Company (musical)

Company
Original Broadway Playbill
Music	Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim
Book	George Furth
Productions	1970 Broadway 1971 US Tour 1972 West End 1995 Broadway revival 1995 West End revival 2002 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2006 Broadway revival 2007 Australia 2011 New York Philharmonic 2013 Buenos Aires
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Lyrics Drama Desk Outstanding Music Tony Award for Best Revival Drama Desk Outstanding Revival

Company is a 1970 musical comedy based on a book by George Furth with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six.

Originally titled Threes, its plot revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, Company is a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday.

Company was among the first musicals to deal with adult themes and relationships. As Sondheim puts it, "Broadway theater has been for many years supported by upper-middle-class people with upper-middle-class problems. These people really want to escape that world when they go to the theatre, and then here we are with Company talking about how we're going to bring it right back in their faces."

Background

George Furth wrote eleven one-act plays planned for Kim Stanley as each of the separate leads. Anthony Perkins was interested in directing, and asked Sondheim to read the material. After Sondheim read the plays, he asked Harold Prince for his opinion; Prince thought the plays would make the basis for a musical. The theme would be New York marriages with a central character to examine those marriages.

Synopsis

Note: In the early 1990s, Furth and Sondheim revised the libretto, cutting and altering dialogue that had become dated and rewriting the end to act one. This synopsis is based on the revised libretto.

Act I

Robert is a well-liked single man living in New York City, whose friends are all married or engaged couples: Joanne and Larry, Peter and Susan, Harry and Sarah, David and Jenny, and Paul and Amy. It is Robert's 35th birthday and the couples have gathered to throw him a surprise party. When Robert fails to blow out any candles on his birthday cake, the couples promise him that his birthday wish will still come true, though he has wished for nothing, since his friends are all that he needs ("Company"). What follows is a series of disconnected vignettes in no apparent chronological order, each featuring Robert during a visit with one of the couples or alone with a girlfriend. The first of these features Robert visiting Sarah, a foodie supposedly now dieting, and her husband Harry, an alcohol abuser supposedly now on the wagon. Sarah and Harry taunt each other on their vices, escalating toward karate-like fighting and thrashing that may or may not be playful. The caustic Joanne, the oldest, most cynical, and most-oft divorced of Robert's friends, comments sarcastically to the audience that it is "The Little Things You Do Together" that make a marriage work. Harry then explains, and the other married men concur, that you are always "Sorry-Grateful" about getting married, and that marriage changes both everything and nothing about the way you live.

Robert is next with Peter and Susan, on their apartment terrace. Peter is Ivy League, and Susan is a southern belle; the two seem to be a perfect couple, yet they surprise Robert with the news of their upcoming divorce. At the home of the uptight Jenny and chic David, Robert has brought along some marijuana that they share. The couple turns to grilling Robert on why he has not yet gotten married. Robert claims he is not against the notion, but three women he is currently fooling around with—Kathy, Marta, and April—appear and proceed, Andrews Sisters-style, to chastise Robert for his reluctance to being committed ("You Could Drive a Person Crazy"). David tries to tell Robert privately that Jenny didn't like the marijuana, after she asks for another joint. "I married a square," he reminds his wife, demanding she bring him food.

All of Robert's male friends are deeply envious about his commitment-free status, and each has found someone they find perfect for Robert ("Have I Got a Girl For You"), but Robert is waiting for someone who merges the best features of all his married female friends ("Someone is Waiting"). Robert meets his three girlfriends in a small park on three separate occasions as Marta sings of the city: crowded, dirty, uncaring, yet somehow wonderful ("Another Hundred People"). Robert first gets to know April, a slow-witted airline flight attendant. Robert then spends time with Kathy; they had dated previously and both admit that they had each secretly considered marrying the other. They laugh at this coincidence before Robert suddenly considers the idea seriously; however Kathy reveals that she is leaving for Cape Cod with a new fiancé. Finally, Robert meets with Marta; she loves New York, and babbles on about topics as diverse as true sophistication, the difference between uptown and downtown New York, and how you can always tell a New Yorker by his or her ass. Robert is left stunned.

