Review: ‘Company’ musical at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall through Oct. 6

Confused hearts know no gender.

The musical “Company” delivers this message wrapped in songs by one of the greatest composers/lyricists the entertainment world has ever known, the late Stephen Sondheim. It also asks the question, how do you find true love in a world where no one seems to know what true love is?

When the original production featuring a male lead debuted on Broadway in 1970, it was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six. The latest revival — featuring a gender switch throughout the cast — hit Broadway in 2021, receiving nine Tony nods and winning five.

Now, the re-gendered version of the “Company” musical is at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St., through Sunday, Oct. 6, as part of Performing Arts Fort Worth’s Broadway at the Bass series presented by PNC Bank.

In fact, it is the end of the show’s highly successful year-long U.S. tour, helmed by three-time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (“War Horse,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” and “Angels in America”).

“Company” stands tall among Sondheim’s many great works, the likes of which also include “Sweeney Todd,” “West Side Story” and “Into the Woods.” Like those musicals, it continues to stand the test of time — and in this case, also adjusting to the times.

The key to any successful musical is to have a strong story to accompany the songs. Otherwise, it’s simply a concert.

And while a concert of Sondheim songs would be a wonderful way to spend an evening, “Company” has both. The story from George Furth’s book delivers from a host of angles, from comical to heartwarming, with a dash of sadness sprinkled in and much thought provoking.

Bobbie (Britney Coleman) is turning 35, and her friends are throwing her a surprise birthday party. Along with the festivities, however, comes a plethora of questions for Bobbie.

Why isn’t she married? What’s holding her back? Is she looking hard enough for the right guy?

Compounding her situation is the fact that all of her friends are married or engaged, which forces Bobbie to examine their situations as she searches for answers to their questions — which have also now become her own questions.

What ensues is a series of vignettes in which Bobbie visits and observes her friends. It’s all part of Bobbie at least subconsciously taking a hard look at her own life and where it’s headed.

The more she observes, the crazier life starts to seem and the more confused she finds herself becoming.

One couple — an always dieting and workout-obsessed Sarah (Jessie Hooker-Bailey) and recovering alcoholic Harry (James Earl Jones II) — spend time picking at each other to the point they break into a karate fight. It’s hard to tell if they are playing or seriously taking out their frustrations.

Another couple, Peter (Javier Ignacio) and Susan (Elysia Jordan), seem perfectly happy to Bobbie. Then she gets the news of their divorce during what she thought was going to be a pleasant evening on their balcony overlooking the New York City skyline.

Then there’s Jenny (Emma Stratton) and David (Matt Bittner), who seem to need marijuana to be relaxed around each other. And Joanne (Judy McLane) keeps trying marriage (she jokes early in the show that she’s tried it three or four times), but only makes herself and her spouse, in this case Larry (Derrick Davis), miserable.

The couple that seems to be the most in love, Jamie (Matt Rodin) and Paul (Jhardon DiShon Milton), also face jeopardy when Jamie gets last-minute jitters on their wedding day. The scene features the show’s most hilarious song, “Getting Married Today.”

It appears Bobbie wants to find Mr. Right, but what defines the right guy for her? All the while, prospects seem to be getting impatient and confused themselves, as displayed in the number “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” performed by her love interests Andy (Jacob Dickey), Theo (David Socolar) and PJ (Alexander Rios).

One of the show’s most telling scenes features Bobbie and Andy at her apartment. In what Bobbie wants to be a romantic moment, the dimwitted Andy (a “himbo,” as Dickey describes him) begins to appear rambling with a story about a one-winged butterfly.

Bobbie counters with a story about seduction. Andy, without realizing he is touching upon a crucial part of her life, asks how the stories are related — unless she is the one with the broken wing?

Once the intimacy begins, Bobbie can’t enjoy the moment. She is haunted by visions of the different versions of her in presumably married relationships, complete with imaginary lookalikes of her and her various mates parading throughout her bedroom.

Another impactful moment — which includes an electrifying performance by McLane singing “The Ladies Who Lunch” — has Joanne and Bobbie sitting in a nightclub. Bobbie listens as Joanne laments about everything from her failed marriages to how no one smokes anymore, delivering the somber line that just might sum up Bobbie’s life as well: She’s too old for young people, and too young for old people.

Naturally, the music is nothing short of superb from the opening title song to Bobbie’s anthem “Being Alive” at the end. It is everything one would expect from a Sondheim musical. Of course, everyone will leave humming their favorite, but like fine wine, they are all something to enjoy and savor.

“Company” delivers a strong message about proceeding through this world, be it alone or with someone else — or perhaps several someone elses — but most of all being comfortable along the way. In the end, it is we who ultimately have to decide what or who will make us happy on the journey.