DETROIT – In February of this year, Britney Coleman was on stage at the Detroit Opera House in the first national tour of Beetlejuice as Barbara Maitland. Just eight months later, she’s back in Detroit, but this time at the Fisher Theatre and leading the tour of the Broadway revival of COMPANY as Bobbie.
Coleman, an Ann Arbor native and University of Michigan graduate, reflects on what it’s like to hit the road again and her memories with Stephen Sondheim, who passed away during the Broadway show’s previews.
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What’s it like leading the company of COMPANY for the national tour?
It’s really exciting. It’s been nice to approach it in my own special personal way and we have a lot of new folks. We have some folks from the Broadway company. But as far as the rest of the cast goes, there are a lot of people who are approaching this material for the first time, and everyone is so brilliant. It’s really, really fun to play with this new kind of younger, vibrant energy on tour.
So you just got off of the Beetlejuice tour and now you’re revisiting a lot of the same cities. How does it feel to be coming back to a lot of those cities?
It’s so crazy. It’s a completely different show. We’re going to have different audiences for sure, so I’m excited to approach both markets. As far as Detroit goes, we were at the Opera House for Beetlejuice and now we’ll be at the Fisher for COMPANY. I think I saw more shows at the Fisher growing up, so I’m really excited to go there for this one.
Now that you’re on your second national tour, are you doing things differently around this time to keep up your energy?
Definitely. I’m so glad I was on tour with Beetlejuice before this because Bobbie and COMPANY are much more demanding than what I was doing in Beetlejuice. So, I’m able to approach things in a slower, less frantic way. I’m really able to prioritize myself and take care of myself outside the show this time around, which is great.
I saw the revival on Broadway and thought to myself, “There’s no way this set can ever tour.” Is a lot of that same Broadway magic making its way across the country?
I was wondering that, too, when I got the call about the tour and was like, “Okay, well I hope the set moves.” Bunny Christie, the set designer, has been here for this whole process and we’ve really kept 95% of that magic. We’ve had to scale everything down. So, we’ve created a set that will fit in every venue. It’s odd having been on the Broadway set to be on tour where things are maybe a foot smaller. It’s a little disorienting. Sometimes, I’m on stage and I’m like, “I remember having a lot more space.”
Did you get to meet Stephen Sondheim during your time on COMPANY on Broadway?
Pre-pandemic he was able to see a run-through of the show. During our preview post-pandemic, he saw one of our last previews before we officially opened on Broadway. That was a really, really special time. They kept the bar in the back of the house open after the show and we all just went into the house after the audience had left. He was so lovely. He thanked all of us for the production. Like why are you thanking us? We’ve got to thank you.
Do you and Bobbie have any similarities?
A bit more than I would like to admit. This is a very meta process for me. I’ll be turning 35 during the tour, which is what this beautiful show is about. Coming to terms with turning 35 and being surrounded by all of your married friends and trying to filter out all of their different opinions about being married. Bobbie’s definitely a people pleaser trying to make sure all of your friends are taken care of. I definitely do that in life as well. I mean, I like my quiet time and that’s all Bobbie wants. The moment she starts to find solace in her apartment, then all of a sudden, her friends insert themselves into her apartment without invitation. So yeah, we have a lot in common.
Why do you think COMPANY still resonates as it did back in the 70s?
It’s really fascinating. Our script is almost entirely intact from the original script. We only changed a lot of the pronouns. I think it’s the timeless idea of keeping company and telling those that you love that you love them. We talked a lot about this during the Broadway productions surrounding the pandemic as far as being able to keep company in the first place and how we take that for granted.
What are your favorite things about performing for Detroit audiences?
Detroit audiences really showed up for Beetlejuice. It was really fun. I’m excited for a lot of the folks who will experience COMPANY for the very first time. I think a lot of people walk into it not really knowing what it is. It’s definitely an unconventional show as far as linear plots go. I think audiences in Detroit are super fun and super open to something new like that. I think we’re going to have a good time.
COMPANY runs at the Fisher Theatre October 17-29, 2023. Tickets start at $35. For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinDetroit.com.