The scene turns to the day of Amy and Paul's wedding; they have lived together for years, but are only now getting married. Amy is in an overwhelming state of panic and, as the upbeat Paul harmonizes rapturously, Amy patters an impressive list of reasons why she is not "Getting Married Today." Robert, the best man, and Paul watch as she complains and self-destructs over every petty thing she can possibly think of and finally just calls off the wedding explicitly. Paul dejectedly storms out into the rain and Robert tries to comfort Amy, but emotionally winds up offering an impromptu proposal to her himself. His words jolt Amy back into reality, and with the parting words "you need to marry some body, not just some body," she runs out after Paul, at last ready to marry him. The setting returns to the scene of the birthday party, where Robert is given his cake and tries to blow out the candles again. He wishes for something this time, someone to "Marry Me a Little."

Act II

The birthday party scene is reset, and Robert goes to blow out his candles. This time, he gets them about half out, and the rest have to help him. The couples share their views on Robert with each other, comments which range from complimentary to unflattering, as Robert reflects on being the third wheel ("Side By Side By Side"), soon followed by the up-tempo paean to Robert's role as the perfect friend ("What Would We Do Without You?"). In a dance break in the middle of the number (or, in the case of the 2006 revival, in a musical solo section), each man (or actually four of them, as there's not music for a fifth) in turn does a dance step (or, in the revival, plays a solo on his instrument), answered by his wife. Then Robert likewise does a step (or, in the revival, plays two bad notes on a kazoo), but he has no partner to answer it.

Robert brings April to his apartment for a nightcap after a date. She marvels ad nauseam at how homey his place is, and he casually leads her to the bed, sitting next to her on it and working on getting her into it. She earnestly tells him of an experience from her past, involving the death of a butterfly; he counters with a bizarre remembrance of his own, obviously fabricated, and designed to put her in the mood to succumb to seduction. Meanwhile, the married women worry about Robert's single and lonesome status (as they see it), and particularly about the unsuitable qualities they find in the women he does date, asking, "Isn't she a little bit, well--Dumb? Tacky? Vulgar? Old? Tall? Aggressive? Where is she from?...She's tall enough to be your mother...." When the inevitable sex happens, we hear Robert's and April's thoughts, interspersed with music that expresses and mirrors their increasing excitement. This music often (as in the original Broadway production) accompanies a solo dance by Kathy, conveying the emotions and dynamics of making love; it has also been staged as a pas de deux, a group number, or been cut altogether in various productions ("Tick-Tock"). The next morning, April rises early, to report for duty aboard a flight to "Barcelona." Robert tries to get her to stay, at first wholeheartedly, parrying her apologetic protestations that she can't, with playful begging and insistence. As April continues to reluctantly resist his entreaties, and sleepiness retakes him, Bobby seems to lose conviction, agreeing that she should go; that change apparently gets to her, and she joyfully declares that she will stay, after all. This takes Robert by surprise, and his astonished, plaintive "Oh, God!" is suffused not with triumph, nor even ambivalence, but with evident fear and regret.

In the following scene, Robert takes Marta to visit Peter and Susan, on their terrace. Apparently, Peter flew to Mexico to get the divorce, but he phoned Susan and she joined him there for a vacation. Bizarrely, they are still living together, claiming they have too many responsibilities to actually leave each other's lives, and that their relationship has actually been strengthened by the divorce. Susan takes Marta inside to make lunch, and Peter asks Robert if he has ever had a homosexual experience. They both admit they have, and Peter hints at the possibility that he and Robert could have such an encounter, but Robert uncomfortably laughs the conversation off as a joke just as the women return.

Joanne and Larry take Robert out to a nightclub, where Larry dances, and Joanne and Robert sit watching, getting thoroughly drunk. She blames Robert for always being an outsider, only watching life rather than living it, and also persists in berating Larry. She raises her glass in a mocking toast to "The Ladies Who Lunch", passing judgment on various types of rich, middle-aged women wasting their lives away with mostly meaningless activities. Her harshest criticism is reserved for those, like herself, who "just watch," and she concludes with the observation that all these ladies are bound together by a terror that comes with the knowledge that "everybody dies." Larry returns from the dance floor, taking Joanne's drunken rant without complaint and explains to Robert that he still loves her dearly. When Larry leaves to pay the check, Joanne bluntly invites Robert to begin an affair with her, assuring him that she will "take care of him." The reply this elicits from him, "But who will I take care of?" seems to surprise him, and to strike Joanne as a profound breakthrough on his part, "...a door opening that's been stuck for a long time." Bobby insists it's not, that he's studied and been open to marriages and commitment, but questions "What do you get?" Upon Larry's return, Bobby asks again, angrily, "What do you get?" Joanne declares, with some satisfaction, "I just did someone a big favor." She and Larry go home, leaving Robert lost in frustrated contemplation.

