Editing Company (musical) (section)

=== 2018 West End gender-bent production ===
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| quote = "It's thrilling from beginning to end. And the last scene of Act I (which is now two guys) will completely shatter you, as well as it being one of the funniest scenes on record. All due to [<nowiki/>[[Jonathan Bailey]]], the guy who plays Jamie, the Amy-equivalent. I only wish [[George Furth]] [the book's writer] could see it, as it definitively proves what Judy Prince said about him: he's [[J. D. Salinger]]."
| source = –[[Stephen Sondheim]] after watching the first gender-swapped production of ''Company'' in the West End in 2018<ref name="Bonny Jonny">{{Cite web |title=Bonny Jonny |url=https://sessumsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/bonny-jonny/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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}}A West End revival was staged at the [[Gielgud Theatre]] which started previews from September 26, 2018, and opened officially, on October 17. The production was part of Elliott & Harper Productions' debut season, a production company formed by director [[Marianne Elliott]] and producer Chris Harper.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/27/arts/marianne-elliott-to-direct-sondheim-and-furths-company-with-a-gender-twist.html|title=Marianne Elliott to Direct Sondheim and Furth's ''Company'', with a Gender Twist|last=Chow|first=Andrew R.|date=November 27, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 6, 2017}}</ref> The revival/[[remake]] featured changes to the genders of several characters.<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/richard-fleeshman-george-blagden-more-will-join-patti-lupone-in-gender-swapped-company# "Richard Fleeshman, George Blagden, More Will Join Patti LuPone in Gender-Swapped ''Company''"], ''[[Playbill]]'', June 29, 2018</ref> The character of Bobby was changed to Bobbie, a female role, and was played by [[Rosalie Craig]]. Additionally, the production featured a same-sex couple for the first time, with [[Jonathan Bailey]] as cold-footed groom Jamie (originally written as the female character Amy) and [[Alex Gaumond]] as his devoted fiancé Paul.<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/alex-gaumond-and-jonathan-bailey-will-play-same-sex-couple-in-londons-gender-swapped-company "Alex Gaumond and Jonathan Bailey Will Play Same-Sex Couple in London's Gender-Swapped ''Company''"] Playbill, July 12, 2018</ref> Sondheim approved the changes and worked on revisions of the script with director Elliott.<ref>Dex, Robert. Ackerman, Naomi. [https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/stephen-sondheim-gives-his-blessing-to-companys-first-samesex-couple-a3885566.html "Stephen Sondheim gives his blessing to ''Company''{{'}}s first same-sex couple], ''[[Evening Standard]]'', July 12, 2018</ref> [[Patti LuPone]], [[Ben Lewis (Australian actor)|Ben Lewis]] and [[Mel Giedroyc]] also starred.

''Company'' topped the list of the [[2019 Laurence Olivier Awards|2019 Olivier Award]] nominations, alongside ''[[Come from Away]]'', with nine nominations, winning [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Best Musical Revival]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/2019-olivier-award-nominations-londons-company-and-come-from-away-lead-the-pack|title=2019 Olivier Award Nominations: London's ''Company'' and ''Come from Away'' Lead the Pack|last=McPhee|first=Ryan|magazine=[[Playbill]]|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=March 5, 2019}}</ref> It also won [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical]] (LuPone), [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical]] (Bailey).

The cast recording was made available for digital release and [[Streaming media|streaming]] by [[Warner Classics]] on February 1, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2019 |title=''Company'' – 2018 London Cast Recording released |url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatre-news/company-2018-london-cast-recording-released/ |access-date=June 3, 2022 |website=LondonTheatre1 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The production closed on March 30, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/company-at-the-gielgud-theatre|title=''Company'' at the Gielgud Theatre|date=August 30, 2018|publisher=[[Royal National Theatre]]|access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Bonny Jonny"/>

{{blockquote|When I was auditioning in London, I couldn't find the person [to play Amy]. I also felt like this woman wasn't now, wasn't a very modern woman. So then I did a crazy thing — I asked a friend of mine, [[Jonathan Bailey]]... 'Would you mind just coming in and trying something for me? It's a bit crazy.'<br />We worked for maybe an hour and a half, and it wasn't perfect, but I felt (gasp), this is exciting, there's a potential here. So I then immediately got on the email to Steve, and I said, 'Steve, you have to be sitting down. You have to be having a glass of wine in your hand. And take a deep breath, but I'm going to say something to you: I think possibly we should change Amy into a man.' And Steve's reply sums him up, really, as a collaborator. He basically said, 'Marianne, you need to be sitting down, you need to have a glass of wine in your hand, you need to take a deep breath: I think it's a great idea.'|[[Marianne Elliott]] on reimagining Amy as a man<ref name="nyt2021dec1Paulson" />}}