Being Alive - Company OBC, 1970 - Dean Jones
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Disney film star Dean Jones ("Love Bug")gave a brilliant performance of "Being Alive" in Sondheim's 1970 original production of "Company." Then two weeks into the run, he dropped out due to marital problems.
Jones was replaced by Larry Kert, famous for originating the role of Tony in "West Side Story." Kert received a "Best Actor" nomination for "Company" and his performance of "Being Alive" was added as a bonus track to the cast album when it was reissued in 1998.
This excerpt is from the highly recommended Region 1 DVD "Company: Original Cast Album" of the 1970 recording session. See more 1970 excerpts at
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For videos from the 2006 revival, see
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Browse our website at www.theBestArts... for more great dance, music and musical theatre performances.
To all those finding Sondheim and Company because of Marriage Story - there is no shame in finding amazing music. Whenever you do is good enough. It is a good way to reintroduce Sondheim to a new generation!!
J Pinters this type of fan base is lovely, others would attack you for saying this brought us here. Why be angry? They’re learning something new. Such a polite and warm introduction to this beautiful music.
This is the first time I’ve seen any fandom be this welcoming.
Check out Sunday in the Park with George - some patience in reading the characters pays dividends. A masterpiece.
I watched marriage story.. then I watched company and was completely stunned.. then I watched every version of company and listened to every version of 'being alive' and 'company' and it still isn't enough
I smile every time I read this comment. A lot of purists (read: gatekeepers) would be all smug and angry. But you're lovely for being so welcoming. This is how fandoms grow - new people finding new things to love.
Dean was going through a terribly painful divorce at the time which was the reason he dropped out of the show as it was too painful to sing this song every night. It is an ASTONISHING performance given the emotional state he was in. I'm sure Larry Kert was brilliant but because of the circumstances this is Dean's song. The anguish and pain he puts into the vocal moves the listener to tears. AND a Sondheim lyric at its finest. Bravo to all concerned! PERFECTION!
So was Raul!
Same here 🙋♀️
I think he did put his heart and soul into it because he knew it would be the last time he’d have to perform it
I've never heard anyone sing this song better than Dean Jones.
I cried watch Adam Driver sing this in Marriage Story. I cry listening to Dean Jones. I cry every time i hear this song.
I too!! Raul Esparza also taps on your heart’bn
Iwas in a local production of this play and I love this beautiful song.
Me too. Why? My thing is That I hurt someone emotionally so bad that loved me so much.
@@kevinhudson1217 you shouldn't have done that. It's good then that you cry when you hear it.
Me too!
I just can't get over Elaine Strich's smiles throughout this
ColumbiaPhoenix love seems to emanate from her.💗
she was drunk
@@97477tim INDEEEED!?"
She knows Dean is giving a great performance.
She knows Dean is this good.
Of all the versions of this, the one here is the BEST. "Maybe there's one more in me, let's find out." There sure was.
Raul Esparza
I prefer Esparza's as well myself, personally...but isn't it a neat world where we have both amazing versions?
Agreed
@@josefnitervol6415 ... and now Adam Driver's, too. They are all terrific in their own way.
Also adam driver
That look on his face as he finished the song, as if he was just coming back from where ever he was transported to.
John G. Hill yes!
John G. Hill Hugging you for seeing that and putting it so perfectly.
:-)
John G. Hill, totally!!!
@Robert Lee, Countertenor Who are you counter to? Ulysses Grant?
Can confirm, after a challenging or emotional number it's quite jarring when the music stops and you find yourself back where you were before you started, it's part of the fun lol
Dean Jones is the definitive Bobby. His gorgeous masculinity, his obvious real-life depressiveness, and the genuine beauty of his voice make this one of the best musical theatre performances ever filmed or recorded. True brilliance!!!
Never knew he sang
Just WONDERFUL
He got over the depressiveness! And not by singing such a schmaltzy hit.
@@ritapacitti9599 Welcome to the new world! He was amazing and almost no one ever knew, sigh.
I'm probably one of the few who didn't know Dean could sing like that. This is by far the best performance of this song I have ever heard - so much emotion and passion in it that just breaks your heart. Few performers move me like this, and he's now counted among those few.
I only knew of Dean Jones from his acting in The Love Bug from my childhood. Until a few years ago, I had no idea he did Broadway. We're so fortunate this recording exists and I'm sure glad I came across it.
@@Blogzer indeed, he was amazing, so sad he had to step out of the role so soon. But Larry Kert was also amazing (as he was in West Side Story). And so was Raul Esparza. It is a plum role if the actor knows what they are doing.
