I saw the original documentary (25 - 30) years ago long after having already discovered the original cast album in the 1980s and growing up with it. What brought me to this copy or version was seeing the 2011 performance with Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby on UA-cam.
People have often said this musical is a semi-biographical of Sondheim. However, when you learn about George Furth, who wrote the book and intentionally avoided any significant long-term relationship, you realize that it a far greater reflection of his experiences and life than Sondheim’s.
You can tell Sondheim really likes Donna McKechnie, who was one smart cookie. While everyone else looks like Death warmed over, she's in full make-up and lashes, and is the freshest-looking one there.
Dean Jones singing 'Being Alive' destroys me every time. Lots of other people sing it very well - and it's so poignant in 'Marriage Story' too. But he's the best. No contest.
With this great "b roll" of the ladies who lunch, a great rancor performance, and the more polished obc recording, I say we had our cake and ate it too .
Dean Jones really wasn't cut out for performing so many times per week. In film he projected nothing more than a certain pleasant blankness. He'd become a star in Disney films, and the Disney studio was its own little world that promoted and protected its talent. It was possible for Jones to become a fairly big name just making family films for them (some made a lot of money). His voice was good enough, but his performance in Company here is a bit bland. That isn't inappropriate for Bobby, who is disengaged, but it isn't very interesting. Raul Esparza's Bobby is better, as he brought to Bobby not just withdrawal, but bitterness and even anger, plus just singing more beautifully. I wish I could have seen/heard Larry Kert in the part, as he was supposedly excellent. They made a special exception for him that made him eligible for a Tony nomination, even though he didn't originate the part.
Jones asked to leave the show upon opening because he was going through a divorce at the time and he didn’t think he could cope with both the difficulty of eight performances a week and the strain of the divorce. Hal Prince agreed to release Jones if he agreed to record his part for the cast album, which he did the Sunday after the show’s opening, as noted here. He was replaced by Broadway star Larry Kert, who no doubt felt a bit cheated carry the lead but be excluded from the cast album. The rest is history.
I was working as an usher at the San Francisco Film Festival while I was in grad film school and I knew about the Pennebakers so I snuck in to watch the Company doc and instantly fell in love with Sondheim. I'd known him as a lyricist and loved West Side Story but the doc that this doc is based on blew my mind and changed my life. Damn, is the original doc available anywhere?
You got that right! Her voice is astonishing in the staged revival @ Lincoln Center. She stopped the show nearly 12 years after the original production. Her voice got better!
For anyone who is a Company fan, the commentary here by Stritch and Prince is tremendously interesting. Penbebaker's comments on the documentary are fun, but a few times his comments verge on the irrelevant. Stritch's discission of her struggles are especially absorbing. Prince, as usual, can be a bit self-congratulatory., but he still has useful info on Company and the recording.
Being Alive, Another Hundred People, and Ladies Who Lunch, are the standout songs from this album. But only Elaine Stritch is remembered. Dean Jones was in maybe 10 actual performances, and no one knows what the characters name is who sings "another hundred people" let alone who it was. I don't know if this show is what created the piece for Donna Mckechnie in a chorus line.
The commentary is from 30 years later. The original is now licensed by Criterion in 2022 and unavailable on UA-cam . An entirely new documentary of the 2022 production airs on PBS in the spring.
Anyone else come here because of Documentary Now? Just me?
Me hehe
I'm rewatching the episode right now. My life is rooned.
I just saw the Documentary Now show. They did a great job!
I saw the original documentary (25 - 30) years ago long after having already discovered the original cast album in the 1980s and growing up with it. What brought me to this copy or version was seeing the 2011 performance with Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby on UA-cam.
I'm watching every variation of Company I can get my eyes and ears on because of Documentary Now.
People have often said this musical is a semi-biographical of Sondheim. However, when you learn about George Furth, who wrote the book and intentionally avoided any significant long-term relationship, you realize that it a far greater reflection of his experiences and life than Sondheim’s.
I miss these days of theater deeply.❤️🔥
You can tell Sondheim really likes Donna McKechnie, who was one smart cookie. While everyone else looks like Death warmed over, she's in full make-up and lashes, and is the freshest-looking one there.
Dean Jones singing 'Being Alive' destroys me every time. Lots of other people sing it very well - and it's so poignant in 'Marriage Story' too. But he's the best. No contest.
With this great "b roll" of the ladies who lunch, a great rancor performance, and the more polished obc recording, I say we had our cake and ate it too .
