Original Cast Album: Company

The first time I watched Company is when I happen to come across a youtube video of Neil Patrick Harrison version of it and ever since I was obsessed.

Pretty much standard fare documentary about Sondheim and crew as they try to create the cast album for the original run of Company. You could see Sondheim's perfectionism, and the cast juggling recording - which seems to be an altogether different experience compared to stage. The film climaxes with Elaine Stritch having a hard time perfecting the famous 'The Ladies who Brunch' song under Sondheim critical direction.

Its very standard, and you do realize why it as a TV Show pilot but if your a fan of the show, its a must see experience to see how each of the original actors do it.

This documentary is done after the Broadway premiere of the original production of the musical, "Company," by Stephen Sondheim and directed by Harold Prince. Anyway if you've listened to the soundtrack or have seen a stage production, you will find this behind the scenes at the recording studio where they belt out the numbers from the production to be quite interesting. You can't help but love and admire Elaine Stritch who is a Broadway veteran and legend. She may not have the best voice but her "Ladies That Lunch" is memorable and a battle at the studio. You can't help but like Elaine, Stephen, Harold or Hal, and even Howard Furth who wrote the book. They and the other cast members which included Beth Howland (before TV's Alice as Vera) and her partner/husband Charles Kimbrough (long before TV's Murphy Brown as Jim Dial) along with other cast members like veteran stage actress Donna McKechnie. They all do a fabulous job in displaying why people pay to see them perform when it was more affordable as it is now. Sometimes, a good musical doesn't have to wow you as much or have special effects. Sometimes, reality can make a pretty good show.

"Company" is an extraordinary piece of theatre that was ahead of its time. The story themes presented in this seventies Broadway musical, still resonate and feel fresh in our contemporary world. "Original Cast Album: Company" affords us a rare peek into the stakes, tears and process that goes into creating a cast album - which will long outlive the theatrical run and the life of the creators and talent. A soundtrack is how many - most - people will become exposed to a work. This documentary is gripping and compelling, sure to entertain the most fickle of audiences (read: non theater fans). It is a damn shame this series was not expanded to include subsequent productions. I am baffled why no producer has yet to attempt a similar feet, or pick up where this pilot ended.

It's impressive to watch a gaggle of Broadway's best, at almost the exact moment the clock moved from the 1960s into the '70s, take their places in a featureless recording studio to make history. The original cast, the orchestra players, the sound engineers, composer Stephen Sondheim, and session producer Thomas Shepard demonstrate more than great talent and love for what they're doing. They give a master class in how to listen, how to give and take direction, how to hit the creators' target. Near the end, when Ms. Stritch belts out a solo for the ages at 3 a.m., the producer criticizes her delivery, and I wanted to smack him! But I'm not a theater person, unlike the phenomenal troupers who kept soaking up instructions and doing more, more, more takes till everyone was happy. They did it right.

If you own any original cast recording of a Broadway musical, I recommend this behind-the-scenes look at how one OCR was made.

Here's a great documentary to remind us that real music is performed by real people and not computers. Not only do we get to see the vocalists recording their tracks, but we get to see various sections of the full orchestra as they play their parts, including warmups and practicing "licks." Stephen Sondheim's coaching of the singers is so wonderful to watch - he understands actors and artists in a way that corporate producers/execs do not. If you love musicals--and want an uplifting experience to re-affirm your love--WATCH THIS!!