I don’t think there’s a more important line in the whole show than the one Amy delivers here: “Blow out the candles, Robert, and make a wish. Want something! Want something!”
Beth Howland’s delivery is perfection. I’ve never heard it done better, and to me it makes or breaks the show.
That we have this amazing moment recorded is a minor miracle. Absolute genius through and through.
You have to like the way Elaine Strich looks at her. It’s very wholesome.
I havae always felt that this is the most emotionally stirring version of the song. Jones was going through a divorce when he did this and it was too painful for him to continue to do the show because of that. I think that is why his rendition is so moving.
Dropping out of the show because he was going through a divorce and "due to his belief that the show was too nihilistic" - that's ironic when you consider what the show is about.
It has a glimmer of hope at the end but that might not be enough to justify doing the show almost daily.
Oh God. . .
I love watching Elaine watching her fellow castmates.
Isn't she great
70s musicals were really something else
That, ladies and gents, is what I would call giving yourself 100% to something but then digging even a little deeper. It's an amazing performance.
Well put!
Marriage Story brought me here, shame it took me so long
Jane Jones Fun fact, Dean Jones was also going through a divorce when he performed this very song!
Jane Jones me too
and call me crazy but Driver's version, also thanks to the very basic piano background, hit it home even more.
Jane jones me 2
@@ironclad1609 I was captivated by his version
The expression on his face the instant he finishes the last note is really interesting. He went someplace else entirely! Bravo!
yeah you can tell he was really affected by it and went somewhere personal. I love how he tries to shake it off after as well. As a singer it's rare to find songs that so truly align with what you're going through and it makes your performance almost painful but in the most empowering way.
He was the song.
The fact that Dean Jones’ performance had the composer and producer’s approval certifies it.. His fellow actor’s applauded it. That’s all you need to know. RIP.
Dean isn’t my favorite singer of this, but goddam if this isn’t the best, most magical recording of it ever. Everything is so sublime. The late hour. The live orchestra. The whole cast supporting him and each other. Elaine’s smile. Sondheim loving it. And Dean just pouring everything into it.
Agree!
Spot on tribute!
A bonus of this clip is watching how much love Elaine Stritch spreads the love. She clearly would not rather be anywhere else in the world than in that recording studio. Her smiles for Jones and for Sondheim are completely amazing.
+Robert Azevedo She was also really, really drunk. Read her memoirs.
Later in life, Elaine had not such great memories (and commentary) of her experience with Sondheim.
William Mason Angela Lansbury had wonderful experience with him when she starred in “Sweeney Todd”, so I guess it’s because Elaine was also an eccentric person herself, not just Sondheim but she ran into trouble with many of her co-stars and directors throughout her career
Kind of repetitive tune, I lost interest before the end.
From seeing this entire documentary once, my recollection is that Stritch's first attempt at recording Ladies Who Lunch was fraught and unsuccessful (because they tried to do it at the end of a long day). That might have contributed to her having unfavorable memories of Sondheim as someone says in this thread. He was very hard on her that day. She came back after a night of fretting and did the extraordinary recording that we all know and love. I'm so taken by the seeming spontaneity and sincerity of her delivery of "you'll never be a kid again, kiddo" considering she must have uttered it 1,00 times by then.
When most folks think of Dean Jones they picture him with a small white Volkswagen Beetle. Glad this video exists that shows what a truly brilliant talent this man was!
Yes! This!
agreed ,hes brilliant ,big surprise 👏👏👏
I love near the end when Dean starts smiling. He realizes he did have one more left in him.
Stephen Sondheim had such a high impact on me and has made me cry so many times for his genius music and story. Now I cry as he’s gone. RIP Stephen Sondheim.
🖤🖤🖤🖤
I cried too. He left us a great inheritance if you will. So thankful
Dean Jones holds the best performance of this song. I want to love Raul as much as everyone else does, in a way, but this is just beautiful. His talent and his realness makes me watch this daily.
I love how Mr. Jone's plays this like the 'everyman'--not like the broadway tenors--you really believe his version--he's going through all these feelings. His enunciation, and tenor voice are great help too! I love the spare orchestration--it doesn't blow away this tender, yet soaring song.
Yes!!
For all those reasons, THIS is the definitive version of “Being Alive.” No one else has every bled on this track like Dean Jones. Perfection!
The most genuinely adult song about marriage and relationships that I know, and, I think, the finest performance - and there have been some great ones. And the period wonderfully comes through too.
Elaine Stritch’s smile is so warm it makes me want to tear up.
wow this is incredible! here we are are 45 years after they recorded this, and still no one can top it!
