Sunday, December 8, 2024

Broadway: Tony Awards Can’t Stop Acclaimed “Company” from Closing at End of July

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The acclaimed revival of “Company” won a Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, and Tonys for its two featured actors, Patti Lupone and Matt Doyle.

Even those couldn’t stop the show from closing. Producers have set July 31st for the final performance. What a shame. This is a production people will be talking about forever.

The show also won Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Bunny Christie). Marianne Elliott also received the Tony for Best Director of a Musical, her third Tony Award, making her the most honored female director in Broadway history. It also received four Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, four Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, and the GLAAD Media Award.

So what went wrong? COVID took its toll on “Company” several times. It’s been an unforgiving time. Omicron was this show’s; enemy. And then what to do when the lead actors want to leave? Lupone is impossible to replace. It’s not easy getting Big Name actors on Broadway to open shows, let alone replace leads.

Producer Chris Harper said in a statement, “It remains the honor of a lifetime to bring Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s masterpiece to Broadway in Marianne Elliott’s Tony Award-winning reimagined production. It is a testament to the dedication of everyone who works on the production that we have withstood all the challenges that Broadway has faced over the last two years to share this show with our amazing audiences.

“We have six more weeks of performances to celebrate our astonishing cast, orchestra, and crew at the Jacobs Theatre and we are delighted to be planning a touring production to bring Company to audiences across North America soon.”

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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