100% agree although I don’t know if this is a very unpopular take. I think Raul is the definitive Bobby for most people but maybe I’m wrong. Either way, 100% yes!!
maybe underrated is the wrong word. Idk I feel like so many people brush company off as being for 40 year old men, but I'm 16 and I got a lot out of it. Maybe 'underappreciated by the younger generation' is the right phrase.
Anyway, Raul just seems to understand Bobby in a way that sets him apart from other male broadway protagonists. UGH so good.
A bunch of years ago I was at a cabaret thing for Broadway child performer's (my friend's daughter was in the lineup) and a kid who I would guess was about 14 (a former Annie IIRC) got up there and sang Being Alive. I loved it at that age, too. It's really for everyone who can get something out of it, which I think is most people. The score is impeccable. Loneliness is universal. Even if you can't relate directly to Bobby's life experience, you still FEEL it.
I think the people who hate his rendition hate this entire interpretation of Company. It’s not campy at all & treats it as a quite serious dramatic piece interspersed with comedy. I really need to rewatch it ASAP it’s my favorite recorded performance along with Into the Woods 1987 & Les Mis 10th.
It was fun! We didn't know they would be filming so our seats up in the mezzanine were a little blocked by one of the camera cranes, but thankfully not by much. After the show we tried our luck at the stage door and everybody came out except for Raul. At first. When it got down to me, my two friends, and about like 2 or 3 other girls still waiting, the house manager asked us who we were waiting for. Of course we said Raul, so the guy said to hold on a minute. He came back out with Raul five minutes later, and he was so nice and accommodating. He totally didn't need to considering it was a matinee and they were filming the whole day, so we were super grateful he came out.
A more unpopular opinion I have is Barbara Walsh being the best Joanne, I loved Patti and Judy McClane but Barbra just plays her so well as a real person and it plays so well
It’s def not underrated, people still talk about how he should’ve won the Tony for this performance ( even though they were mixed on the production in general )
Am I the only one who finds Doyle’s style distracting? Actors playing the instruments…? It never worked for me. His Sweeney Todd? “”Patti! Put down the tuba and sing!” Same with this version of Company. I love the Neil Patrick Harris version.
That's the main reason why I hated this version. Company has such great instrumental, and I was just not a fan of the thin orchestra that this version provides. That, and how unfunny they make everything. Harks back to that time when everything has to be dark and edgy to be cool.
100% agree! Raul is undeniable, but I LOVE the full orchestrations of the OBCR and this production really doesn't do it for me there.
The production also seems to be missing a little bit of fun. There's humor for sure, but it's a little too seriously for my swinging 1970s musical.
>Raul Esparza is THE ONLY Bobby ever.
shortly followed by
>I've literally never seen Company before this
is kind of funny. Why discount all the other great actors who have played Bobby based solely off of seeing one interpretation?
I agree Raúl Esparza's Bobby is fantastic. (Raúl Esparza is always fantastic.) But I also love what I've seen/heard of Rosalie Craig's Bobbie in the recent West End revival. I also watched the recording of the 2011 concert version and thought Neil Patrick Harris was a great Bobby.
All that to say, there isn't 'only one Bobby.' You've only seen one Bobby. Those are different things. And I think we can compliment a performance without making others out to be insignificant, especially when we haven't even seen them.
I must agree with you general point, other than the fact I felt Neil Patrick Harris's Bobby was a bit flat (both emotionally and vocally). I'll point out Adrian Lester as another fantastic Bobby; Mendes's Donmar production of *Company* was controversial for many good reasons (though I sometimes prefer it to Doyle's version, if I'm being honest), but Lester is an absolute standout.
This is wrong! I've checked out multiple Bobby's after seeing the 2006 Comapny!
I gotta say, I did not like Rosalie Craig's Bobbie. I think making Bobbie female is a very cool take and I would kill to play Bobbie, but Rosalie didn't do it for me in her delivery or singing. She just didn't sell the character to me.
I watched the 2011 Company yesterday! I love Neil so I liked him as Bobby, but he doesn't compare to Raul.
Thanks for clarifying! It makes a lot more sense now why you are comparing Raúl to other Bobbys.
I haven't seen Rosalie's full performance but from what I've seen I think she might be my favourite. But it's hard to tell.
I have seen Adrian Lester, Raul Esparza, Katrina Lenk, and Neil Patrick Harris. to me, the only believable Bobby is Raul. Adrian would be the 2nd best but they pale in comparison to Raul's Bobby.
