Company

I had a terrific opportunity to see the revival of Company today, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 47th Street. The show is chock-a-block with songs that sound like a list of Stephen Sondheim's greatest hits: Another Hundred People, The Little Things You Do Together, Getting Married Today, The Ladies Who Lunch, and Side By Side By Side, among many others. It is following in the (new) tradition of the Sweeney Todd revival, i.e., let's save money by having a minimalist set and have the actors play their own instruments instead of paying for a full orchestra. Bizarrely enough, it works and makes for a much more intimate theatrical experience. The lead actor, Raul Esparza, actually resembles a youngish Sondheim, who I've heard the character is to some extent based on, and although of course no one can fill the formidable Elaine Stritch's shoes, Barbara Walsh comes pretty darn close.