Company: A Presentation
1. Introduction
- Overview:
- It is one of the first concept musical to be created= a musical where themes and characterisation of the characters become more important than the plot, which is not lineary.
- Company is considered as one of Sondheim's master piece.
Key Themes:
- Marriage and Commitment – The show explores the complexities of relationships, marriage, and the fear of settling down. Through the protagonist Bobby's interactions with his married friends, the musical examines both the joys and struggles of long-term commitment.
- Loneliness and Connection – Bobby's journey highlights the tension between solitude and the desire for meaningful connections, as he navigates his single life while observing the relationships around him.
- Fear of Intimacy – A recurring theme in Company is Bobby's hesitation to fully engage in deep relationships, reflecting a broader anxiety about vulnerability and emotional dependence (Barcelona)
- Modern Love and Relationships – The musical portrays love and relationships in a contemporary urban setting, addressing the evolving nature of romance and companionship in a fast-paced society.
- Identity and Self-Discovery – Bobby's internal struggles with commitment lead him to question his identity and what he truly wants from life and love.
- Urban Isolation – Set in New York City, Company explores the paradox of being surrounded by people yet feeling isolated, a reflection on city life and human connection.
- Change and Growth – The show ultimately presents personal growth and change as essential to finding fulfillment, with Bobby realizing the importance of opening himself up to love and relationships.
2. The Storyline
- Setting: Company is set in contemporary (1970s or modern, depending on the production) New York City. The story unfolds in various locations within the city, primarily in the apartments and homes of Bobby’s married friends, as well as urban social settings like bars and nightclubs. The setting reflects the bustling, often isolating nature of city life, emphasizing themes of connection and loneliness.
Main Characters:
Bobby (Robert)
- Charismatic, charming, and likable but emotionally detached and commitment-phobic.
- He is surrounded by married friends and struggles with the idea of settling down.
- Throughout the show, he grapples with questions about love, relationships, and his own desires for companionship.
- Sarah and Harry
- A married couple who present a humorous but complex relationship dynamic.
- Sarah is on a diet and practices martial arts; Harry is trying to quit drinking.
- Their interactions highlight marital compromise and underlying tensions.
- Susan and Peter
- A seemingly perfect couple who end up surprising Bobby by getting divorced amicably.
- Their relationship explores the theme of appearances versus reality in marriage.
- Jenny and David
- A conservative couple who provide comic relief.
- Jenny is sweet but anxious, while David is more relaxed and experimental.
- Their interactions with Bobby reveal generational and personality contrasts regarding marriage and personal growth.
- Amy and Paul
- Engaged and preparing for their wedding, though Amy has cold feet.
- Amy's famous patter song Getting Married Today showcases her fear of commitment.
- Their story examines pre-marital doubts and the pressures of commitment.
- Joanne and Larry
- An older, wealthier couple with a cynical outlook on relationships.
- Joanne is acerbic, sharp-witted, and delivers the iconic song The Ladies Who Lunch.
- Larry is kind and patient, accepting Joanne’s critical nature with grace.
- They represent a more mature perspective on relationships and self-awareness.
- Bobby’s Girlfriends:
- April – A flighty but kind-hearted airline stewardess, representing a simple, carefree love that Bobby cannot fully embrace.
- Kathy – A down-to-earth woman with whom Bobby has real potential, but she ultimately leaves New York to settle down elsewhere.
- Marta – A quirky, free-spirited New Yorker who loves the city, representing Bobby’s struggle with deeper connections.
- Plot Summary:The musical follows Bobby, a single man living in New York City, as he celebrates his 35th birthday. Unlike his friends, who are all married or in serious relationships, Bobby remains noncommittal and struggles with the idea of settling down. The show is structured as a series of vignettes rather than a traditional linear narrative, with Bobby interacting with five married couples who each offer different perspectives on love, marriage, and commitment.
Throughout the musical, Bobby also dates three women—April, Kathy, and Marta—each representing different aspects of his romantic and emotional dilemmas. As he observes his friends’ marriages, ranging from affectionate to dysfunctional, he questions whether relationships bring happiness or merely compromise.
