Company
Sondheim's game-changing musical is a sophisticated and honest look at modern adult relationships.
RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY. PROCESSING TIME FOR APPLICATIONS MAY EXCEED NORMAL WAIT TIMES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!
Show Essentials
14
Roles
PG13
Rated
2
Acts

Full Synopsis

Act One

The curtain rises to reveal Robert, alone onstage. He is in his apartment, listening to his answering machine as it plays back various birthday greetings from some of his friends. After the funny, sardonic, odd messages are finished, Robert records a message of his own, announcing that it is his 35th birthday. Slowly, five couples – Joanne and Larry; Susan and Peter; Amy and Paul; Sarah and Harry; and Jenny and David – gather in Robert's apartment to give him a surprise birthday party. Each woman is carrying a wrapped gift. Robert acknowledges his friends, and the women, beginning with Sarah, each give Robert his gift. Sarah apologetically suggests that Robert should return her unopened gift if his doesn't like it. Amy and Paul present their gift, which Amy announces is a ridiculously expensive sweater. Joanne baits Jenny, flirts with David, Jenny's husband, and ignores her own husband, Larry. Amy enters with a lighted birthday cake. Everyone sings a monotone chorus of "Happy Birthday," telling Robert to make a wish before he blows out the candles. He closes his eyes, wishes and blows, but only half the candles go out. The women rush to blow out the remaining candles. Robert explains that he didn't wish for anything. The guests pick up the furniture and go to their own apartment spaces. Music begins: it is a figure that sounds like a busy signal. The couples and Robert's girlfriends, Marta, Kathy and April, all call him, each employing a variant on the name, Robert ("Bobby Baby"). Robert sings about his relationships with all of his married friends ("Company"). The song ends with the ringing of multiple telephones, doorbells and city sounds as we hear a montage of the characters experiencing typical moments in their days.

Robert has just finished dinner with Sarah and Harry at their apartment. As Harry, a recovering alcoholic, gets up to make Robert a drink, he mentions that he's been on the wagon for a year and a half. Sarah says it has only been a year. They argue lightly about this. Sarah offers Robert a brownie, mentioning that she's on a diet. Robert watches Harry sneak a sniff and then a swallow of Robert's drink while Sarah eats a brownie and pretends to fall behind the couch. Harry and Sarah continue their semi-jocose bickering. Harry asks Sarah to show Robert some of the karate that she's been learning, which she refuses to do until Robert flirtatiously asks her to do it for him. Sarah and Harry begin to spar. First, Sarah throws Harry to the floor, then Harry does the same to Sarah. She again throws Harry to the floor and pins him down. Sarah, Harry and Robert freeze as Joanne appears and sings a song about marriage and relationships ("The Little Things You Do Together"). Harry and Sarah continue to spar, freezing again as Joanne sings. Robert is caught in the middle of the fight as he tries to make himself another drink. After they all fall to the floor, they freeze as the rest of the couples sing along with Joanne. The song ends, Sarah and Harry call the fight a draw and Robert leaves as "Bobby Baby" is heard again. Sarah sneaks another brownie as Harry steals a drink out of Robert's glass. Robert, now on the other side of the stage, looks up at Harry and asks if he's ever sorry that he got married. Harry, with David and Larry (who have joined Harry), share their ambivalence about marriage ("Sorry-Grateful"). After the song, Robert takes an elevator to a terrace overlooking the city.

Robert is on the terrace of Peter and Susan's apartment. Robert suggests that he'd want to be the first to know if the seemingly happily married couple breaks up. Susan and Peter respond by telling him that they are getting a divorce. "Bobby Baby" is heard again as a stunned and puzzled Robert takes the elevator up to David and Jenny's apartment.

David, Jenny and Robert sit in the playroom of Jenny and David's apartment. Although they are smoking marijuana, Jenny insists that it is not having any effect on her. They all start giggling as they get high. When an unseen neighbor yells at the trio to keep quiet, Jenny uncharacteristically swears back. This brings howls of laughter from both David and Robert. When Robert suggests that he should have married Jenny, Jenny asks him when he is going to get married. Robert says that he intends to do that – he just has not picked a time... or a mate. In fact, he says that he's not avoiding marriage at all. It is avoiding him. He mentions three of his current girlfriends, Marta, Kathy and April, as they all appear and sing about their frustrations with Robert ("You Could Drive a Person Crazy") in an Andrews Sisters-style trio. When Robert asks if Jenny wants another joint, David tells her that she doesn't want one. Jenny goes to make everyone a snack as David tells Robert that Jenny is "square... dumb...." Robert starts to leave but is stopped by all of the couples singing "Bobby Baby." The women leave and the men tell Robert about the women to whom they could introduce him ("Have I Got a Girl for You") – women more appropriate for dating than marrying. After all, they ask, "Whaddaya wanna get married for?" When the men leave, Robert sings about finding a woman who combines the best qualities of all of the married women he knows ("Someone Is Waiting"). As each wife is mentioned, she appears with her husband.