Very good documentary and very interesting. Thanks for posting this Zahifito.
Incredible....Elaine Strich part was fantastic!!!!!
Dean Jones doing this on the album outdoes EVERY performance of any song on any cast album in history
Dean should have shared his singing talent with the public much more. He had a very, very beautiful voice.
Apparently he wasn’t with the show long. His biography has a lot of self-sabotage in it. It seems like he came to some happiness eventually.
Dean Jones really wasn't cut out for performing so many times per week. In film he projected nothing more than a certain pleasant blankness. He'd become a star in Disney films, and the Disney studio was its own little world that promoted and protected its talent. It was possible for Jones to become a fairly big name just making family films for them (some made a lot of money).
His voice was good enough, but his performance in Company here is a bit bland. That isn't inappropriate for Bobby, who is disengaged, but it isn't very interesting. Raul Esparza's Bobby is better, as he brought to Bobby not just withdrawal, but bitterness and even anger, plus just singing more beautifully. I wish I could have seen/heard Larry Kert in the part, as he was supposedly excellent. They made a special exception for him that made him eligible for a Tony nomination, even though he didn't originate the part.
Jones asked to leave the show upon opening because he was going through a divorce at the time and he didn’t think he could cope with both the difficulty of eight performances a week and the strain of the divorce.
Hal Prince agreed to release Jones if he agreed to record his part for the cast album, which he did the Sunday after the show’s opening, as noted here. He was replaced by Broadway star Larry Kert, who no doubt felt a bit cheated carry the lead but be excluded from the cast album.
The rest is history.
@@inkyguy I saw the documentary about the making of the show on YT.
19:33 Ingenious orchestrations, layering in the “Bobby” theme in the trumpets.
I was working as an usher at the San Francisco Film Festival while I was in grad film school and I knew about the Pennebakers so I snuck in to watch the Company doc and instantly fell in love with Sondheim. I'd known him as a lyricist and loved West Side Story but the doc that this doc is based on blew my mind and changed my life. Damn, is the original doc available anywhere?
Yes! The criterion collection has it on dvd and blu ray and on its streaming app
Dean only stayed one month in the run. Has anyone seen him in the role? He was magnificent
Pam Myers owes her song
You got that right! Her voice is astonishing in the staged revival @ Lincoln Center. She stopped the show nearly 12 years after the original production. Her voice got better!
For anyone who is a Company fan, the commentary here by Stritch and Prince is tremendously interesting. Penbebaker's comments on the documentary are fun, but a few times his comments verge on the irrelevant. Stritch's discission of her struggles are especially absorbing. Prince, as usual, can be a bit self-congratulatory., but he still has useful info on Company and the recording.
I See the lady that Played Vera on "ALICE" 💕❣️
Susan Browning was Adorable. RIP
Unfortunately, people today aren't aware of the unique talent in this country's history.
Being Alive, Another Hundred People, and Ladies Who Lunch, are the standout songs from this album. But only Elaine Stritch is remembered. Dean Jones was in maybe 10 actual performances, and no one knows what the characters name is who sings "another hundred people" let alone who it was. I don't know if this show is what created the piece for Donna Mckechnie in a chorus line.
Who is the gentleman at 27:18. Looks like Oscar Hammerstein, but he passed away about a decade earlier.
Post this with no commentary?
Will someone please post this without the commentary...no offense!
Here's Being Alive: ua-cam.com/video/am8qrrZAtP4/v-deo.html
Barcelona: ua-cam.com/video/04zBxmsE7zw/v-deo.html
The commentary is part of it.
@@douglasduff4466 It's an alternate audio track made 30 years later. The original TV version didn't have it.
The commentary is from 30 years later. The original is now licensed by Criterion in 2022 and unavailable on UA-cam . An entirely new documentary of the 2022 production airs on PBS in the spring.
Just watched this on criterion. I thought the commentary was going to be by john mulaney and co.? Did i miss something
where did you hear that?
this is from a DVD that was released in 2001 when John Mulaney was 19 years old
There's a spoof of this documentary. That's where you'll find John Mulaney. Season 3 of "Documentary Now!" episode 3. On Netflix.
To everyone replying in this thread: look it up. It was in the criterion press release for their release of this film
Why would he do the commentary on this? This is the original documentary.
Why did Dean Jones sing the "You I love" section wrong? How did Sondheim not notice?