Company (Broadway 2006 Revival)

Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Released: February 20, 2007
Label: Nonesuch

Originally entitled 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 comprised 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 problems through its music. As Sondheim put it, "they are middle-class people with middle class-problems." It is also one of the first musicals where the songs commented on the characters in the play instead of furthering the plot, a device which became a Sondheim standard.

A new revival had try-outs at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Robert S. Marx Theatre in the spring of 2006. After 34 previews, the Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by John Doyle (who helmed the revival of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in 2005), opened on November 29, 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre with a cast that included Raúl Esparza as Bobby. The musical closed on July 1, 2007, and also was taped for possible presentation on Public television. As in Doyle's 2006 Broadway production of Sweeney Todd, the actors themselves provided the orchestral accompaniment. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

More Info: Company (Wikipedia)
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