Marta sits on a park bench. She sings about how New York is a city of strangers ("Another Hundred People"). Robert and April, an airline stewardess, appear and sit on the bench. April explains that she moved from Shaker Heights, thinking that she was moving to Radio City, a city close to New York. Marta continues singing "Another Hundred People" when April leaves. Kathy enters and sits next to Robert. She tells him that she is going to move to Vermont to get married because Robert never asked her to marry him. Marta finishes "Another Hundred People" when Kathy exits and then she relates to Robert her own peculiarly eccentric view of life in New York.

It is the morning of Paul and Amy's wedding day. Amy, in a white wedding dress, is polishing a pair of men's shoes as a woman in a white choir robe sings about how blessed a wedding day is. When Paul sees Amy polishing his shoes, he sings about how today is her special day. Amy frantically sings about how she's not getting married ("Getting Married Today"). Amy, the woman and a choir continue the song as Robert, the best man, enters, looking for Paul's cuff links. The song ends with Paul reaffirming his positive view, Amy her negative view and an emotionless chorus giving their blessing to both views. It starts to rain. After the song, Amy is fixing breakfast for Paul and Robert. She works herself into tears and tells Paul that she can't marry him. Paul is very visibly upset by this and he leaves. Robert suddenly asks Amy to marry him. As "Bobby Baby" is heard again, Amy turns down Robert's request. She realizes what a good thing she has in Paul so she goes off to find and marry him. Robert, alone onstage, suddenly feels the need to be be connected with someone, but he is not yet ready for a full commitment ("Marry Me a Little"). The lights come up in Robert's apartment, where all of the guests are gathered; Robert stares at Amy as she enters with the birthday cake.

Act Two

It is Robert's birthday. With the birthday cake in front of him, he blows out most of the candles; the wives blow out the ones that he missed. He announces that he didn't wish for anything. "Bobby Baby" is heard as the guests leave. When Robert is alone, he reflects on what it is like always to be "odd man out;" the couples join him in singing ("Side by Side by Side"). The couples sing about, and celebrate, his usefulness to them ("What Would We Do without You?").

April and Robert are in his apartment. After some idle talk, they move to the bedroom. As Robert and April embrace, Sarah and Jenny tell their husbands that they are worried that Robert spends too much time alone ("Poor Baby"). April tells Robert a story about a cocoon that had once been left in her care. When a butterfly emerged, it had been injured by her cat, and this led to an upsetting situation with the male friend who had given her the cocoon. Robert, in a desperately transparent ploy to continue the conversation, tells April a story that he feels relates to her cocoon story. He tells her how he once became disoriented and was unable to locate the motel where a date was waiting for him. As April undresses, she expresses her upset for the lonely girl and for Robert, but wonders what his story had to do with hers. The lights go down as Robert takes out champagne, glasses and baby oil, and Sarah, Jenny, Amy, Joanne and Susan all sing "Poor Baby," commenting on the inadequacy of Robert's girlfriends. The lights come up on an exhausted Robert and April singing about her next flight attendant assignment ("Barcelona"). The song ends as April unexpectedly accepts Robert's suggestion to linger with him rather than report for work. Robert seems a bit nonplused at this acquiescence. The lights fade.

Robert and Marta are at Peter and Susan's apartment; Peter and Susan have divorced but are still living together happily, a fact that strikes Marta as being very "New York." 

Robert and Joanne are drinking at a nightclub table as Larry enjoys himself dancing. Joanne drunkenly and loudly tries to get a waiter's attention to order more drinks. She yells at some women at another table to stop staring at her. A spotlight hits her as the rest of the nightclub goes into a blackout. She sings a toast to the women who don't have to work and who spend lots of time shopping, drinking and having lunch; women, in fact, like herself ("The Ladies Who Lunch"). When Larry goes to pay the bill, Joanne propositions Robert for sex; he turns her down and asks angrily about marriage, "What do you get?" "Bobby Baby" is heard as Robert is left alone onstage. He sings about the fear of being alone and being uninvolved, suggesting, finally, that he does want to have a meaningful relationship with someone ("Being Alive").