The musical doesn’t provide a clear resolution but instead focuses on Bobby’s emotional journey as he confronts his fears of intimacy and loneliness. By the end, Bobby reaches a moment of self-awareness, realizing that love and relationships, despite their imperfections, are essential for a fulfilling life.
3. Musical Elements
Score and Style: Company features a groundbreaking score by Stephen Sondheim that blends elements of traditional Broadway with contemporary influences, reflecting the urban and sophisticated atmosphere of New York City life. The music is known for its wit, complexity, and emotional depth, with lyrics that are sharp, introspective, and often laced with irony.
Conceptual and Fragmented Structure:
- The score reflects Bobby's emotional journey through different styles and tones that shift with each vignette.
- Unlike traditional musicals, Company is a concept musical, meaning the songs do not necessarily advance a linear plot but instead explore themes and character emotions.
Varied Musical Influences:
- The score incorporates elements of jazz, pop, vaudeville, and classical Broadway styles.
- Rhythmic complexity and unexpected harmonic shifts are hallmarks of Sondheim’s work in Company, often used to reflect Bobby's inner conflict and the fast-paced city life.
Clever Wordplay and Rhythms:
- The lyrics are known for their intricate wordplay, internal rhymes, and conversational phrasing.
- Many songs feature fast-paced, rhythmic lyrics that mirror the characters' neurotic and anxious personalities.
Instrumentation and Orchestration:
- The original orchestrations (by Jonathan Tunick) feature a blend of traditional Broadway orchestral elements—strings, brass, and woodwinds—combined with modern instrumentation like electric guitar and contemporary rhythms.
- The use of syncopation, layered harmonies, and counterpoint in the orchestrations enhances the show’s modern feel.
Notable Songs:
“Company” –A lively opening number that sets the tone, with driving rhythms and energetic orchestrations reflecting Bobby’s social life and the expectations of his friends.
“The Little Things You Do Together” –A witty, cynical commentary on marriage, performed in a cabaret style with biting humor and irony.
“Sorry-Grateful” –A heartfelt ballad sung by Bobby’s married friends, expressing the conflicting emotions of love and commitment. Features lush harmonies and introspective lyrics.
“You Could Drive a Person Crazy” –A playful, Andrews Sisters-inspired trio sung by Bobby's girlfriends, featuring tight harmonies and jazzy rhythms.
“Another Hundred People” –A fast-paced, contemporary piece that captures the energy and isolation of city life with syncopated rhythms and a repetitive, pulsing accompaniment.
“Getting Married Today” – One of Sondheim’s most famous patter songs, featuring rapid-fire lyrics and comedic timing to convey a character’s cold feet on their wedding day.
“Side by Side by Side” – A classic Broadway-style number with a vaudevillian feel, celebrating friendship and companionship.
“The Ladies Who Lunch” – A dramatic, cabaret-style number filled with biting social commentary, performed with a mix of bitterness and vulnerability.
“Being Alive” – The emotional climax of the show, a soaring ballad that explores Bobby’s longing for meaningful connection and his struggle to embrace vulnerability. Features a powerful build in orchestration and emotional intensity.
Choreography: The choreography in Company varies depending on the director and choreographer's vision for each production, but it generally reflects the show's sophisticated, urban, and introspective themes. Since Company is a concept musical rather than a traditional plot-driven show, the choreography often emphasizes stylized movement that enhances the themes of isolation, relationships, and city life.
Minimalist and Symbolic Movement:
- Rather than large, elaborate dance sequences, Company often features stylized, minimal movement that underscores the emotional states of the characters.
- Gestural choreography is frequently used to highlight themes of connection and disconnection, such as characters moving in and out of Bobby’s space to represent his inner turmoil.
- Fosse-Inspired Jazz Elements:
- Some productions incorporate subtle influences of Bob Fosse’s sleek and precise style, with isolations, small gestures, and angular movements reflecting the urban sophistication of New York life.
- This can be seen in numbers like You Could Drive a Person Crazy, where movement is often tight, rhythmic, and playful.
- Vaudeville and Broadway Jazz:
- Numbers like Side by Side by Side traditionally feature classic Broadway-style choreography, with high-energy, synchronized movement, soft-shoe elements, and ensemble-driven staging reminiscent of old-school musical comedy. Props like hats and canes are sometimes used to enhance the showbiz flair of these moments.
