This documentary film is an enjoyable exploration of both the ground-breaking phenomenon that was (and is) 'Company' (1970) and also Sondheim himself.
Using the.2021 gender-swapped Broadway staging of 'Company' as a backdrop and framing device, commentators as varied as original cast members, current cast members, and interim "Bobby" stars, theatre critics, Sondheim biographers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Candace Bushnell, and Cynthia Nixon, among others, illuminate and elucidate the innovations and motivations behind this enduring and now-classic musical.
In addition to footage from the 2021 Broadway show and other revivals over the years, the documentary is heavily interspersed with footage from the unmissable 1970 documentary 'Original Cast Album: Company' filmed by D. A. Pennebaker. Now released on DVD by Criterion, if you do not already have that DVD in your collection, I very very strongly encourage you to hasten to obtain it. It is the ideal companion piece to 'Keeping Company with Sondheim', and essential for any Sondheim or 'Company' or musical theater fan of any stripe. You can get a taste of it on YouTube, where someone has uploaded the amazing 5-minute segment of Dean Jones recording "Being Alive".
Using the.2021 gender-swapped Broadway staging of 'Company' as a backdrop and framing device, commentators as varied as original cast members, current cast members, and interim "Bobby" stars, theatre critics, Sondheim biographers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Candace Bushnell, and Cynthia Nixon, among others, illuminate and elucidate the innovations and motivations behind this enduring and now-classic musical.
In addition to footage from the 2021 Broadway show and other revivals over the years, the documentary is heavily interspersed with footage from the unmissable 1970 documentary 'Original Cast Album: Company' filmed by D. A. Pennebaker. Now released on DVD by Criterion, if you do not already have that DVD in your collection, I very very strongly encourage you to hasten to obtain it. It is the ideal companion piece to 'Keeping Company with Sondheim', and essential for any Sondheim or 'Company' or musical theater fan of any stripe. You can get a taste of it on YouTube, where someone has uploaded the amazing 5-minute segment of Dean Jones recording "Being Alive".