The scene shifts to Robert's apartment, and all of the couples are waiting for Robert to arrive so that they can yell, "Surprise!" (Robert observes this scene, although the couples are unaware of his presence.) This time, Robert doesn't show up to his party. They all decide to leave but, before they do, they yell, "Happy Birthday, Robert!" Robert, alone onstage, blows out the candles and smiles.

Casting
← Back to Company
Cast Size: Medium (11 to 20 performers)
Cast Type: Ensemble Cast
Dance Requirements: Standard

Character Breakdown

Robert
The story's protagonist, he is a keen observer who appears happy but holds pain in his heart. He is the only one of his friends still single. Terrified of marriage and fears a lifelong loneliness.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 35
Vocal range top: G5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Sarah
Harry's hyper critical wife. She is an avid learner of karate and tends to overeat. Open, accepting, and full of love.
Gender: female
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Harry
Sarah's husband. He is a recovering alcoholic continually falling off the wagon. Believes the advantages of marriage outweigh the disadvantages.
Gender: male
Age: 35 to 45
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Susan
A delicate southern belle. Peter's wife and ex-wife. Motherly in her affections towards Robert.
Gender: female
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Peter
Susan's husband. The perfect husband and ex-husband. He is very liberal in his view of relationships.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Jenny
Quietly manipulative, simultaneously square and wise. Loves her husband, David, and will indulge him from time to time.
Gender: female
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
David
Jenny's husband, he is relaxed and always in control. Believes a man should be married and that the sacrifice of freedom is worth what you get in return.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Amy
A frantic neurotic engaged to Paul but terrified of marriage. After a mental breakdown, she finally realizes that Paul is, in fact, her soulmate.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Paul
Amy's fiancé. Mildly clingy, but patient to her neurotic nature. He is fully committed to the idea of marriage and encourages Robert to do the same.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Joanne
Acerbic, demanding, and blunt. Too old to be part of the young crowd, but not old enough to be part of the older crowd. Puts on a brassy front that melts when she is alone with her husband.
Gender: female
Age: 40 to 50
Vocal range top: B5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Larry
Joanne's husband. He is stoic and centered, but has moments of goofiness. Indulges his wife's behavior but knows when to put his foot down.
Gender: male
Age: 45 to 55
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: B3
Marta
A girlfriend of Robert's. Intensely modern, who is seeking adventure and excitement in the City.
Gender: female
Age: 20 to 30
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Kathy
An old girlfriend of Robert's, who is now considered a good friend. She plans to leave the City for a life of domesticity. Sweet and loving.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
April
A girlfriend of Robert's. She is a flight attendant who came to New York to live in Radio City. Ditzy and adorable.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Full Song List
Company: Overture
Company: Company
Company: Little Things You Do Together
Company: Sorry-Grateful
Company: You Could Drive A Person Crazy
Company: Have I Got A Girl For You
Company: Someone Is Waiting
Company: Another Hundred People
Company: Getting Married Today
Company: Marry Me A Little
Company: Side By Side By Side/What Would We Do Without You?
Company: Poor Baby
Company: Tick-Tock
Company: Barcelona
Company: The Ladies Who Lunch
Company: Being Alive

Show History

Inspiration

Company originated as an evening of eleven one-act plays that George Furth had written for actress, Kim Stanley; some of the plays centered around the marriages of Furth's Southern California friends. Initially, director, Anthony Perkins, had planned a 1968 Broadway production but, when the necessary funds could not be raised, Furth consulted with friend, Stephen Sondheim. In turn, Sondheim sent the plays to legendary producer, Harold Prince. Prince suggested turning the plays into a traditional book musical about marriage and friendship. Content from only two of Furth's original eleven one-acts were used in the show, while three new ones were added.

Productions

The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 26, 1970. Company ran on Broadway for 706 performances. The musical also went on tour; this year-long national tour featured George Chakiris as Robert and Elaine Stritch as Joanne.

Company opened in the West End on January 18, 1972, at Her Majesty's Theatre and ran for 344 performances. The original cast included Larry Kert, Elaine Stritch, Joy Franz and Donna McKechnie.