The couples' recurrent musical motif begins yet again, with all of them focused anew on their "Bobby Bubbi," "Robert darling," "Bobby baby," and again inviting him to "Drop by anytime...." Rather than the cheery, indulgent tone he'd responded with in earlier scenes, Robert suddenly, desperately, shouts "STOP!" In their stunned silence, he challenges them with quiet intensity: "What do you get?" The music to "Being Alive" begins, and he sings, openly enumerating the many traps and dangers he perceives in marriage; speaking their disagreements, his friends counter his ideas, one by one, encouraging him to dare to try for love and commitment. Finally, Bobby's words change, expressing a desire, increasing in urgency, for loving intimacy, even with all its problems, and the wish to meet someone with whom to face the challenge of "Being Alive." The opening party resets a final time; Robert's friends have waited two hours, with still no sign of him. At last, they all prepare to leave, expressing a new hopefulness about their absent friend's chances for loving fulfillment, and wishing him a happy birthday, wherever he may be, as they leave. Robert then appears alone, smiles, and blows out his candles.

Characters and original cast

• Robert (Dean Jones) – The central character; his 35th birthday brings the group together. Jones was replaced soon after opening night by Larry Kert. Kert was nominated for a Tony Award for the role, even though Jones technically originated it.

The couples (all married except Amy and Paul)

• Sarah and Harry:
  • Sarah (Barbara Barrie) – Learning karate and has issues with food and dieting.
  • Harry (Charles Kimbrough) – Friendly and affable, but has issues with drinking.

• Susan and Peter:
  • Susan (Merle Louise) – A gracious Southern belle who suffers from fainting spells.
  • Peter (John Cunningham) – Formerly Ivy League, possibly gay.

• Jenny and David:
  • Jenny (Teri Ralston) – Sweet, but "square."
  • David (George Coe) – Chic and a bit controlling.

• Amy and Paul:
  • Amy (Beth Howland) – Neurotic Catholic who gets cold feet on her wedding day.
  • Paul (Steve Elmore) – Amy's fiancé, Jewish, who has learned how to put up with her manic spells.

• Joanne and Larry:
  • Joanne (Elaine Stritch) – Cynical, older than Robert's other friends, and very acerbic; only drinks with Robert.
  • Larry (Charles Braswell) – Joanne's third husband; sweet and understanding.

The Girlfriends

• April (Susan Browning) – A naïve flight attendant, self-described as "dumb"
• Marta (Pamela Myers) – Hip and vulgar; loves New York.
• Kathy (Donna McKechnie) – A small-town girl who feels out of place in New York; Robert's long-time on-off girlfriend.

The Vocal Minority:

• pit singers (only in some productions) – Cathy Corkill, Carol Gelfand, Marilyn Saunders and Dona D. Vaughn. In subsequent productions, the Vocal Minority have been eliminated. They were brought back for the 2011 New York Philharmonic production.

Song list

Act I

• "Overture" - Orchestra
• "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, and Company
• "Marry Me a Little" — Robert

Act II

• "Entr'acte" - Orchestra
• "Side by 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
• "Tick-Tock" — Kathy (Instrumental)
• "Barcelona" — Robert and April
• "The Ladies Who Lunch" — Joanne
• "Being Alive" — Robert
• "Finale Ultimo (Company)" - Robert and Company

Productions

Original Broadway production

Company opened in Boston in out-of-town tryouts, receiving mixed reviews, from the Boston Evening Globe "Brilliant", to Variety Magazine "The songs are for the most part undistinguished" and "As it stands now it's for ladies' matinees, homos and misogynists."

