Company (1970)
Words & Music: Stephen Sondheim
Book: George Furth (minimally revised 1985)
Premise: Company is a groundbreaking concept musical that examines love, marriage and modern relationships through the eyes of Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor living in New York. Rather than following a traditional linear plot, the show unfolds as a series of vignettes in which Bobby interacts with his girlfriends and married friends, observing the joys, compromises and neuroses that come with commitment. Through sharp, witty dialogue and a sophisticated score, Company explores the tension between independence and intimacy, asking whether true fulfillment comes from staying unattached or embracing partnership.
Background: The show’s creation marked a turning point in American musical theatre. It began in the late 1960s when playwright George Furth wrote a collection of one-act plays about contemporary marriage, which director Harold Prince suggested could be reshaped into a musical. Sondheim agreed to compose and write lyrics, creating his first major collaboration with Furth and his first concept musical with Prince. The team abandoned a traditional plot in favor of a thematic structure centered on Bobby, making the show revolutionary for its time. After tryouts and significant revisions – including the addition of songs like “Being Alive” – Company opened on Broadway in 1970 to critical acclaim, winning six Tony Awards and cementing Sondheim’s reputation as a daring innovator in the musical theatre landscape.
Major productions/concert performances/recordings:
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2009 London Revival - Union Theatre
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2011 London Revival - Southwark Playhouse
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2011 Sheffield Theatre
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2013 Signature Theatre
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2018 West End Revival
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2021 Broadway Revival
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2023 Broadway Tour
Broadway Production (1970)
Alvin Theatre (now Neil Simon Theatre), 250 W. 52nd St., New York, NY
Tryout: Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts
Previews: 21 and 23 March 1970 (2 previews)
Opens: 24 March 1970
Closes: 11 April 1970
Alvin Theatre
Previews: 15 April 1970 (12 previews)
Opens: 26 April 1970
Closes: 1 January 1972
Performances: 705
Producer/Director: Harold Prince
Musical Staging: Michael Bennett
Associate Choreographer: Bob Avian
Musical Director: Harold Hastings
Orchestrator: Jonathan Tunick
Dance Arranger: Wally Harper
Music Arranger ("Tick-Tock"): David Shire
Scenic & Projection Designer: Boris Aronson
Costume Designer: D. D. Ryan
Lighting Designer: Robert Ornbo
Sound Designer: Jack Mann
Hair: Roberto Vega
Cast:
Robert: Dean Jones (replaced by Larry Kert on 29 May 1970; Gary Krawford on 27 December 1971)
Sarah: Barbara Barrie (replaced by Audrey Johnson on 1 July 1971; Cynthia Harris on 12 July 1971)
Harry: Charles Kimbrough (replaced by Charles Braswell; Kenneth Kimmins on 13 May 1971)
Susan: Merle Louise (replaced by Alice Cannon on 5 October 1970; Charlotte Frazier on 29 March 1971)
Peter: John Cunningham (replaced by Kenneth Cory on 26 April 1971)
Jenny: Teri Ralston (replaced by Jane A. Johnston on 13 May 1971; Teri Ralston on 25 October 1971)
David: George Coe (replaced by Lee Goodman on 29 March 1971; George Wallace on 13 May 1971; Lee Goodman on 25 October 1971)
Amy: Beth Howland (replaced by Marian Hailey on 13 May 1971; Beth Howland on 25 October 1971)
Paul: Steve Elmore
Joanne: Elaine Stritch (replaced by Jane Russell on 13 May 1971; Vivian Blaine on 1 November 1971; Elaine Stritch on 31 December 1971; Vivian Blaine on 1 January 1972)
Larry: Charles Braswell (replaced by Stanley Grover on 29 March 1971)
Marta: Pamela Myers (replaced by Annie McGreevey on 13 May 1971)
Kathy: Donna McKechnie (replaced by Brenda Thomson on 13 May 1971; Priscilla Lopez on 25 October 1971)
April: Susan Browning (replaced by Carol Richards)
The Vocal Minority: Cathy Corkill, Carol Gelfand, Marilyn Saunders, Dona D. Vaughn (replacements: Eileen Barnett, Shirley Lemmon)
Musical Numbers:
Act One
"Company" – Robert and Company
"The Little Things You Do Together" – Joanne and Company
"Sorry-Grateful" – Harry, David, Larry
"You Could Drive a Person Crazy" – April, Kathy, 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, Jenny, and Company
Act Two
"Side by Side by Side" – Robert and Company
"What Would We Do Without You?" – Robert and Company
"Poor Baby" – Sarah, Jenny, Susan, Amy, Joanne
"Tick Tock" – Instrumental, danced by Kathy
"Barcelona" – Robert and April
"The Ladies Who Lunch" – Joanne
"Happily Ever After", replaced in Boston by "Multitudes of Amys", in turn replaced in Boston by "Being Alive" – Robert
Awards
Tony
Best Musical
Best Music (Stephen Sondheim),
Best Lyrics (Stephen Sondheim)
Best Book (George Furth)
Best Director (Harold Prince)
Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson)
New York Drama Critics Circle Award
Best Musical
Recording
Company - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard
Engineering: Fred Plaut, Robert Waller, Ted Brosnan, John Guerriere
Recorded: 3 May 1970 at Columbia 30th Street Studios, NYC
Liner notes: Charles Burr
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LP, 1970 [Columbia OS 3550]
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8-track Cartridge, 197? [Columbia 18-12-0052] [deleted 1976]
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Cassette, 197? [Columbia 16-12-0052] [deleted 1976]
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LP [quadraphonic, difefrent mix], 197? [Columbia SQ 30993]
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8-track Cartridge [quadraphonic], 197? [Columbia SAQ 30993] [deleted 1976]
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LP, 1982 [Time-Life Records STL-AM12] [with A Little Night Music and A Funny Thing...]
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Cassette, 1982 [Time-Life Records 4TL-AM12] [with A Little Night Music and A Funny Thing...]
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Compact Disc, 1990 [Columbia CK 3550] [57:23 mins.}
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Cassette reissue, 1990 [Columbia JST 3550]
Grammy Award winner for Best Original Cast Show Album
Remastered Version
Reissue Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard
Remixing and Mastering: Darcy M. Proper
Art Direction: Ken Fredette
Liner notes: Marc Kirkeby
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Compact Disc, 1998 [Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy SK 65283] (adds a bonus track of Larry Kert's recording of "Being Alive" from the London Cast Recording) [61:59 mins.]
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Triple Compact Disc, 2000 [Sony 60955] (as The Best of Broadway, Volume 1; includes the original cast recordings of West Side Story and Cabaret)
Selections:
"Company" (5:34), "The Little Things We Do Together" (3:09), "Sorry Grateful" (3:32), "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (2:35), "Have I Got a Girl for You" (2:33), "Someone is Waiting" (2:54), "Another Hundred People" (2:45), "Getting Married Today" (4:10), "Side by Side by Side" / "What Would We Do Without You" (8:41), "Poor Baby" (3:04), "Barcelona" (3:19), "The Ladies Who Lunch" (4:30), "Being Alive" (4:48), "Finale" (1:45)