- Expressive Partner Work: In group numbers involving couples, choreographers often use partner work to reflect the dynamics of relationships—sometimes fluid and harmonious, other times awkward or disconnected, mirroring the themes of commitment and uncertainty.
- Choreographers of Note: Over the years, various productions of Company have brought different choreographic interpretations:
- Michael Bennett (1970 Original Production): Known for integrating movement fluidly with staging, focusing on the relationships between characters rather than traditional dance numbers.
- Kathleen Marshall (2006 Revival): Introduced more stylized, expressive movement within the framework of a modernized production.
- Liam Steel (2018 West End Revival): Brought a fresh, contemporary approach with fluid transitions and physical storytelling, reinforcing Bobby’s (or Bobbie’s, in the gender-swapped version) emotional arc.
Songs and changes
- Company - Robert and Company
- The Little Things you do together Joanne and Couples
- Sorry-Grateful - Harry, David and Larry
- You Could drive a person crazy - Kathy, April and Marta
- Have I got a girl for you - Larry, Peter, Paul, David, Harry
- Someone is waiting - Robert
- Another hundred people - Marta
- Getting married today - Amy, Paul, Choirgirl (often Susan or Jenny), and Company
- Marry me a little - Robert (was restored in the 1990s and added in the revivals of 95 and 2006)
- Act 2
- Side by side/What would we do without you - Robert and Couples
- Poor baby - Sarah, Jenny, Susan, Amy, Joanne
- Have I got a girl for you (reprise) - Larry Peter, Paul, David, Harry (added in 1995)
- Tick-Tock - Kathy (instrumental) (abridged in the first Broadway revival, and afterwards completely deleted. But it has been restored in 2004, 2011, and 2021)
- Barcelona - Robert and April
- The ladies who lunch - Joanne
- Being Alive (before it was supposed to be "Multitude of Amys" as the finale. The first few performances had "Happily Every After" has the finale, but then they picked Being Alive)
- Finale - Company
4. Production History
Background
- George Furth wrote 11 one-act plays for Kim Stanley. Anthony Perkins wanted to direct it and contacted Sondheim, who asked Prince his opinion, and Prince adviced to make a musical of it.
Development:
- Instead of following a traditional narrative structure, Sondheim and Furth decided to focus on a central character, Bobby, whose experiences with his married friends would serve as the thematic glue for the piece. This structure allowed for a non-linear, episodic format where scenes and songs functioned as vignettes rather than a continuous storyline.
- Sondheim experimented with different song placements and rewrote several pieces to better fit Bobby’s emotional arc. Key songs like Being Alive went through significant revisions to clarify Bobby’s journey.
- Before opening on Broadway, Company had an out-of-town tryout in Boston, where structural adjustments were made based on audience reactions. Concerns were raised about the lack of a traditional plot, but the creative team remained committed to their innovative vision.
First Productions:
- Book: George Furth
- Lyrics and music: Sondheim
- Directed: Hal Prince
- Stage: Michael Bennet
- Opened in Boston and then on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 26 1970 - 1972 => was recorded by D.A. Pennebaker
- Dean Jones (replaced Anthony Perkins)=> then left in 1970 and was replaced by Larry Kert
- Donna McKechnie
- Susan Browning
- George Coe
- Pamela Myers
- Barbara Barrie
- Charles Kimbrough
- Merle Louise
- Beth Howland
- Elaine Stritch
List of Revivals and others productions
- First national tour: 1971-1972
- Original London production - 1972
- Directed: Harold Prince
- Choreography: Michael Bennett
- Larry Kert, Elaine Stritch, Joy Franz (Susan), Beth Howland (Amy) and Donna McKechnie (Kathie)
- Australian production (1986)
- Directed: Richard Wherrett
- Bobby: John O'May
- Joanne: Geraldine Turner
- Tony Sheldon, Simon Burke, Terence Donovan, Barry Quin
- 1993 reunion concerts: Elaine Stritch
- most of the original Broadway cast
- Robert: Dean Jones
- Sarah: Barbara Barrie
- Harry: Charles Kimbrough
- Susan: Merle Louise
- Peter: John Cunningham
- Jenny: Teri Ralston
- David: George Coe
- Amy: Beth Howland
- Paul: Steve Elmore
- Joanne: Elaine Stritch
- Larry: Stanley Grover
- Marta: Pamela Myers
- Kathy: Donna McKechnie
- April: Susan Browning
the first version i watched of Company. I couldn't really understand everything over the laughs and applause of the public, but I still felt the rythm of the musical, and I loved it so much! They are just people living their life, and sharing their experiences of love - but the message is still here: can a human being really live without love, without company? The cast was so full of joy it was really cute, I hope they all had a nice time being able to perform with each other once again, twenty years later.