The musical opened on Broadway on April 26, 1970 at the Alvin Theatre, where it ran for 705 performances after seven previews. Directed by Hal Prince, the opening cast included Dean Jones (who had replaced Anthony Perkins early in the rehearsal period when Perkins departed to direct a play), Donna McKechnie, Susan Browning, Pamela Myers, Barbara Barrie, Charles Kimbrough, Merle Louise, Beth Howland, and Elaine Stritch. Musical staging was by Michael Bennett, assisted by Bob Avian. The set design by Boris Aronson consisted of two working elevators and various vertical platforms that emphasized the musical’s theme of isolation.

Shortly after opening night, Jones withdrew from the show, allegedly due to illness, but actually due to stress he was suffering from ongoing divorce proceedings. He was replaced by his understudy Larry Kert, who had created the role of Tony in West Side Story. Kert earned rave reviews for his performance when the critics were invited to return. In an unusual move, the Tony Awards committee deemed Kert eligible for a nomination, an honor usually reserved for the actor who originates a role.

Original Cast Album: Company

The making of the original cast recording was captured by award-winning documentary filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker shortly after the show opened on Broadway as a pilot for a TV series highlighting the different ways a cast-album recording session could be conducted. However, a week after the original screening, all the original producers for the proposed series were hired to go out to Hollywood and head up production at MGM. As nobody was left in New York to spearhead the project, the series was therefore scrapped. Only this lone pilot film remains of an idea never brought to fruition.

The 1970 film Original Cast Album: Company is filled with behind the scenes footage of the recording process, complete with much of the musical direction from and insight of Sondheim himself. Several of the show's numbers are captured in the film—including "Another Hundred People", "Getting Married Today", and "Being Alive"—all recorded with a live orchestra, done in multiple takes over the course of several hours.

Eventually only "The Ladies Who Lunch" remains to be recorded. It is now well past midnight, and Stritch, Sondheim, and the orchestra are all clearly suffering from the effects of the day's marathon recording session. Stritch struggles repeatedly to record a satisfactory version of the song, even going so far as to slightly drop the key for a few takes in the hopes of producing a satisfactory performance. Her voice continues to degrade and her energy continues to ebb away. As she struggles, some conflict is seen between Stritch, the producer Thomas Z. Shepard, and Sondheim.

Before dawn breaks over the Columbia Records Big Church recording studio on 30th and 3rd, everyone agrees to call it a night. They record one last take of the orchestra by themselves and agree to have Stritch come back early in the week and record the vocal over the previously recorded orchestra bed. The finale of the film features a revitalized Stritch, still in makeup from a Wednesday matinee performance of the show, successfully performing "The Ladies Who Lunch" in one take, as the sun sets over Kips Bay.

First national tour

The first national tour opened on May 20, 1971 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with George Chakiris as Bobby, and closed on May 20, 1972 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C..

Original London production

The first West End production opened on January 18, 1972 at Her Majesty's Theatre, where it ran for 344 performances. The original cast included Larry Kert, Elaine Stritch, Joy Franz, and Donna McKechnie; Dilys Watling and Julia McKenzie were replacements later in the run.

1995 Broadway revival

After 43 previews, the 1995 Roundabout Theatre revival, directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Rob Marshall, opened on October 5, 1995 at the Criterion Center Stage Right, where it ran for 60 performances. The cast included Boyd Gaines, Kate Burton, Robert Westenberg, Diana Canova, Debra Monk, LaChanze, Charlotte d'Amboise, Jane Krakowski, Danny Burstein and Veanne Cox.

1995 London revival

The 1995 London revival was directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse. Previews began on December 1, with opening on December 13 and closing on March 2, 1996. The production transferred to the Albery Theatre, with previews starting on March 7, opening on March 13 and closing on June 29. The cast included Adrian Lester as the first black Bobby in a major production of the show. A videotaped recording of the Donmar Warehouse production was broadcast by BBC Two on March 1, 1997. On Sunday 7 November 2010, a one-off concert of Company starring most of the 1995 London revival cast, including Adrian Lester as Bobby, was held at The Queen's Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, to commemorate the 80th birthday of the composer, Stephen Sondheim.

Kennedy Center production

A Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) production, presented as part of a summer-long presentation of Sondheim musicals, opened on May 17, 2002 for a 17-performance run. Directed by Sean Mathias, the cast included John Barrowman as Robert, Emily Skinner, Alice Ripley, and Lynn Redgrave. This production utilised the script of the original 1970 production, rather than the 1995 revival script, and set the show in the 1970s, as shown by the wardrobe of the cast members.