In 1995, Company was revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company and opened again on Broadway Criterion Center Stage Right. Directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Rob Marshall, the revival cast included Boyd Gaines, Kate Burton, Robert Westenberg, Diana Canova and Debra Monk. Company also saw a West End revival at the Donmar Warehouse open on December 13, 1996. Directed by Sam Mendes, the cast included Adrian Lester as the first African-American Bobby in a major production. The production was filmed and broadcast by BBC Two.

Company was revived once again on Broadway in 2006. Beginning with an out-of-town engagement at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, John Doyle directed and choreographed a revival that opened on November 29, 2006, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Raul Esparza and Barbara Walsh led the cast, with actors providing the orchestral accompaniment. The production was broadcast through PBS and that broadcast was also released on DVD.

In April of 2011, Lonny Price directed a staged concert version at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic. Paul Gemignani conducted the 35-piece orchestra. This limited presentation featured an all-star cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Katie Finneran, Christina Hendricks, Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose and Patti LuPone. The concert was filmed and aired in select movie theaters on June 15, 2011.

Trivia

  • George Furth wrote the role of Joanne specifically for Elaine Stritch.

Critical Reaction

"There is nothing fragile about Company... it is by turns brassy, brittle, sympathetic, cynical, romantic, calculating and alive-oh so very much alive. It's been a long time since a musical has come along with so many show-stopping numbers.... Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics add up to one of the best scores on Broadway currently.... Company is the best musical of the year."
– The Wall Street Journal

"Let's hear it for Company, the newest and slickest thing in town. As smooth as the steel-and-glass buildings of midtown Manhattan and as jumpy as an alley cat, it is Broadway's first musical treatment of nerve ends.... George Furth's book is diamond-sharp, funny and chilling both. But Stephen Sondheim's while equally scintillating, shine through time and again with a welcome and essential warmth."
– Daily News

Drama Desk Award

1970 - Outstanding Set Design, Winner (Boris Aronson)
1970 - Outstanding Director, Winner (Harold Prince)
1970 - Best Musical, Winner (Company)
1970 - Outstanding Music, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1970 - Outstanding Lyrics, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1970 - Outstanding Book of a Musical, Winner (George Furth)
1970 - Outstanding Book of a Musical, Winner (George Furth)
1970 - Outstanding Set Design, Winner (Boris Aronson)
1970 - Outstanding Director, Winner (Harold Prince)
1970 - Outstanding Lyrics, Winner (Stephen Sondhiem)
1970 - Outstanding Music, Winner (Stephen Sondhiem)
1996 - Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Veanne Cox)

NY Drama Critics Circle Award

1970 - Best Musical, Winner (Company)

Outer Critics Circle Award

1970 - Best Musical, Winner (Company)

Grammy Award

1970 - Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)

Tony® Award

1971 - Musical Play, Winner (Harold Prince (producer))
1971 - Best Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Susan Browning)
1971 - Scenic Design, Winner (Boris Aronson)
1971 - Best Actor in a Musical, Nominee (Larry Kert)
1971 - Actor (Musical), Nominee (Larry Kert)
1971 - Supporting Actor In A Musical Play, Nominee (Charles Kimbrough)
1971 - Besat Featured Actor in a Musical, Nominee (Charles Kimbrough)
1971 - Actress (Musical), Nominee (Elaine Stritch)
1971 - Supporting Actress In A Musical Play, Nominee (Barbara Barrie)
1971 - Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Barbara Barrie)
1971 - Actress (Musical), Nominee (Susan Browning)
1971 - Supporting Actress In A Musical Play, Nominee (Pamela Myers)
1971 - Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Pamela Myers)
1971 - Book Of A Musical Play, Winner (George Furth)
1971 - Best Scenic Design, Winner (Boris Aronson)
1971 - Choreographer, Nominee (Michael Bennett)
1971 - Best Direction Of A Musical, Winner (Harold Prince)
1971 - Director Of A Musical Play, Winner (Harold Prince)
1971 - Best Musical, Winner (Company)
1971 - Best Lighting Design, Nominee (Robert Ornbo)
1971 - Lighting Designer, Nominee (Robert Ornbo)
1971 - Best Book Of A Musical, Winner (George Furth)
1971 - Best Choreography, Nominee (Michael Bennett)
1971 - Lyrics Of A Musical Play, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1971 - Best Original Score, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1971 - Best Lyrics, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1971 - Music Of A Musical Play, Winner (Stephen Sondheim)
1971 - Best Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Elaine Stritch)
1996 - Best Revival pf a Musical, Nominee (Company)
1996 - Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Nominee (Veanne Cox)
1996 - Featured Actress In A Musical, Nominee (Veanne Cox)
1996 - Revival Of A Musical:, Nominee (Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Ellen Richard (producers))