I was impressed by the performance of Dean Jones who played the insensible character all along, as if he was completely fine alone - but at the end he breaks, and he shows with beautiful candor how needed a company is - how much we all need someone.
- 1995 Broadway revival
- Directed by Scott Ellis
- Choreographed Rob Marshall
- Bobby: Boyd Gaines
- Kate Burton
- Harry: Robert Westenberg
- Diana Canova
- Joanne: Debra Monk
- Marta: LaChanze
- Charlotte d'Amboise
- Jane Krakowski
- Paul: Danny Burstein
- Amy: Veanne Cox
In this video unfortunately we do not have all the numbers but we still have some:
1) Opening: I feel like Boyd Gaines doesn't hold the same intensity that Dean Jones had, but the whole number in general sounds more joyful with the colourful dresses too. I like the stage decision that they are all standing over Bobby on a sort of bridge when they tell him to "come over" and that they have been "trying to reach [him]". And then it's Bobby's turn to stand over the rest, to truly mark the fracture between him and the rest of the group.
2) You could drive a person crazy: with the original performers it felt more funny, like they made fun of themselves; but here it feels more like they are completely personifying the cliché of the annoying ladies without making fun of themselves - even though the song does make fun of them - so it turns the characters more funny and annoying
3) Another hundred people: Marta is sitting on a bench where she is supposed to be among a lot of other people, but somehow she sings alone and it feels like she is alone among "another hundred people". It holds at the same time joy for the amount of people being around her, and a certain sadness. La Chanze is beautiful in it.
4) Getting Married Today: Veanne Cox is so good! I think I prefer this one over the original, because I feel like she follows the music best. She also seems really terrified and anxious while in the original version it seemed more funny. Her little white dress is also very funny she looks like a doll that has been dressed but she didn't want it. When she goes on her knees and continues singing on four legs and she keeps singing so well excuse me??? She is also using more the fourth wall and directly addressing the audience to save her.
5) What would we do without you? The stage is a mess it's so funny I love it, they seem to have so much fun. The choreography is excellent.
6) Tick-Tock: she is starting up on the bridge and it's really jazzy and so impressive!
7) Barcelona: they are both in the bed and he's definitely not getting up lol
8) The Ladies who Lunch: compared to the rest of the tone of this revival, this number feels much more depressing or fatalistic - and in the end she is angry
9) Being Alone: I'm really not a big fan of Boyd Gaines, I feel like he doesn't have the grip. He makes his character much more pathetic.
10)Finale: they sing the last song after the bow
- 1995-1996 London revival => video tape
- Directed: Sam Mendes
- Bobby: Adrian Lester (first black actor to play Bobby in a major production)
- 2002 Kennedy Center in Washington DC
- Directed: Sean Mathias
- Robert: John Barrowman
- Emily Skinner, Walter Charles, Alice Ripley, Lynn Redgrave
- they used the original book instead of the 1995 revision
- 2006-2007 Broadway revival => filmed and broadcast in 2008
- Bobby: Raul Esparza
- Joanne: Barbara Walsh
- Directed and choreographed by John Doyle
- the actors provided the orchestral accompaniment
- won Tony Award for best revival of a musical
Barbara Walsh is impressive but most of all I AM IN LOVE WITH RAUL
- 2007 Australian production
- "However, the production caused major controversy when Whelan was out sick for one performance and (with no understudy) Kookaburra chief executive Peter Cousens insisted the show be performed anyway, but without the character of April. This involved cutting several numbers and scenes with no explanation, and that night's performance ended twenty minutes early. Following complaints from the audience, there was considerable negative press attention to the decision, and Sondheim threatened to revoke the production rights for the show.[43]"
- 2011 New York philharmonic concert => filmed
- Directed: Lonny Price
- Robert: Neil Patrick Harris
- Harry: Stephen Colbert
- Peter: Craig Bierko
- David: Jon Cryer
- Amy: Katie Finneran
- April: christina hendricks
- paul: aaron lazar
- jenny: jennifer laura thompson
- larry: jim walton
- kathy: chryssie whitehead
- joanne: patti lupone
my teacher asked us to watch this version for class because he thinks it's the best - but I do not agree. I don't like this version. In general I absolutely love Neil Patrick Harris... but this time I feel like he didn't really understand the character. I mean it's his own understanding but I prefered Raul Esparza's. However I really like that they put back the Tick-Tock choreography, and the way they did it. But the end, with the supposed meaning that Robert is finally better on his own without anyone? No I don't like it, I preferred when it was an open ending.
