Do Bobby Need to Be Openly Gay Stephen Sondheim’s Revised ‘Company’?

The qutn of whether the lead character Stephen Sondheim's semal 1970 mil <em>Company</em> is gay has been hoverg over the show for years. Now, Sondheim, along wh director John Tiffany, is reworkg the show to make explicly clear.  * is bobby gay in company *

Yterday afternoon was revealed that Stephen Sondheim (along wh director John Tiffany) has reworked his classic mil edy, Company, wh a major plot twist: Bobby, the central, sgle character, who spends the urse of the show alg wh his own abily to m, is gay. ” It’s an tertg revisn, as crics have long argued that Bobby was a closeted homosexual the first place.

There’s not much the text that suggts Bobby is gay, although people have certaly wonred: why else uldn’t a handsome sgle man settle down? “We don’t al wh gay marriage as such, but this versn lets explore the issu of mment a h way. ”Perhaps that’s why Sondheim is on board wh this openly gay productn — which will see a readg at Roundabout Theater Company this week, featurg Daniel Evans, Bobby Steggert, Michael Urie, and Alan Cummg, who will liver Joanne’s famo 11 o’clock number.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM LOVED HOW GAY BROADWAY’S ‘COMPANY’ REVIVAL IS, SAYS STAR MATT DOYLE

* is bobby gay in company *

It’s promisg that this Company will be actually reworked to ment, possibly, on the gay experience; while marriage is an optn, ’s not the only optn, and generatns of men who were told was not a possibily have surely seen their social and romantic sensibili affected by what mastream society saw as the norm. To be homosexual surely meant somethg different 1970 than do today, too, which cric Jam Jorn poted out when he reviewed the New York Philharmonic’s all-star stagg of the mil 2011 (Neil Patrick Harris starred as Bobby) for Capal New York.

When discsg a major lyril change the song “You Can Drive a Person Crazy, ” sung by Bobby’s three jilted lovers — “I uld unrstand a person if a person was a fag” turned to “I uld unrstand a person if he happened to be gay” when Roundabout revived the show 1995 — Jorn suggts that Bobby, who very well might be homosexual, wouldn’t be seen as such bee of the many layers of stigma attached to beg queer:Back the 1960s, the nventnal wisdom was that some men had sex wh other men ocsnally, and other men maybe fantasized om time to time about same-sex actn, but none of the guys were what you would ll homosexual. A homosexual, on the other hand, was seen as a pletely different breed, a “boy the band” hairdrser or an terr signer or an opera queen wh some sort of twisted secret sire to be a woman, or at least to be treated like a woman by some big, butch (preferably workg-class) straight du.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM REWORKG SEMAL 'COMPANY' TO MAKE LEAD GAY

A major revisn of the Tony Award-wng mil “Company” would make the central character, Bobby, a gay man. * is bobby gay in company *

That kd of homosexual was a “fag, ” a mp joke, and a woman chasg after such a creature was obvly ridiculo, bee, the words of an early Sondheim lyric, “his troers [are] vern….

But the revisn “happened to be gay” isn’t really a joke bee ’s non-judgmental. The ia here is, y, some guys who don’t appear effemate do turn out to be gay sometim, not that there’s anythg wrong wh that.

A quarter century of enlightenment reveals that gay sexualy is somewhat more plex than we first place Company a more morn ntext, then, wh openly gay characters alg wh their mment issu, seems to take away om what mak the show so nuanced and plited: now we have a new reason for Bobby’s fear of mment, and prov that the heterosexual mols for uplg no longer shape his view of marriage.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM WORKG ON NEW VERSN OF "COMPANY." BOBBY WILL BE GAY!{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}LIFEBY DAN AVERYOCTOBER 15, 2013/7:01 PMBY DAN AVERYOCTOBER 15, 2013 / 7:01 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"STEPHEN SONDHEIM WORKG ON NEW VERSN OF \"COMPANY.\" BOBBY WILL BE GAY!","DATEPUBLISHED":"2013-10-15T23:01:28.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2013-10-15T23:01:28.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DAN AVERY","ARTICLESECTN":"LIFE"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S COMPANY IS ONE OF HIS MOST BELOVED MILS, BUT THE SHOW IS GETTG A MAJOR FACELIFT: THE NEW YORK TIM IS REPORTG SONDHEIM IS REWORKG THE MATERIAL WH ONCE DIRECTOR JOHN TIFFANY FOR A POSSIBLE BROADWAY N. ONE BIG CHANGE: BOBBY WILL BE OPENLY GAY, AND JUGGLG MULTIPLE BOYIENDS WH A FEAR OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THEATER WRER PAT HEALY REPORTS SOME CHARACTERS WILL EVEN SWCH GENRS: JOANNE, WHO SGS “THE LADI WHO LUNCH” AND WAS ORIGALLY PLAYED BY ELAE STRCH, IS GOG TO BE PLAYED BY ALAN CUMMG A STAGED READG ON FRIDAY FOR ROUNDABOUT THEATRE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}[PTN ID="ATTACHMENT_128584" ALIGN="ALIGNRIGHT" WIDTH="220"] RAúL ESPARZA THE 2008 PRODUCTN OF "COMPANY" (JOE SNOTT, THIRTEEN/WNET)[/PTN]{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FANS OF THE TONY-WNG SHOW HAVE LONG NTEMPLATED BOBBY, A SGLE MAN GATHERG IENDS TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE HIS 35TH BIRTHDAY, IS ACTUALLY A CLOSETED HOMOSEXUAL—SOMETHG SONDHEIM AND COMPANY'S BOOK WRER, GEE FURTH, AVOID NFIRMG. BUT TIFFANY'S IA THAT BOBBY BE OUT AND PROUD TICKLED SONDHEIM'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“IT’S STILL A MIL ABOUT MMENT, BUT MARRIAGE IS SEEN AS SOMETHG VERY DIFFERENT 2013 THAN WAS 1970,” SONDHEIM SAYS. “WE DON’T AL WH GAY MARRIAGE AS SUCH, BUT THIS VERSN LETS EXPLORE THE ISSU OF MMENT A H WAY.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DANIEL EVANS, NOMATED FOR A TONY FOR THE 2008 REVIVAL OF SUNDAY THE PARK WH GEE, WILL PLAY BOBBY FRIDAY'S TRAGILLY PRIVATE PERFORMANCE. JOG HIM AND CUMMG ARE BOBBY STEGGERT AND MICHAEL URIE, AMONG OTHERS. SHOULD THE STAGG GO WELL, ROUNDABOUT MIGHT—MIGHT—NSIR A FULL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SHOULD THAT PRODUCTN E TO PASS, WHO WOULD YOU ST? NEIL PATRICK HARRIS IS ALREADY WARMG UP HIS PIP FOR HEDWIG AND HAS PERFORMED COMPANY BEFORE. URIE ULD BE ANOTHER NTENR, THOUGH HE MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH OF A NAME. ANYONE KNOW IF ZACHARY QUTO N SG?{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MAKE YOUR STG CHOIC THE MENTS SECTN BELOW!{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