2006 Broadway revival

A new revival had try-outs at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Robert S. Marx Theatre in March through April 2006. This production, directed and choreographed by John Doyle opened Broadway on November 29, 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre with a cast that included Raúl Esparza as Bobby and Barbara Walsh as Joanne. As in Doyle's 2005 Broadway production of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the actors themselves provided the orchestral accompaniment. For example, in the closing number, "Being Alive," Raul Esparza, as Bobby, accompanies himself on piano; Angel Desai, as Marta, plays saxophone and violin, as well as singing solo on "Another Hundred People"; the entire company sings and plays accompaniment during the second-act opener. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The musical closed on July 1, 2007 after 34 previews and 246 performances. It was taped and broadcast on the Great Performances program of PBS in 2007. That video was released on DVD in 2008.

2007 Australian production

Kookaburra Musical Theatre mounted a production directed by Gale Edwards in Sydney in June 2007, starring David Campbell as Bobby, with a cast including Simon Burke, Anne Looby, James Millar, Pippa Grandison, Katrina Retallick, Tamsin Carroll and Christie Whelan. The show was well-received, and Sondheim travelled to Australia for the first time in thirty years to attend the opening night. 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.

2011 New York Philharmonic Concert

In April 2011, Lonny Price directed a staged concert production, with Neil Patrick Harris as Robert, Stephen Colbert as Harry, Craig Bierko as Peter, Jon Cryer as David, Katie Finneran as Amy, Christina Hendricks as April, Aaron Lazar as Paul, Jill Paice as Susan, Martha Plimpton as Sarah, Anika Noni Rose as Marta, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Jenny, Jim Walton as Larry, Chryssie Whitehead as Kathy, and Patti LuPone as Joanne. Paul Gemignani conducted a 35-piece orchestra, which uses similar orchestrations to the first Broadway production. This concert follows a long tradition of Stephen Sondheim concert productions at the New York Philharmonic, including Sweeney Todd and Passion. A filmed presentation of the concert debuted in select movie theatres on June 15, 2011. The DVD version was released on Nov. 13, 2012. The cast of the production gathered again for a live performance at the 2011 Tony Awards, hosted by Harris, on June 12, 2011.

International productions

• A 1997 Repertory Philippines production starred Victor Laurel as Bobby.
• A Brazilian production opened on February 8, 2001 at the Teatro Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro, closed April 22, opened April 27 at the Teatro Alfa in São Paulo, then returned to the Teatro Villa-Lobos in Rio.
• A 2010 production opened in Norway at The National Venue of Norway(Den Nationale Scene) in Bergen. The cast included Jon Bleiklie Devik, Karoline Krüger/Ragnhild Gudbrandsen, Wenche Kvamme, Monica Hjelle, among others.
• A 2011 Israeli production opened on May 28, 2011 at the Beersheba Theatre.
• A 2011 production by Sheffield Theatres at the Crucible Theatre
• A 2012 production in Lima, Perú, directed by Alberto Ísola. The cast included Rossana Fernández-Maldonado, Marco Zunino, Tati Alcántara and Paul Martin.
• A 2012 production in Singapore, directed by Hossan Leong. Staged at the Drama Centre November 1–16, 2012. The cast included Peter Ong, Seong Hui Xuan, Mina Ellen Kaye, Tan Kheng Hua and Petrina Kow.
• A 2013 production in Buenos Aires, directed by Nicolás Roberto, opened in La Comedia Theatre. It was starred by Alejandro Paker as Robert, Cecilia Milone as Joanne and Natalia Cocciuffo as Amy, among others.

Recordings

The Broadway cast album did not include Kert, because it had already been recorded before he assumed the role of Bobby. However, after having Jones' original vocals mixed out of the original Broadway backing tracks, when the cast travelled to London to reprise their roles, Columbia Records took Kert into the studio to record new vocal tracks. This "new" recording featuring the new vocals laid over the original Broadway backing tracks was released as the Original London Cast recording. In 1998, when Sony Music who had acquired the Columbia catalogues, released a newly digitalized CD version of the original Broadway cast recording, Kert's rendition of "Being Alive," the show's final number, was included as a bonus track.

