

I had to go see a Broadway show to see a great movie.

Huh?

I'll explain.

Back in April, the New York Philharmonic staged a revival for several nights of the classic Stephen Sondheim 1971 musical "Company."  The cast was star-studded and led by Neil Patrick Harris, who can absolutely do no wrong.  Well, some genius decided to film this production.  And an even smarter genius opted to release the finished product to select movie theaters this month.  Admittedly, you need a telescope to find the film houses where it's playing, but it's worth the extra effort.  The stuff that's up on the screen is that good.

That's how I had to go see a Broadway show to see a great movie.  And, so far, it's the best cinematic time I've had all year.

Okay, I'm a wee bit biased.  "Company" is really the only Stephen Sondheim musical that I like.  Oh, I can stomach "Sweeney Todd" under the right circumstances, but, other than that, Sondheim doesn't do much for me.  Personally, I can't completely identify with sexually repressed Swedes, senior citizen showgirls, and Presidential assassins.

But, the story of "Company" is about real people and I can connect with the single guy amidst a slew of married couples.  God, how could I not resonate with that?  Frankly, I never saw an actual production until a revival in 1995 and then one out here several years back.  The songs and characters are always fascinating to me.  So, when I heard about this filmed version of the recent New York City Center production, I was a sucker.

Given my small sample size of productions, this "Company" ranks as my favorite, mainly because of the casting of Neil Patrick Harris as single guy Bobby.   Harris is now perhaps one of our most talented folks in show business today.  He can sing.  He can act.  He can dance.  If he wants to try and jumpstart the economy, I'd let him.  As he starts to move more and more to a career on the stage, I now want to see him tackle the lead roles in some of my favorite musicals.  C.C. Baxter in "Promises, Promises."  Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man."  Albert Peterson in "Bye Bye Birdie."  Okay, I'll draw the line at Neil taking a whack at "Mame," but he may even be able to pull that off as well.  The guy is that good.

During his solos in this "Company,"  Harris packs a punch that would make George Foreman cringe.  Meanwhile, the close-up camera work in this film allows the viewers to see all the subtle nuances of an actor's performance that are usually not visible when you buy balcony seats from the TKTS booth.  You see Neil convey the pain of single guy Bobby like it's never been revealed before.  He makes one smart acting choice after another as if he's trying to emulate the stage equivalent of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.

Not that others in the all-star cast are slouches.  Some of the folks I know.  Others I did not.  But there was hardly a weak link in the chain.  I'm no fan of the annoying Stephen Colbert, but he scores here as one of the male friends who does a dance number with Martha Plimpton that is straight out of Cirque De Soleil.  I don't remember ever seeing Jon Cryer sing before, but he does well in a small role as he obviously had some time to kill this spring waiting for Charlie Sheen to complete his career suicide.

And, of course, there's Patti Lupone in the role of Joanne originally essayed by resident Broadway buzzard Elaine Stritch.  Lupone has never met a theater she can't suck the air out of and she's usually as welcome as a cigarette burn in your new sofa.  In this "Company," even she is enjoyable and does the best version of "Ladies Who Lunch" I've seen in years.  She punctuates the end of  the song by dumping her drink on somebody in the front row.  Now that's something you can't get in a movie of a Broadway show.  But, other than that small quibble, "Company" on screen was as exciting as it's ever been.

I've read that Broadway producers now regularly film their productions and they are saved someplace in the bowels of the Great White Way for posterity.  A great idea, but a bit lacking.  Wouldn't you want to see one more time Angela Lansbury riding down the bannister in "Mame?"  Robert Preston telling us all about the River City trouble in "The Music Man?"  Carol Channing traipsing down the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens in "Hello Dolly?"  We've got classic films that can be seen over and over.  Why not that special Broadway performance?

Granted that the screen doesn't give you the same electricity as the real thing performing before the footlights of the Shubert Theater.  Sitting in a cushy leather chair in some darkened multiplex won't give you the same exhileration you'd get if you wind up soaked by Patti Lupone's martini.  But, there is still magic that can and should be shared.

Not only was "Company" on screen a marvelous night of entertainment, it was also the first of what I hope is a protracted trend.  Let's see 'em all!

Dinner last night:  Pepperoni pizza at the Dodger game.