Movie Box Review

Modern Family - 1:7

The Office - 8:1

30 Rock - 8:1

Glee - 12:1

The Big Bang Theory - 16:1

Parks & Recreation - 25:1

Modern Family - 1:2

Parks & Recreation - 5:1

30 Rock - 8:1

The Office - 10:1

The Big Bang Theory - 15:1

Glee - 18:1

The Emmys have a tendency, once they find a show they like, to reward it over and over again (Frasier won 5 years in a row, and more recently 30 Rock was a 3-time winner).  The big money is betting that Modern Family will be the new Emmy darling, repeating last year's win.  This may well be the case, particularly because the consensus is that The Office and 30 Rock both had off years, and Big Bang Theory doesn't seem to have the kind of comedy stature the voters look for.  (Glee, with its hybrid 1-hour format and comedy-drama mix, is badly-placed for a win--especially since the show it starting to look like it may have peaked.)  If there's going to be a surprise, look out for the longshot on the board:  Parks & Recreation hit its creative stride this season, and it has a chance for an upset.

Steve Carell, The Office - 1:6

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory - 7:2

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock - 14:1

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes - 33:1

Louis CK, Louie - 33:1

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory - 40:1

Steve Carell, The Office - 1:10

Louis CK, Louie - 8:1

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock - 11:1

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory -13:1

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes -25:1

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory - 40:1

The smart money (or "smart" money) is going all-in on the idea that Steve Carell--who has never won--will take home a valedictory Emmy for his last season on The Office, and with weak competition, that sounds right (it helps that his last couple of episodes were the best of the season).  Parsons and Baldwin have traded the award each of the last 2 years, so neither is "owed" one, and the feeling seems to be that Galecki is subsumed by his co-star.  Matt LeBlanc is in the race for the getting-tired thrill of watching him play a surreal version of himself in Episodes (Larry David may not have invented that concept, but he owns it for now).  Louis CK is deservedly the hot name of the moment; his problem is that Emmy voters are unlikely to know what to do with his auteur-driven show.

Bookie Odds:

Laura Linney, The Big C - 4:6

Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation - 7:4

Tina Fey, 30 Rock - 6:1

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie - 14:1

Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope - 25:1

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly - 33:1

ShowbuzzDaily Odds:

Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation - 8:5

Laura Linney, The Big C -2:1

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie - 10:1

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly - 20:1

Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope - 30:1

This has been a quirky category in recent years, with Edie Falco and Toni Collette each winning for little-watched Showtime comedy-dramas, and the bettors are jumping on Laura Linney as the impeccable successor to that crown with her turn as a funny cancer patient.  Our thought is that the Academy will change gears and go for a more conventional (but still offbeat and classy) network comedy, with the well-liked Amy Poehler winning for Parks & Recreation.  Fey and Falco already have their multiple Emmys, Plimpton is on the cusp between Lead and Supporting on Raising Hope, and McCarthy is likely getting a "welcome to the club" nomination.

One of the most heartening developments of the past couple of years has been the spreading popularity in theaters of cultural events presented in HD video.  Operas and ballets have become monthly features in many cities, and stage shows are now joining in:  Britain's National Theatre has been presenting several productions on screen for the past couple of years (most notably Danny Boyle's smash hit production of Frankenstein); last year's Tony-winning musical Memphis was shown several months ago; and last month Brian Bedford's Tony-nominated performance in The Importance of Being Earnest was showcased.  The newest arrival is a taped version of the starry gala concert staging of Stephen Sondheim's Company that was produced at Lincoln Center in April, with the New York Philharmonic serving as house orchestra.  It premiered this week around the country, and will be shown several more times in theaters over the next few days (the show's website, with theater information, is here). 

Few moments in popular culture are as unequivocally epochal as the Broadway opening of Company in 1970; there literally had never been a show like it before, and it changed the face of musical theatre, establishing Sondheim as the reigning genius of the era.  Structured with only a loose overall plot, it tells with revue-style vignettes the story of Bobby (Neil Patrick Harris in this production), a single 35-year old whose friends are all married couples.  Their relationships are mutually codependent; the couples rely on him to smooth over the rough edges of their marriages, and he uses them to ward off his growing loneliness.  The score is one classic song after another, culminating in the great "Being Alive," and George Furth's book is underrated, or perhaps it's just aged well now that it's no longer a topical story of its contemporary moment.

One can't really review the taped Company as a movie, per se; under Lonny Price's direction, it makes little attempt to be cinematic (it certainly doesn't approach the artistry of Spike Lee's filming last year of Passing Strange), and just serves as a record of the concert.  The staging itself suffers from 2 major handicaps:  the makeshift nature of a production with a cast quickly thrown together for a few performances, with just the suggestion of scenery (some couches that can be rolled around the stage) and little choreography; and also, for those lucky enough to have seen it on Broadway, PBS or homevideo, John Doyle's brilliant and fairly recent 2006 production, starring Raul Esparza as Bobby.

Harris, in particular, suffers by comparison with Esparza.  Bobby is a difficult character to play, being passive and reactive for much of the show until his final solo; he can seem sketchy and superficial unless the audience can be made to feel the building desperation beneath his charming surface.  Harris sings well and more than manages the charm, but he can't bring off anything like Esparza's explosive epiphany.  (It's not unlikely that back in 1970, the Warren Beatty of that period was an inspiration for Bobby, and that's not a comparison that works well for Harris.)  The rest of the cast (Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton, Craig Bierko, Anika Noni Rose) is workmanlike but not often transcendent, with 2 exceptions:  Christina Hendricks, as April, Bobby's stewardess partner in the song "Barcelona," is just about perfect, hitting every hilarious note of both her dialogue and the song.  And not very shockingly, Patti LuPone knocks it out of the park with her "The Ladies Who Lunch" and the scene that leads up to it.  

Company is a masterpiece, a landmark in theatre history; this production is just a good one, but the chance to see a work like this on the big screen, with full stereo sound and a cast in fine voice, is well worth seeking out.