There are also cast recordings of the 1995 Broadway and London productions and the 2006 Broadway production.

Video recordings are available of the 1995 London, 2006 Broadway, and 2011 New York Philharmonic revivals.

A mockumentary based on the musical, One's Company, was released in 2013.

Awards and nominations

For the only time, the Tony Awards for Music and Lyrics were split into two categories. Sondheim won both awards.

Original Broadway production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1971	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Book of a Musical	George Furth	Won
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Harold Prince	Won
		Outstanding Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim	Won
		Outstanding Music		Won
		Outstanding Set Design	Boris Aronson	Won
	Theatre World Award		Susan Browning	Won
	Tony Award	Best Musical		Won
		Best Book of a Musical	George Furth	Won
		Best Score (music)	Stephen Sondheim	Won
		Best Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim	Won
		Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Larry Kert	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Elaine Stritch	Nominated
			Susan Browning	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Charles Kimbrough	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical	Barbara Barrie	Nominated
			Pamela Myers	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Musical	Harold Prince	Won
		Best Choreography	Michael Bennett	Nominated
		Best Scenic Design	Boris Aronson	Won
		Best Lighting Design	Robert Ornbo	Nominated

1995 Broadway revival

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1996	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Veanne Cox	Nominated
	Tony Award	Best Revival of a Musical		Nominated
		Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical	Veanne Cox	Nominated

1995 London revival

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1996	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Adrian Lester	Won
		Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Sheila Gish	Won
			Sophie Thompson	Nominated
		Best Director	Sam Mendes	Won

2006 Broadway revival

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2007	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Revival of a Musical		Won
		Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Raúl Esparza	Won
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Barbara Walsh	Nominated
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	John Doyle	Nominated
		Outstanding Orchestrations	Mary Mitchell Campbell	Won
	Tony Award	Best Revival of a Musical		Won
		Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Raúl Esparza	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Musical	John Doyle	Nominated

Film version

Sondheim once asked William Goldman whether he would be interested in writing a screenplay for a film version of the musical. Goldman:

Company is one of those great shows, along with Gypsy and Pal Joey, that I think of as the greatest, quintessential, most beloved musicals. I remember seeing Company five times and I loved it, and I had a huge... problem which was that the main character's obviously gay but they don't talk about it. Hal, George and Steve all claim it's about a straight guy with commitment problems. Anyway I loved the show. And I figured out a way to change it, keep the score, but give it some narrative.

Herbert Ross was meant to direct but Goldman says the director talked Sondheim out of doing the film.

In 2010 there was talk Neil LaBute would direct a film version.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Hutchins, Michael H. (June 7, 2006). The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide. sondheimguide.com. Retrieved on October 4, 2007.
• Interview with Barbara Walsh. Downstage Center (a collaboration of the American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio). First aired January 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 4, 2007. (RealAudio interview; MP3 podcast.)
• Interview with John Doyle. Downstage Center First aired November 24, 2006. Retrieved on February 4, 2007. (RealAudio interview; MP3 podcast.)

Further reading

• Ilson, Carol. Harold Prince: A Director's Journey (2004), Limelight Editions, ISBN 0-87910-296-9.
• Prince, Harold. Contradictions: Notes on twenty-six years in the theatre (1974), Dodd, Mead, ISBN 0-396-07019-1.
• Rich, Frank. The Theatre Art of Boris Aronson (1987), Knopf. ISBN 0-394-52913-8.
• Mandelbaum, Ken. A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett (1990), St Martins Press, ISBN 0-312-04280-9.

External links

• Company at the Internet Broadway Database
• Original Cast Album: Company (1970) at IMDb, documentary about the making of the original cast recording
• Company (1996) at IMDb, filmed stage revival starring Adrian Lester
• Company (2007) at IMDb, filmed stage revival starring Raul Esparza
• Company (2011) at IMDb, filmed stage revival starring Neil Patrick Harris
• "Company Listing" Music Theatre International
• Company recordings at CastAlbums.org
• One's Company - a faux documentary centered around the musical
• Musical Cyberspace: Company
• You’ve Got Company: Stephen Sondheim's Masterpiece Comes to Singapore