+Jeff Hooper Raul esperaza came close.. but no one can every top dean
I like Raul's version better, but they're both amazing.
A convergence of time, place, styles, perhaps even genetics, and you have a writer and vocalist made for a moment. Can’t get it back, good thing it was recorded:)
51. 😍
Someone to hold you too close,
Someone to hurt you too deep,
Someone to sit in your chair,
To ruin your sleep.
[That’s true, but there’s more than that. Is that all you think there is to it? You’ve got so many reasons for not being with someone but Robert you haven’t one good reason for being alone. Come on Bobby, you’re on to something!]
Someone to need you too much,
Someone to know you too well,
Someone to pull you up short,
To put you through hell.
[You see what you look for you know. You’re not a kid anymore Robby, I don’t think you’ll ever be a kid again kiddo. Hey Buddy don’t be afraid that it won’t be perfect, the only thing to be afraid of really is that it won’t be! Don’t stop now, keep going.]
Someone you have to let in,
Someone whose feelings you spare,
Someone who like it or not,
Will want you to share,
A little, a lot.
[And what does all that mean? Robert how do you know so much about when you’ve never been there? It’s much better living it than looking at it Robert. Add em’ up Bobby, add em’ up.]
Someone to crowd you with love,
Someone to force you to care,
Someone to make you come through,
Who’ll always be there,
As frightened as you,
Of being alive
Being alive
Being alive
Being alive
[Blow out the candles Robert and make a wish, want something. Want something.]
Somebody hold me too close,
Somebody hurt me too deep,
Somebody sit in my chair,
And ruin my sleep,
And make me aware,
Of being alive
Being alive
Somebody need me too much,
Somebody know me too well,
Somebody pull me up short,
Put me through hell
Give me support
For being alive
Make me alive
Make me alive
Make me confused
Mock me with praise
Let me be used!
Vary my days,
But alone,
Is alone
Not alive!
Somebody crowd me with love!
Somebody push me to care
Somebody make me come through,
I’ll always be there,
As frightened as you
To help us survive
Being alive
Being alive
Being alive!
Still checking in to watch and listen to this gem.
This clip is the embodiment of beautiful sadness. The intensity of Dean Jones combined with the gorgeous music and the looks on the faces of the other performers is emotionally shattering - and exhilarating at the same time.
I honestly have never never wanted any one more than Raul… until now
RIP Stephen Sondheim. Thank you so much.
Being Alive.....this is how I feel on this day, in this moment. Thank you Stephen Sondheim.
I had the pleasure of stage managing the 1993 reunion concert of the original cast of COMPANY and Dean singing this was certainly a highlight! Rest in Peace dear Dean...
+jaypuncher Wow, super jealous.
+jaypuncher Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
Just stopped by to admire.
Rest in Peace Brother Dean.
I love that after he finishes, it takes him a moment to come back to realization of where he is...he really was in the moment
We know he was going through a very painful divorce and that he's doing this through major trauma -- a song about being traumatized by relationships. Also he sings his heart out on the take before this and it wasn't quite good enough. Imagine being him and saying...maybe I have one more in me...and tries it again. Then he transcends the song and the moment like an angel. This is the The Love Bug Disney guy who people may not know was such an a beautiful and profound actor. This moment makes him immortal. It's glorious.
It’s so sweet to see Elaine smile when the line “Come on! You’re on to something, Bobby! You’re onto something!”
I would cry if she smiled at me like that.
I confess I can't listen to anyone else do this song. Why try? Its the BEST!
I love how he was so in the zone. Afterwards he was like "WHERE AM I?!?!"
No. He was asking himself “was it good enough?” It was.
My favorite Sondheim show.
The look on his face after he sings the final note is just so filled with pain and confusion. Either he was really getting into character, or he was going through something that this song brought up in him. It's so amazing that we have this moment preserved for years to come!
The definition of intimate
This song makes me actually feel glad to have loved and lost. By feeling more alive than ever during heartbreak.. we want to die.
"Somebody hold me too close.. somebody hurt me too deep, somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep, and make me aware of being alive."
There's a melodic sweetness; a music deep in his soul that's incredibly moving. This has always been one of my favorite Broadway performances. No current actor can even begin to match it, let alone surpass it. And how astounding to see it on video after all these years. And the bonus: to see Elaine Stritch and Beth Howland, two incredible actors, cheering him and each other on...simply magic.
This is fantastic. I never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing it.
I'm seeing Company this weekend. I will never be able to see this show without seeing Dean doing this song. Out of this World!
