Show Synopsis
Sondheim collaborated with George Furth (book) and Harold Prince (director)
to create Company, the first of the Sondheim / Prince shows that were to lay the foundation
for the post-Golden Age Broadway musicals. Company, the first non-linear (or concept)
musical, is set firmly in (and often about) New York. It follows five married (or once married
or soon-to-be-married) couples and their mutual friend, Robert, a 35 year old bachelor who has
been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The relationships are presented in a series
of vignettes, primarily through Bobby's eyes, so that we see the less than ideal aspects of
commitment. However, it is obvious to the audience that the committed are happy. Eventually,
Bobby learns that while relationships aren't perfect, they are a necessary part of "Being
Alive." Includes the songs "Getting Married Today," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and "Being Alive."
Original Broadway Production
| General Information
| Musical Numbers
| Original Broadway Cast
| Tony Awards |
|---|
- Opened April 26, 1970 at the Alvin Theatre
- Ran for 690 performances
- Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
- Book by George Furth
- Produced by Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell
- Directed by Harold Prince
- Musical Numbers Staged by Michael Bennett
- Sets and Projections by Boris Aronson
- Costumes by D.D. Ryan
- Lighting by Robert Ornbo
- Dance Music Arranged by Wally Harper
- Music Published by Tommy Valando
- Musical Direction by Harold Hastings
- Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
|
- Company
- The Little Things You Do Together
- Sorry-Grateful
- You Could Drive a Person Crazy
- Have I Got a Girl for You
- Someone Is Waiting
- Another Hundred People
- Getting Married Today
- Side by Side by Side
- What Would We Do Without You?
- Poor Baby
- Tick Tock
- Barcelona
- The Ladies Who Lunch
- Being Alive
- Finale
|
- 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: Charles Braswell
- Marta: Pamela Myers
- Kathy: Donna McKechnie
- April: Susan Browning
- The Vocal Minority:
- Cathy Corkill
- Carol Gelfand
- Marilyn Saunders
- Dona D. Vaughn
|
- Best Musical
- Best Music (Stephen Sondheim)
- Best Lyrics (Stephen Sondheim)
- Best Book (George Furth)
- Best Director (Harold Prince)
- Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson)
|
Description of the Characters
| Robert | A middle-class male who's 35 years old, which is no age to be unmarried. |
| Sarah | A married woman who's trying to lose weight and talks about food a lot.
She has taken up karate, which is no substitute. |
| Harry | Sarah's husband, a struggling teetotaller since his arrest for driving
while intoxicated.
|
| Susan | A southern belle and a wonderful wife. |
| Peter | Susan's ideal Ivy League husband. |
| Jenny | Very middle class, very conservative. |
| David | Very middle-class, very modish. |
| Amy | A bride-to-be who's been living in sin and in analysis for years. |
| Paul | Amy's long-standing partner. |
| Joanne | A generous but sharp-tongued broad whose drunken scorn for others is
matched only by her self-contempt |
| Larry | Joanne's husband. |
| April | A girlfriend of Robert's, an airline hostess from Shaker Heights who
came to live in Radio City because she thought it was a city near New York, not actually
in it. |
| Kathy | A girlfriend of Robert's, a New Yorker who's skipping town to go and
find rural contentment in Vermont. |
| Marta | A girlfriend of Robert's, a kook who hangs out on 14th street and has
a zillion theories. |
| The Vocal Minority | In lieu of a chorus, a small group of useful singers. |
Miscellaneous Post-Production Information