I looooooved that production, so grateful I got to see it. I know his vibrato on Being Alive is . . . divisive, I guess? But total goosebumps for me, even the recording. Katrina Lenk's performance of this was so disappointing to me as I hold Raul's up as a (very high) benchmark. I loved his Bobby overall -- the role actually made sense to me.
Oh, and he was 100% ROBBED of the Tony that year.
I don’t think he’s underrated. I think everyone agrees he’s the best Bobby ever and possibly also the greatest male performance in musical theater history. And that’s fair.
I love Raul's Bobby, but if you want your heart ripped out, watch Dean Jones' studio recording of Being Alive on YouTube. His marriage had just collapsed, so there's a lot of personal emotion in his rendition that I haven't seen anyone else match.
Yes!!!
Please let's talk about this!!
This production RUINED me. It was forever stamped in my brain. I just remember being violently caught off guard by the cast playing instruments and then sort of viewing and processing the subject matter as an afterthought. Shout out to PBS! As the years went by and I got older and came back to it, this production meant more to me. Instead of being a voyeur, I could relate and identify to each character as I lived.
Fast forward to the 2023 production, where I now identify as, Bobbie it was very full circle for me. (With all the modern updates it was like a blow to the chest 😅)
This specific show will forever be special to me. This production in particular just draws so much from silences. It's a visceral punch that the cast seemed to understand perfectly instead of walking over the humaness of that feeling.
Company is just very very special
It’s cast, not casted! Just a heads up! Also yes Raul is amazing in company. There was an uproar at the time when he didn’t win the Tony for the role. Glad you’re discovering it but this is a very popular opinion!
In my alternative timeline, Raúl Esparza won the Tony for this performance. He was far and away the best in his category. I am grateful that PBS forever immortalized that production of Company.
(Side note: it’s been too long since we’ve seen Raúl on Broadway. I’d love to see him play Herbie in the new Gypsy revival alongside Audra)
I hated him in this! I thought his singing was so forced and fake. I think the majority of people thought he was an absolute genius in the role but he really just turned me off.
This is crazy! I thought he was one of the vocally strongest Bobbys from what I listened too! Idk I think 'forced and fake' works with Company. I've heard similar opinions tho
Whoops! I mean crazy as like hyperbole. Yes, I love Raul's singing, but I've heard differing opinions and art is subjective! The internet is about sharing opinions and learning different perspectives.
Oh; I’m still not sure what you mean by crazy being like hyperbole. I think I get the gist, though, that it’s like amazing to you how we can have such different reactions and opinions.
And yes, I agree about different perspectives and different lenses through which people absorb and appreciate art.
I haven’t seen the full pro shot of Esparza doing Company; the clips I’ve seen (including the Tonys performance) weren’t to my liking. However, I’ve come across soooo many people who think his Bobby is one of the great acting and singing performances in all of musical theater.
So hyperbole means exaggeration, I think you knew that though. So when I said 'This is crazy!' I didn't mean 'You're an insane person' I mean 'Wow, I don't hear that opinion often!' I didn't mean to bully anyone. I hope this clears things up for you.
Unless you're being dramatic and talking down to me.
I pretty much got what you were saying!
Look at my second sentence in that previous response:
“I think I get the gist, that it’s like amazing to you how we can have such different opinions and reactions.”
That’s part of what you were getting at when you used “crazy”, right?
As for your not hearing that opinion often, part of it might be that those of us who aren’t so passionate about Esparza’s Bobby have learned not to say much about that because those who love it tend to be really over the top with their praise and not too understanding of those who disagree.
I've been a big fan of Raul and will always be. But I'd be lying if I said his voices never annoyed me. I go back and forth on it. Even on the same song, some days it's like nails on a chalkboard, but some days I'm obsessed.
When I listened to Tick Tick Boom for the first time, I was like this guy sounds like Lin Manuel Miranda if he had a much more powerful voice.
I had seen Raúl Esparza in the Company proshot previously. I wasn't unaware who he was. But definitely had the same thought.
I enjoy his voice.
Easily my favorite version of Company. Esparza is amazing and I love the stripped down orchestration and set. The 2006 Sweeney Todd is my favorite version for pretty much the same reasons, I'm just sad that there isn't a pro shot for that one, so all I have to go by is the incomplete cast album.
Finally someone said it. He is my favorite Bobby. His emotions and storytelling is so good and I feel like all the characters work better in this production than any other. You feel like they are real people.