- 2018-2019 West End gender-bent production => filmed
- Directed: Marianne Elliott
- they changed the gender of a lot of characters
- Bobby -> Bobbie: Rosalie Craig
- same sex couple: Jonathan Bailey (Jamie - Amy) and Alex Gaumond (Paul)
- –Stephen Sondheim after watching the first gender-swapped production of Company in the West End in 2018[50]
- 2021 Broadway gender-bent revival
- Directed by Marianne Elliott again
- Joanne: Patti LuPone
- Katrina Lenk: Bobbie
- Choreography: Liam Steel
- "Five days before he died, Sondheim discussed the revival's change of the lead character's gender from male (Bobby) to female (Bobbie). He expressed how theater is distinguished from film and video because "you can do it in different ways from generation to generation… What keeps theater alive is the chance always to do it differently, with not only fresh casts, but fresh viewpoints. It's not just a matter of changing pronouns, but attitudes."[58]"
- Won five tony awards
- Others:
- "Sondheim approached William Goldman to write a screenplay adaptation of the musical; the director Herbert Ross reportedly talked Sondheim out of doing the film.[101] Speculation arose in 2010 about Neil LaBute working on a film version of the show.[102]"
Quick review and notation:
Every time I hear Being Alive from Raul Esparza I cry.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
The Secret Life of the American Musicals
Company’s opening
- “combines both genres—giving voice to the full ensemble of the show as well as to its leading character as a soloist. The time is the present (that would be 1970); the place is New York, whose heartbeat, one character says, is “a busy signal”—this was before call-waiting was invented. And, indeed, the opening number pulses like a busy signal.” (59)
- ““Bobby, come on over for dinner!” and we come to quickly understand that all these couples are, for some reason, obsessively interested in the life of someone named Bobby, whom we haven’t met yet” (59)
- “When he bursts onto the scene, singing, “Phone rings, door chimes, in comes company!” we may be puzzled—he seems like an ordinary fellow, maybe an adman or a business executive, but that’s about it. And what he’s telling us is a big distance from “there’s a bright golden haze on the meadow,” though, interestingly enough, it’s just as redolent of his time and place. And that’s the point. He’s nobody special. He’s the focus of a lot of needy people who project their hopes, dreams, fears, and anxieties on a blank slate of a man who, whatever else he does, appreciates the attention.” (60)
- “The number is so propulsive, and it attacks the audience with so much nervous energy, that we also come to understand that this is a show about a Manhattan gripped by its careening—if sometimes pointless—pace. There’s no time to stop and think; there’s no time for anything except “come on over for dinner.” (60)
The end of an era (of Rodgers and Hammerstein ethos)
- “its greatest contribution to the development of musical theater in America may simply have been that it was gimlet-eyed: it didn’t promise a happy ending. It had propulsive energy but no simple joys. It used musical theater conventions for ironic commentary, not simply to gin up the audience. It cast a jaundiced eye on urban Americans and found them wanting. There was no propaganda about our can-do, communitarian population.” (60)
On Sondheim
- “Sondheim wasn’t heard as a composer on Broadway again until 1970’s Company, which, while greeted ecstatically in some corners, was viewed with suspicion by Clive Barnes of the Times; the music rattled him.” (152)
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