Saw 'Company' in the Original London Production back in 1972. A wonderful production with Elaine Stritch etc., though I'm not sure if Dean Jones was with them as Bobby
He was in the middle of a nasty divorce at the time and left the show shortly after it opened. Wild speculation on my part, but I wonder if this performance came out of sheer loneliness. By the way, this was not the "take" they used in the cast album.
But a great performance from Elaine Stritch AND she. like Angela Lansbury is still going.
"Being Alive" was a sort of an anthem of the times. Sort of still is. RIP. Dean Jones. You nailed it.
Wow! Wrong being alive ,your thinking of the bee gee s
This Doesn't need music. I sing this every day.
Saved on my phone because it is always beautiful.
Soon after the death of my husband I went to join a musical group in Tel Aviv we were given songs from shows to choose to work on and when I heard this I burst into tears. It was how I felt but not for the same reasons. Of the 40 or so people there one sitting next to me put out his hand and said:"this is your song, right"?
RIP Dean Jones. What a wonderful performer.
What's incredible is how they act along with the singing. The facial expressions are so ingrained, even (esp.) in a recording session, they are so fully immersed.
He left everything on the floor. “Somebody crowd me with love.”
Rest In Peace Mr. Sondheim. You were truly the Shakespeare of Musical Theatre. A great loss, but an incredible life well lived…
Marriage Story also brought me here.
I am here now, because I never knew, but now I know, I will never leave. For this is like finding streets paved with gold.
Documenary Now: Co-op The cast recording brought me here. ua-cam.com/video/tNtFA_hkVl4/v-deo.html
"blow up the candles Robert, and make a wish. want something; want something"
I wish there was more of their relationship in the show.
she said that line best! the other amys tend to give a big pause between "want" and "something" and it never felt right
Isn't this what we all truly want?
Still my very favorite rendition of this song. Totally powerful.
Always my favorite
Raul Esparza
Just finished watching the film “Marriage Story”. Not sure why Adam Driver hates listening to his singing voice. He didn’t do a disservice to the song ..... But I still love this version.
It's funny. I never knew about this until a few years ago. I remember Dean Jones from Disney movies in my childhood. This just blew me me away. Amazing talent!
Absolutely magnificent
That song must have been emotionally draining for him to sing, being that he was going through a really bitter divorce at the time. but he really just NAILS every note. I Mean, he wasn't even in the final cast that premiered on broadway but producers still wanted him to sing that song for the album, that says alot for him. RIP Mr. Jones
+PowerGlove79 Not true; he opened the show and was replaced after about a month of performances.
Oh, my bad, sorry
+Clay Zambo , He was going through a divorce, very hard time for him emotionally. I had heard it was his call to quit, not replaced as if not good enough or something. I thought he did a great job on this song. So much emotion and energy to his performance.
I can't remember the guy who replaced him in the show who had a better (and trained) singing voice, but Jones had superior interpretation and delivery.
+Clay Zambo He wasn't "replaced". He left because his marriage was collapsing and it was simply too much for him.
I love Adam Driver's talent. Like Spike Lee said," Adam Driver is a Beast!!!" However Dean Jones elevates the feeling and words of this song to another level. For me no one can touch this original cast version.
I’m balling😭 Charles Kimbrough and Beth Howland used to come into my store and I told them how I found out about them and Company watching PBS. Elaine Stritch used to come in also. They were all so lovely. My heart is breaking. Thank you for these videos.
Elaine Stritch looks like she's enjoying herself so much & realizes that she's part of a very big moment with Dean singing. That's so incredible that they came into your store. Great story, thank you for sharing it
Wow - this is so amazing!
A truly great version of the song - the best in fact. It is heartbreaking that more people did not see him playing this role. Easily the BEST Bobby - I don't care what others think.
This is my go-to song when i am feeling down. The passion he sings with and the words in the song just turn me around.
yes, Yes, YES! I do it too!
There is something about the raw quality that modern day recording just can't capture. We refine too much. This is perfection because it's raw and rough. That's what makes it so magical and timeless.
Good bumps every single time
Rest In Peace Sondheim, for writing one of the most emotional songs about what it means to love and be alive
Saw Company on Broadway back in 1970. Nothing has ever come close to this work! Saw it with Larry Kirk.
I would always cry at this song. Now I'm going to cry even more. RIP, Mr. Jones. :*(
+TarotMage Totally agree with you.
+TarotMage Very Sad. Too bad the general public only knows him from Disney movies! This is brilliant--best "Bobby" ever!
+jrwxtx What are you talking about? The only Disney films he did were That Darn Cat and The Love Bug.