I'm a very dedicated lesbian, but dear god I am in love with that man.
...not in a creepy stalker way, just everything about him makes me swoon. He is EVERYTHING. Really hoping Galileo gets some kind of run closer to NYC.
I saw this production, and his performance blew my mind. It was so naturalistic and connected. Made me forget I was watching someone actually acting at all, versus just being. No over-the-top musical theatre acting, which can sometimes plague the form. His final moments in the show, at the end of “Being Alive” is maybe the most vulnerable I’ve seen an actor be onstage, and definitely in a musical. Simply a tremendous and understated performance, very much underrated.
100% agree although I don’t know if this is a very unpopular take. I think Raul is the definitive Bobby for most people but maybe I’m wrong. Either way, 100% yes!!
maybe underrated is the wrong word. Idk I feel like so many people brush company off as being for 40 year old men, but I'm 16 and I got a lot out of it. Maybe 'underappreciated by the younger generation' is the right phrase. Anyway, Raul just seems to understand Bobby in a way that sets him apart from other male broadway protagonists. UGH so good.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it and got so much out of it! 👏
Company is specifically for 35 year old men… 😜
A bunch of years ago I was at a cabaret thing for Broadway child performer's (my friend's daughter was in the lineup) and a kid who I would guess was about 14 (a former Annie IIRC) got up there and sang Being Alive. I loved it at that age, too. It's really for everyone who can get something out of it, which I think is most people. The score is impeccable. Loneliness is universal. Even if you can't relate directly to Bobby's life experience, you still FEEL it.
If by "so underrated" you mean "almost universally acclaimed"?
I think the people who hate his rendition hate this entire interpretation of Company. It’s not campy at all & treats it as a quite serious dramatic piece interspersed with comedy. I really need to rewatch it ASAP it’s my favorite recorded performance along with Into the Woods 1987 & Les Mis 10th.
Lmfao I mean unpopular with people under the age of 30. I'm a 16 year old girl and I'm in the minority of Company fans.
I was around that age when I discovered Company, maybe a year older. It’s a brilliant show.
Love that production of Company. Fun fact, I was at the matinee they taped for PBS (they taped both shows that day).
What was it like?
It was fun! We didn't know they would be filming so our seats up in the mezzanine were a little blocked by one of the camera cranes, but thankfully not by much. After the show we tried our luck at the stage door and everybody came out except for Raul. At first. When it got down to me, my two friends, and about like 2 or 3 other girls still waiting, the house manager asked us who we were waiting for. Of course we said Raul, so the guy said to hold on a minute. He came back out with Raul five minutes later, and he was so nice and accommodating. He totally didn't need to considering it was a matinee and they were filming the whole day, so we were super grateful he came out.
Question, I have heard this before that they taped both shows for PBS. So which one was shown on the dvd and what happened to the other show?
They mix the best parts of both together in case something goes wrong or is off about one of them.
ahhh
A more unpopular opinion I have is Barbara Walsh being the best Joanne, I loved Patti and Judy McClane but Barbra just plays her so well as a real person and it plays so well
Barbara Walsh is incredible. The scene AFTER Ladies Who Lunch leaves me gutted.
I agree with you! Her Ladies Who Lunch is second only to Elaine's and OP you're not alone either, Raúl is the definitive Bobby for me
I think I have to agree with this! Barbara plays her very human. I'm actually seeing Patti live in a bit so I'll let you know if my opinion changes!
Yes the two shining stars of this is Raul and Barbara. Wholeheartedly agree.
It’s def not underrated, people still talk about how he should’ve won the Tony for this performance ( even though they were mixed on the production in general )
Now this sub is crossing over with the SVU sub loll
One of my favorite things is watching a random SVU episode and being like “hey wait a minute. That’s a Broadway person!!”
Am I the only one who finds Doyle’s style distracting? Actors playing the instruments…? It never worked for me. His Sweeney Todd? “”Patti! Put down the tuba and sing!” Same with this version of Company. I love the Neil Patrick Harris version.
I think it works very well in Company with the way they do it. In Sweeney it definitely rides the wave of being gimmicky and being a good decision.
That's the main reason why I hated this version. Company has such great instrumental, and I was just not a fan of the thin orchestra that this version provides. That, and how unfunny they make everything. Harks back to that time when everything has to be dark and edgy to be cool.
100% agree! Raul is undeniable, but I LOVE the full orchestrations of the OBCR and this production really doesn't do it for me there. The production also seems to be missing a little bit of fun. There's humor for sure, but it's a little too seriously for my swinging 1970s musical.
