| The dark side of the gender-swapped "Company" | |
| Posted by: TheBroadwayMaven (DavidBenkof@gmail.com) 11:20 am EST 12/11/22 | |
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| From the current Broadway Maven Weekly Blast (author of the article is Mateo Chavez Lewis): In 2018, a reimagined and gender-swapped production of Company helmed by director Marianne Elliot premiered on the West End. The 1970 version, of course, told the story of of a 35-year-old single man named Bobby who refused to get married. The newer version instead focused on "Bobbie," a woman. Sondheim and Elliot worked together to change many of the original lyrics of the show, to make the switch work. Indeed, most elements of the reimagined production were clever, original, and empowering. But some lyric changes were unnecessary – or worse. For example, the song "Have I Got a Girl for You," became "Have I Got a Guy for You.” The original version features all of Bobby's male friends telling him about beautiful women they want to set him up with. "Dumb!" Larry gleefully exclaims, describing a girl he thinks would be perfect for Bobby. It’s arguably already misogynistic that this would be a trait Bobby might look for in a woman, an echo of outdated attitudes. In the gender-bent version, however, Joanne says the man she's got in mind for Bobbie (the woman) is "Smart!" There is no practical reason for this lyric change – it doesn't rhyme with anything – so it seems the change was made only because the creative team didn't believe a woman could be interested in a dumb man. Later in the song, in the original version, the guys ask Bobby: "What do you like, you like an excursion to Rome? Suddenly taking off to explore? What do you like, you like having meals cooked at home? Then what do you want to get married for?" In the gender-bent version, the line about "meals cooked at home" becomes "What do you like, you like constant showers of praise?" Then what do you want to get married for?" This is also a change that didn't need to be made; the creative team actually had to go out of their way to change the rhyming line about Rome in order to make the new lyric work. It feels like this change was made for the sole purpose of promoting gender stereotypes: it sends the message that men cannot be expected to cook meals at home for a woman, and that women are desperate for constant praise from their husbands. With the global context of society breaking down gender stereotypes, unnecessary gender-based lyric changes weaken the reimagined Company's overall message of empowerment for single women, rather than strengthening it. (Mateo is a co-host and music educator for The Broadway Maven.) |
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