Wow, I've never even heard of those before.
I don't have anything deep to add to this conversation but I LOVE your Carrie icon, OP!
THANKS TO MR.SONDHEIM FOR COMPOSING IT AND EVERYONE WHO STILL GETS TO PERFORM IT....
Thrilling and so, so good!!!
Rest In Peace, Mr. Sondheim. American musical theater, which you helped define, will forever be in your debt.
I believe this is my absolute favorite rendition of this song. Jones is just awesome here.
OH! I ADORE the studio shots. ONLY on UA-cam! Great thing about the audio, you can get your body into it. No restrictions. Move your hands, et al! CHEERS! Great mics. No pops. No overloading.
I think he was able to gather the moments of what he was living in his personal life and bring it to that recording. He put his heart in it with that dream team cast. RIP Mr Jones.
Dean said or wrote that his drinking and womanizing led to the collapse of his first marriage. He later became a born-again Christian and remarried. Maybe Dean’s career fizzled after that, but that wasn’t the most important thing for him anymore.
I will always refer to this as the definitive version of this monumental piece. There have been and will be, other valid interpretations of this song, but every iteration springs from something here. Dean Jones' intensity and dedication to honoring the truth of the lyrics dig deep, making that unmistakeable Sondheim connection.
Love this. It feels like both a breakdown and a breakthrough ❤
Dang, I don't think I've seen a better summary of this song before I read this comment
Keep coming back to this version. Brilliant! Emotional! Marvelous!
Goodbye, Mr. Jones - you are more alive now than you ever have been before, and I hope you're loving it!! We miss you down here already and we'll never forget you!
No mere words can express the emotions in this performance. They are all pulling for him as he bares his soul.❤
This is the definitive performance... It moves me more deeply each time I hear it. Bravo, Dean!
Raul Esparza
Dean Jones breaks into another dimension and gives us his heart… unbelievable ❤
The most moving performance I've ever seen. It still gives me chills.
I come back to this from time to time to get a sip of soul stirring.
Proof that a perfect voice isn't always the best choice for a song. Dean Jones nails this. No one has ever done it better.
The intensity in Dean Jones’ eyes as he sings every word goes straight to the heart and pierces it. Incredibly touching ❤
Never, ever get tired of watching this/listening to this. Thank you Dean Jones!
Still the best version--such an emotional performance. Great singing and acting.
Absolutely the very best version of this great song.
Agreed. I have heard Larry Kert's version (thanks UA-cam!). It is fine, but I think Jones' version integrates the character into the song better. (On a tangent, I don't think anyone will ever beat Larry Kert in West Side Story, though.)
I always thought Raul Esparza did the best version of this, with NPH coming in a close second, but a comment on the NPH version led me this performance which, I have to say, blows all others out of the water. I was teary-eyed almost from the first stanza.
"Maybe there's one more in me, let's find out." Love that.
Listen to Aaron Tveit's version
I can watch this a thousand times and every time I am blown away, Thank you Steven. I am in tears.
yes, this is the most memorable performance of not only great Sondheim, but most likely the best Broadway song of all time. This song affects me like no other. I read the words at my mother's funeral. This is such an important song.....
I just listened to the Dean Jones and Larry Kert versions. Different voices and emphases--which are fine. I don't think that Dean Jones could have kept up this intensity through eight performances a week. I'm very glad that we have this all-out version, as it is spectacular.
I am also glad we have both the Kert and Jones versions, and both men deserve praise for their work.
Rest sweetly and soundly Sondheim 💙
Who ever sings this will unfortunately be judged by Dean Jones amazing raw performance of this song he was brilliant RIPDean
I get chills every time I watch this video. Magnificent!
Still, the greatest interpretation of this song..!!
Absolutely the truth!!! As much as I admire the singing of Barbra Streisand, her version is painful to listen to.
Raul Esparza
Adam Driver
The night of my 21st birthday, May 1971, I was taken to see "Company" performed by a group of drama majors at San Francisco State College, for their master's thesis. No sets, just a terrific piano player and some of the best singing and dancing, I'd ever seen. The next day, I ran out and bought the LP recording, eventually the cassette, then the CD, as each medium became available over the years. I recently heard that music catalogs our memories. So true! R.I.P. Dean Jones and thank you for singing the song that is surely an integral part of my youth.
This moved me to tears even MORE than the Adam Driver version. The combination of acting,the vocal, genuine emotion and overall performance is truly Beatle level great.
omg. he gave me the chills.
My God, this is just perfect.
yes, i always cry, too, when Dean Jones sings it. like nobody else. ever.