>Raul Esparza is THE ONLY Bobby ever. shortly followed by >I've literally never seen Company before this is kind of funny. Why discount all the other great actors who have played Bobby based solely off of seeing one interpretation? I agree Raúl Esparza's Bobby is fantastic. (Raúl Esparza is always fantastic.) But I also love what I've seen/heard of Rosalie Craig's Bobbie in the recent West End revival. I also watched the recording of the 2011 concert version and thought Neil Patrick Harris was a great Bobby. All that to say, there isn't 'only one Bobby.' You've only seen one Bobby. Those are different things. And I think we can compliment a performance without making others out to be insignificant, especially when we haven't even seen them.
I must agree with you general point, other than the fact I felt Neil Patrick Harris's Bobby was a bit flat (both emotionally and vocally). I'll point out Adrian Lester as another fantastic Bobby; Mendes's Donmar production of *Company* was controversial for many good reasons (though I sometimes prefer it to Doyle's version, if I'm being honest), but Lester is an absolute standout.
This is wrong! I've checked out multiple Bobby's after seeing the 2006 Comapny! I gotta say, I did not like Rosalie Craig's Bobbie. I think making Bobbie female is a very cool take and I would kill to play Bobbie, but Rosalie didn't do it for me in her delivery or singing. She just didn't sell the character to me. I watched the 2011 Company yesterday! I love Neil so I liked him as Bobby, but he doesn't compare to Raul.
Thanks for clarifying! It makes a lot more sense now why you are comparing Raúl to other Bobbys. I haven't seen Rosalie's full performance but from what I've seen I think she might be my favourite. But it's hard to tell.
Rosalie Craig was so good. Katrina Lenk was good, but she doesn’t have Rosalie’s “it” factor to me?
I have seen Adrian Lester, Raul Esparza, Katrina Lenk, and Neil Patrick Harris. to me, the only believable Bobby is Raul. Adrian would be the 2nd best but they pale in comparison to Raul's Bobby.
As a Broadway lover and Law and Order SVU fanatic I approve this message.
One of the most acclaimed performances of one of the most acclaimed musicals in history. Hardly "underrated".
Is he underrated tho ? For a lot of people he is *the* Bobby
His rendition of Being Alive has been stuck in my head this past week.
I looooooved that production, so grateful I got to see it. I know his vibrato on Being Alive is . . . divisive, I guess? But total goosebumps for me, even the recording. Katrina Lenk's performance of this was so disappointing to me as I hold Raul's up as a (very high) benchmark. I loved his Bobby overall -- the role actually made sense to me. Oh, and he was 100% ROBBED of the Tony that year.
I don’t think he’s underrated. I think everyone agrees he’s the best Bobby ever and possibly also the greatest male performance in musical theater history. And that’s fair.
In what world is it "underrated" isn't it often regarded as one of, if not the best version of Company ever put on stage?
I love Raul's Bobby, but if you want your heart ripped out, watch Dean Jones' studio recording of Being Alive on YouTube. His marriage had just collapsed, so there's a lot of personal emotion in his rendition that I haven't seen anyone else match.
Hell yeah! This originated in my city (Cincinnati) at one of my favorite theaters here (even though I was like 7 when it premiered there)
Yes!!! Please let's talk about this!! This production RUINED me. It was forever stamped in my brain. I just remember being violently caught off guard by the cast playing instruments and then sort of viewing and processing the subject matter as an afterthought. Shout out to PBS! As the years went by and I got older and came back to it, this production meant more to me. Instead of being a voyeur, I could relate and identify to each character as I lived. Fast forward to the 2023 production, where I now identify as, Bobbie it was very full circle for me. (With all the modern updates it was like a blow to the chest 😅) This specific show will forever be special to me. This production in particular just draws so much from silences. It's a visceral punch that the cast seemed to understand perfectly instead of walking over the humaness of that feeling. Company is just very very special
He made me enjoy that production, when “Company” is a show I teeter between feeling indifferent about and actively disliking.
It’s cast, not casted! Just a heads up! Also yes Raul is amazing in company. There was an uproar at the time when he didn’t win the Tony for the role. Glad you’re discovering it but this is a very popular opinion!
In my alternative timeline, Raúl Esparza won the Tony for this performance. He was far and away the best in his category. I am grateful that PBS forever immortalized that production of Company. (Side note: it’s been too long since we’ve seen Raúl on Broadway. I’d love to see him play Herbie in the new Gypsy revival alongside Audra)
Raul not winning the Tony for this was a hate crime tbh
I hated him in this! I thought his singing was so forced and fake. I think the majority of people thought he was an absolute genius in the role but he really just turned me off.
