This is a number sung mainly by Elaine Stritch while Barbara Barrie and Charles Kimbrough, one of the married couples, engage in a little martial arts skirmish in the presence of their good friend Robert. Barbara Barrie was so tiny and elfin with her pixie haircut, so it was doubly funny seeing her fling Kimbrough around; after the first bout, when he challenges her to a rematch, I love the way she says "OAK-AY" (OK). COMPANY was criticized by many writers as being anti-marriage, but you only have to take a good look at these clever lyrics to realize that they are pretty insightful about the ups and downs of living together, whether you have a marriage certificate or not. (It was not until I saw the Donmar Warehouse staging by Sam Mendes that I finally saw that the show really is antimarriage; as his version is a lot more bitter and vitriolic than the original show). The 2006 concert version with Raul Esparza not only just mimed this karate business, but also the husband and wife were not even near each other, being on opposite sides of the stage.
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