Connect

Billing

Requirements

You must give the authors/creators billing credits, as specified in the Production Contract, in a conspicuous manner on the first page of credits in all programs and on houseboards, displays and in all other advertising announcements of any kind.
Percentages listed indicate required type size in relation to title size.
COMPANY
(100%)
 
Music and Lyrics by
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
(50%)
 
Book by
GEORGE FURTH
(50%)
 
Originally Produced and Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince
(25%)
 
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
(25%)

Video Warning

In accordance with the Performance License, you MUST include the following warning in all programs and in a pre-show announcement:

ANY VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Included Materials

ItemQuantity Included
LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK20
PIANO CONDUCTOR'S SCORE1
PIANO VOCAL SCORE1
STUDY GUIDE1

Production Resources

Resource
FULL SCORE ACT 1
FULL SCORE ACT 2
FULL SCORE VOL 1 OF 2
FULL SCORE VOL 2 OF 2
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON?
KEYBOARDTEK
PERFORMANCE ACCOMPANIMENT RECORDING
PRODUCTIONPRO-DIGITAL SCRIPT/SCORE
REFERENCE RECORDING
REHEARSAL ACCOMPANIMENT RECORDING
SCENE PARTNER
STAGE MANAGER SCRIPT
STAGE WRITE APPLICATION
TRANSPOSITIONS-ON-DEMAND
VIRTUAL STAGE MANAGER

STANDARD ORCHESTRATION

InstrumentationDoubling
BASSACOUSTIC BASS , ELECTRIC BASS
CELLO
GUITARACOUSTIC GUITAR , BANJO , ELECTRIC GUITAR
HORN
PERCUSSIONACME SIREN , AFUCHE , BELL TREE , CABASA , CASTANETS , CHIMES , DRUM KIT , FINGER CYMBAL , GLOCKENSPIEL , POLICE WHISTLE , RATCHET , SCRAPER , TAMBOURINE , TEMPLE BLOCKS , TIMPANI , TRIANGLE , VIBES , VIBRASLAP/FLEXITONE , WOOD BLOCK , XYLOPHONE
PIANOHARPSICHORD , LUTE , ORGAN , PIANO , PIPE ORGAN , TAMBOURA
REED 1ALTO FLUTE , ALTO SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , FLUTE , PICCOLO
REED 2ALTO FLUTE , BASS CLARINET , CLARINET , FLUTE , TENOR SAXOPHONE
REED 3BASS CLARINET , CLARINET , FLUTE , TENOR SAXOPHONE
REED 4BARITONE SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , ENGLISH HORN , OBOE
REED 5BARITONE SAXOPHONE , BASSOON , CLARINET
TROMBONE
TROMBONE 2
TRUMPETFLUGELHORN , TRUMPET
TRUMPET 2FLUGELHORN , TRUMPET
TRUMPET 3
VIOLIN
VOCAL BOOK

ALTERNATE ORCHESTRATION

InstrumentationDoubling
ALT: BASS ELECTRIC BASS
ALT: CELLO (OPTIONAL)
ALT: DRUMS AFUCHE , BELL TREE , DRUM KIT , FINGER CYMBAL , GLOCKENSPIEL , LARGE TEMPLE BLOCK , POLICE WHISTLE , SLIDE WHISTLE , TRIANGLE , WOOD BLOCK , XYLOPHONE
ALT: KEYBOARD 2
ALT: PIANO CONDUCTOR SCORE CLARINETS , CLAVINET , HARPSICHORD , PIANO , RHODES
ALT: PIANO VOCAL SCORE
ALT: PIANO/KEYBOARD 1 CLARINETS , CLAVINET , HARPSICHORD , PIANO , RHODES
ALT: REED 1 ALTO FLUTE , ALTO SAXOPHONE , Bb CLARINET , Eb CLARINET , FLUTE , PICCOLO
ALT: REED 2 CLARINET , ENGLISH HORN , OBOE , TENOR SAXOPHONE
ALT: REED 3 BARITONE SAXOPHONE , BASS CLARINET , BASSOON , CLARINET
ALT: TROMBONE
ALT: TRUMPET
ALT: VIOLA (OPTIONAL)
ALT: VIOLIN 1&2 (OPTIONAL)