LuPone, Harris and yes, Colbert shine in 'Company'

It doesn't quite seem fair that the ridiculously funny Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert can do musical comedy, too. And really, doesn't the guy get enough positive attention already?

But yes, that was "The Colbert Report" host up there on the New York Philharmonic stage Thursday night, singing, dancing, doing karate moves and seemingly having a total blast alongside veteran stage actors like Broadway legend Patti LuPone in Stephen Sondheim's "Company."

The Philharmonic always assembles stellar casts for its occasional, semi-staged theatrical productions, but still, this was an unusually starpacked ensemble, making "Company" — that quintessentially 1970 examination of marriage and singledom — one of the hot tickets of the season. (The four-show run continues through the weekend.)

Playing the lead, the commitment-shy Bobby, was Neil Patrick Harris, who Broadway fans know is not merely the star of "How I Met Your Mother" — or an in-demand awards show host — but an accomplished stage actor as well ("Assassins," "Proof," "Cabaret," and "Sweeney Todd" at the Philharmonic).

He and Colbert weren't the only TV stars joining their stage brethren: Jon Cryer, who's got some time on his hands since the shutdown of "Two and a Half Men" (had you heard?), was there, as was a deliciously ditzy Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men," trading in her `60s office attire for a flight attendant's uniform.

Hendricks provided some of the night's highlights, displaying wonderful comic timing as April, who sings the one-night stand song, "Barcelona," and delivering a priceless anecdote involving a maimed butterfly. (Don't ask.)

Of course, there were stage veterans too, none more pedigreed than LuPone, who justifiably drew the night's biggest ovation for her take-no-prisoners "Ladies Who Lunch." That iconic song, so long associated with Elaine Stritch, seems to have passed lately to LuPone (she sang it at Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration, also at Avery Fisher Hall.) Fitting, then, that Stritch was watching from the audience Thursday.

"Company," with a book by George Furth, began as a set of one-act plays, and is more like a musical revue than a scripted show. It does have dialogue linking the scenes, though, and some of it is very funny — though parts of it seemed superfluous Thursday, in the context of a semi-staged, concert evening.

The songs were mostly wonderful, under the direction of Lony Price, as was the orchestra, conducted by Paul Gemignani. It was clear, though, that a bit more rehearsal time would have been beneficial; the far-flung cast reportedly rehearsed many scenes via stand-ins, Skype and other creative solutions.

Harris nicely conveyed the duality of Bobby — wary at age 35 of married life, yet attracted to it for reasons he doesn't quite understand. He has a hugely appealing presence and a nice romantic-lead voice, if not a powerhouse one. His Bobby was a basically pleasant character — not nearly as intense and turbulent as the one memorably portrayed by Raul Esparza in the 2006 Broadway revival.

As for Colbert, who started out as an improv comedy actor, you could tell what a huge Sondheim fan he is even if you hadn't seen Sondheim's recent appearance on his show, so happy did he seem onstage — doing old-style show dancing in "Side by Side by Side," singing of the mysteries of marriage in "Sorry, Grateful," and trading karate moves with the excellent Martha Plimpton. (Trivia note: At one point Colbert held both Plimpton AND Harris aloft.)

Among the many standout numbers was the fiendishly fast "Getting Married Today," with Katie Finneran ("Promises, Promises") as the pathologically jittery bride. Finneran delivered on the comic front, though she drowned out a few of the words; she was terrific in the skit accompanying the song. And of course, Bobby's climactic number, "Being Alive," where he realizes he wants to be part of the world, not watch it pass by.

Probably the most fun, though, was the closing anthem, "Side by Side by Side," with the whole cast in canes and straw hats, not disguising the fun they were having, almost as if at a school play. Their joy in being there was infectious.