The poser is llaboratg wh Tony-wng director John Tiffany on a workshop of the groundbreakg 1970 mil, renceivg central character Bobby as a gay man. * is bobby gay in company *

After all, Bobby’s possible queerns never turned gay dienc away om the show before. A third uple learns the meang of votn while smokg pot; a fourth uple — now nfigured as two gay men — experienc hiccups on the way to the, as stng together by Sondheim’s diamante songs, “Company” offered a groundbreakg way of lookg at s subject, ls through a microspe than a kaleidospe. One volv the gay uple, Jamie (formerly Amy) and Pl.

There’s gog to be a lot of prsure on her om her iends to make a wish that she will actually “sort her life out” and settle down and get married and have a fay, had turned down a proposal for an all-male “Company” wh a gay Bobby, directed by John Tiffany. ELLIOTT I don’t know whether this is morn or not, but there’s somethg about a woman sayg to a gay guy, “Oh, God, we’re both gettg olr, let’s jt you and I get married, ” a sort of flip way, that feels que real, but then be more ser. SONDHEIM The great key le — I’m gog to paraphrase — is “Jt bee we n get married, don’t mean we should, ” and that sums up everythg about the gay aspect of marriage.

WHY HAVE SO MANY GAY ACTORS PLAYED THE ROLE OF "BOBBY" IN COMPANY?

But the genr of one other character has also been swapped, makg a formerly straight uple now gay. You have to live up to , ” Matt Doyle, who plays one of the gay men, told TODAY via Zoom.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM WORKG ON A 'GAY' VERSN OF COMPANY

The biggt thg I learned is that as long as I ntue to play my tth and play as a man and as a gay man, the further away I get om that.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM TO TRY GAY TWIST ON ‘COMPANY’

He was emotnal, not only when rememberg men like Furth who helped create “Company” back 1970, but also around the gay them of the piece that were created for this revival. Sondheim was gay and out for most of his life, but his inty as a gay man was often an afterthought for his work and his place the public eye. ”Sondheim wrote for the tim he was , so much of his work never explicly featured gay characters.

For all the awards he was nomated and won over his lifetime — a Pulzer Prize, eight Tony awards, an Osr and eight Grammys — this revival marks his first ever nomatn for a GLAAD award, given to works the media for their fair, accurate and clive reprentatns of the LGBTQ what is this revival — helmed by Obie-wng Brish director Marianne Elltt — sayg by makg one of the uple — the uple gettg married — gay? We served this right, but what’s happened is there is a new anxiety wh gay men to f to this heteronormative world and society now that we have this right.

What’s somethg that’s so amazg about the gay muny is that we are are so dividualistic what we do. ”Doyle believ that Pl and Jamie are very reprentative of gay upl livg New York Cy today, tryg to navigate the nservative nf of marriage paired wh the liberatg ials often assumed of a gay liftyle. Doyle even trips up tryg to answer whether or not the uple the show is monogamo or not, ftgly reprentative of the actual nfn gay upl like Pl and Jamie are livg off stage.

GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS

“One of the pots that he ma was that he uldn’t believe that some younger people the dience didn’t regnize what a huge al was to have this gay uple this show. “One of the pots that he ma was that he uldn’t believe that some younger people the dience didn’t regnize what a huge al was to have this gay uple this show, ” Doyle said. “A lot of younger dience members actually thought was always a gay uple.

That we are movg forward such a way that people uld actually believe that a show 50 years ago would have a gay uple reprented that way on stage that fortably?

(“Company, wrten today, would surely clu at least one gay marriage, ” The Washgton Post’s Peter Marks wrote of a 2013 productn.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

”In the years sce Company premiered, many crics, directors, and fans have duced that Bobby is gay, and that the unspoken nature of his sexualy is what ntribut to his two-dimensnaly as a character.

Amy is renamed Jamie and is a gay man the 2021 Broadway revival.

In the origal productn of Company, Peter hts at havg a homosexual affair wh Bobby, though that has been cut the 2021 Broadway revival. This productn also featured a gay uple for the first time. " Tiffany wanted to try out a ncept that had been swirlg sce Company premiered: Was Bobby gay?

Stephen Sondheim to Try Gay Twist on ‘Company’ – The Hollywood Reporter

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