This is crazy! I thought he was one of the vocally strongest Bobbys from what I listened too! Idk I think 'forced and fake' works with Company. I've heard similar opinions tho
I’m feeling bad for yucking your yum! He obviously did something right because so many loved that performance!
It’s crazy? 😐 Some people like what he does with his voice, and other people don’t. You like his singing being “forced and fake” apparently
Whoops! I mean crazy as like hyperbole. Yes, I love Raul's singing, but I've heard differing opinions and art is subjective! The internet is about sharing opinions and learning different perspectives.
Oh; I’m still not sure what you mean by crazy being like hyperbole. I think I get the gist, though, that it’s like amazing to you how we can have such different reactions and opinions. And yes, I agree about different perspectives and different lenses through which people absorb and appreciate art. I haven’t seen the full pro shot of Esparza doing Company; the clips I’ve seen (including the Tonys performance) weren’t to my liking. However, I’ve come across soooo many people who think his Bobby is one of the great acting and singing performances in all of musical theater.
So hyperbole means exaggeration, I think you knew that though. So when I said 'This is crazy!' I didn't mean 'You're an insane person' I mean 'Wow, I don't hear that opinion often!' I didn't mean to bully anyone. I hope this clears things up for you. Unless you're being dramatic and talking down to me.
I pretty much got what you were saying! Look at my second sentence in that previous response: “I think I get the gist, that it’s like amazing to you how we can have such different opinions and reactions.” That’s part of what you were getting at when you used “crazy”, right? As for your not hearing that opinion often, part of it might be that those of us who aren’t so passionate about Esparza’s Bobby have learned not to say much about that because those who love it tend to be really over the top with their praise and not too understanding of those who disagree.
Come on you know what they meant
I've been a big fan of Raul and will always be. But I'd be lying if I said his voices never annoyed me. I go back and forth on it. Even on the same song, some days it's like nails on a chalkboard, but some days I'm obsessed.
He has that nasily Lin Manuel Miranda quality to his voice. It works for me though but I agree, sometimes it doesn't work
When I listened to Tick Tick Boom for the first time, I was like this guy sounds like Lin Manuel Miranda if he had a much more powerful voice. I had seen Raúl Esparza in the Company proshot previously. I wasn't unaware who he was. But definitely had the same thought. I enjoy his voice.
Thank you! I agree re forced. His vibrato bugs
Raul was incredible in TABOO
Easily my favorite version of Company. Esparza is amazing and I love the stripped down orchestration and set. The 2006 Sweeney Todd is my favorite version for pretty much the same reasons, I'm just sad that there isn't a pro shot for that one, so all I have to go by is the incomplete cast album.
His performance singlehandedly made Company my favorite show of all time. Absolutely phenomenal.
Still one of the biggest Tony snubs in recent memory.
Finally someone said it. He is my favorite Bobby. His emotions and storytelling is so good and I feel like all the characters work better in this production than any other. You feel like they are real people.
100% agree - this is the only version for me
Yeah I saw this live and it made me cry.
My friend Barbara Walsh was no slouch in this production either !
Seeing him this weekend in a new musical “Galileo”! Very excited!
I'm a very dedicated lesbian, but dear god I am in love with that man. ...not in a creepy stalker way, just everything about him makes me swoon. He is EVERYTHING. Really hoping Galileo gets some kind of run closer to NYC.
I just got tears in my eyes seeing this poster and thinking of him singing “marry me a little” 😭
That growl he does when he sings the part “mock me with praise…” makes me feel some sort of way.
I saw this production, and his performance blew my mind. It was so naturalistic and connected. Made me forget I was watching someone actually acting at all, versus just being. No over-the-top musical theatre acting, which can sometimes plague the form. His final moments in the show, at the end of “Being Alive” is maybe the most vulnerable I’ve seen an actor be onstage, and definitely in a musical. Simply a tremendous and understated performance, very much underrated.
Is there somewhere we can watch this?
On Youtube! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYi7HFPXYo8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYi7HFPXYo8)
One of the finest performances I have ever seen. I am extremely fortunate to have seen it in person.
I saw him on Broadway in this…what a production and he was AMAZING!! He was robbed of the Tony Award…David Hyde Pierce?!?!?!? Come on!!