Company A Musical Comedy (2007)

Originally titled 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 composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday.

John Doyle’s 2006 revival followed his 2005 production of Sweeney Todd, which similarly had actors playing musical instruments. The production transferred to Broadway from the Cincinnati Playhouse in 2016 and played the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for nearly a year. The show received rave review and won Tony Awards in several categories, including Best Musical Revival.

Shortly before closing in 2017, the show was filmed by Ellen M. Krass for PBS' Great Performances. A total of three performances were filmed during the last week of the show's run, which were eventually edited together to create the final broadcast.

In his review for DVDTalk, Glenn Erickson said: 'Lonny Price seems to have innumerable HD cameras running. Every moment is caught and highlighted without chopping the ensemble atmosphere up into pieces. The HD really helps in that the camera can be fairly wide and still record the actors' full expressions.'

Following the airing on PBS, Company was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2009.

Directing:

• John Doyle

Writing:

• Stephen Sondheim
• George Furth

Stars:

• Raúl Esparza
• Barbara Walsh
• Bruce Sabath

Release Date: 2007-01-26

10.0/10