London’s Gender-Bent Company Will Play Broadway With Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone | Playbill

Broadway News London’s Gender-Bent Company Will Play Broadway With Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone Marianne Elliott directs the Olivier-winning staging of the Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical.
Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone

Let’s all drink to that.

After a critically acclaimed and Olivier-winning bow in London’s West End, a new interpretation of the 1970 musical Company will play New York. Tony-winning director Marianne Elliott’s gender-reversed production, which presents the central bachelor Bobby as the female Bobbie, will begin performances at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Previews begin March 2, 2020, and opening night is set for March 22, Sondheim's 90th birthday.

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Patti LuPone Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

Starring as Bobbie will be Katrina Lenk, who took home the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in The Band's Visit. Her additional credits include Indecent, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and Once on Broadway, as well as The Good Fight and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Joining her will be fellow Tony winner Patti LuPone, reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance as Joanne.

Additional casting for the New York engagement will be announced at a later date. Leading the company at London’s Gielgud Theatre was Rosalie Craig as Bobbie, who earned an Olivier nomination for her performance.

Elliott collaborated with composer Stephen Sondheim to reimagine certain characters as the opposite gender. Bobby’s trio of girlfriends Marta, Kathy, and April are now boyfriends PJ, Theo, and Andy; the soon-to-be married (or not) Amy and Paul are now Jamie and Paul. In addition to gender swaps, the production introduces several updates to the lyrics and George Furth’s book to bring the story into present day.

The musical was last revived on Broadway in 2006 in another re-imagined production, with John Doyle directing a cast of actor-musicians. Doyle and star Raúl Esparza earned Tony nominations, with the production winning Best Revival of a Musical.

The production features choreography by Liam Steel, sets and costumes by Bunny Christie, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design Ian Dickinson (for Autograph Sound), and illusions by Chris Fisher.

 
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