A common filmmaking technique is to frame a character or multiple characters in a box, typically a doorway or a window frame. That is meant to suggest that, in some way, they are boxed in — trapped in a situation — perhaps with the figurative walls closing in on them. Director Marianne Elliott’s Tony Award-winning revival of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and book writer George Furth’s “Company” — onstage at the Connor Palace in Cleveland as part of Playhouse Square’s 2023-24 KeyBank Broadway series — borrows this idea as its main staging device. She effectively employs boxes liberally throughout this consistently smart and almost endlessly funny production. Brightly illuminated boxes. You-couldn’t-miss-them-if-you tried boxes. With the main character, Bobbie (Britney Coleman), this immediately obvious framing suggests she’s feeling the pressure — applied relentlessly by her friends — to find Mr. Right and marry as she’s turning 35.On her birthday, Bobbie arrives at her New York City apartment with balloons shaped like a “3” and a “5,” pours herself a drink and takes in her happy birthday messages, one of which accidentally spoils the night’s surprise party. That isn’t to say her married and engaged friends have it all figured out. As we’ll come to see, each of them is boxed in by his or her situation, be it an impending marriage, approaching divorce or the frustrations that can come with being partnered with someone for years. When “Company” debuted on Broadway in 1970, it was noteworthy for its then-contemporary look at dating and relationships, as well as for being a musical that eschews a traditional narrative in favor of a series of vignettes. Bobbie spends time with these concerned friends of hers, as well as with two men she’s dating and another she had dated. (Jacob Dickey is especially entertaining as dimwitted but great-looking Andy, whom Bobbie has to work to get into her bed.) Britney Coleman, as Bobbie, and Jacob Dickey, as Andy, perform in the North American Tour of “Company.” (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade) Know that until this revival debuted in London’s West End in the late 2010s, Bobbie was Bobby, aka Robert. Also, one of the couples, Paul and Amy, is now the gay couple Paul (Jhardon Dishon Milton) and Jamie (Matt Rodin). Their first-act scene is the show’s best — mainly because it is its most hilarious. On the day of their wedding, during which Bobbie is set to be the maid of honor, Jamie is having seriously cold feet, and Rodin nails the tricky patter song “Getting Married Today.” His performance is not the only reason the scene is such a joy, but it’s a big one, and we’ll leave the rest for audience members to discover. The first, tone-setting vignette features a more traditional couple, Sarah (Kathryn Allison) and Harry (James Earl Jones II). They’re a pair of big personalities, her trying to stay away from sweets — and working out obsessively — and him doing his best to lay off the sauce after a couple of problematic incidents. (Bobbie, not aware of all this, shows up to their home bearing bourbon and brownies. Oops.) Complete with gender tweaks, Sondheim’s ‘Company’ arrives at Playhouse Square Another of the show’s stronger sequences — and, like the first two, occurring in Act One — involves a visit to the home of the uptight David (Matt Bittner) and his much cooler wife, Jenny (Emma Stratton), As the three partake in a bit of marijuana, Bittner mines comedy gold as David has to be convinced he’s actually gotten high and then proceeds to break free, at least a bit, from his Baptist upbringing. The show’s most challenging scene comes near the end, involving Bobbie spending time at a nightclub with opinionated friend Joanne (Judy McLane) and her third husband, Larry (Derrick Davis), who’s content to let them talk while he hits the dance floor. McLane forcefully delivers Joanne’s number, “The Ladies Who Lunch,” which soon gives way to Bobbie’s popular show closer, “Being Alive.” Derrick Davis as Larry, Judy McLane, center, as Joanne, and Britney Coleman, as Bobbie, perform in the North American Tour of “Company.” (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade) Speaking of the show’s songs, which also include the memorable “Another Hundred People,” “Marry Me a Little,” “Barcelona” and the show’s namesake early number, it’s probably fair to say the late Sondheim, while unquestionably brilliant, isn’t to all tastes. This show is such a nice mix of music and dialogue that it depends entirely on neither element. Furth’s updated text should go a long way for those who do not keep regular company with Sondheim’s work. ‘Significant Other’ at Dobama review: Harmon play hits the bittersweet spot Lastly, here’s a well-deserved tip of the cap to Coleman, whose Bobbie is a strong, smart and charming modern woman. The actress holds our interest in scene after scene and delivers on song after song. Wearing the same outfit throughout the show, seemingly to signify her resistance to change, Bobbie is perfectly imperfect — like the rest of us. Conversely, “Company” has absorbed this revival’s changes, which show a bit of refreshingly outside-the-box thinking. ‘Company’ Continues through May 10 at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. For tickets, $25 to $115, visit PlayhouseSquare.org or call 216-241-6000.