| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.30
Trade in Company for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.30, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
"Company" was a remarkable breakthrough in the world of musical theatre when it was first produced in 1970. It was the first of the so-called 'concept' musicals, pioneered by Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim and followed by others. There is not so much a 'plot' to the show, more of a 'theme', as elegable, 30-something New York bachelor Robert walks from one scene to another, considering his relationships with girls and the relationships between his married friends as he considers the 'concept' of marriage. Ultimately, he forces himself to answer the question - am I ready to commit to commitment?
This book, a complete copy of the stage libretto, allows you to see how the book and lyrics of the show work together - not integrated but rather in counterpoint, a huge break from the tradition as it stood in 1970 - and how the 'revue' format of the show, surrealistically presented as a fantasy inside the protagonist Robert's mind, works towards building a picture of what it means to be married in contemporary society.
There are only two drawbacks to this book. Firstly, this edition of the libretto is the revised edition, as used in the 1995 revivals in New York and London, and to this day I have been unable to find a copy of the original 1970 libretto.
Secondly, unlike other Sondheim titles available from the TCG, the book does not include the lyrics from cut songs with Sondheim's commentary. This is a particular pity in "Company"'s case, because the two songs most notoriously cut from this show - "Multitude of Amys" and "Happily Ever After" - were both at one time the show's final number, the canonical one being, of course, "Being Alive". It would have made an interesting note for comparison, particularly for those interested in writing musicals themselves, how these songs would have changed the show's meaning and conclusion.
However, these are relatively minor quibbles, given that it is rare for a musical libretto to be published at all. This is definitely worth purchasing - and if you do buy it, you might be interested in some of the other Sondheim titles available from TCG, such as "Follies", "A Little Night Music", "Pacific Overtures", "Sweeney Todd", "Sunday in the Park with George", "Into the Woods" and "Assassins".
With that said, I saw a touring production of Company in 1972, and fell in love with it. Listening to the original cast LP and CD over the years, I found it to be a light, fun, bouncy musical, even though some serious topics are addressed.
Now, reading the book, I realize (and remember) that "Company" is much darker than it seems on the surface. This comes through in the scenes and dialogue, not so much in the songs. For instance - Harry and Sarah's sparring, Harry's drinking, Peter's propositioning Bobby, Joanne's propositioning Bobby. This certainly doesn't detract, but rather adds a new dimenstion, and it makes for a different listening of the soundtrack.
Also, it's nice to have all the lyrics in one spot. For the most part, the songs are understandable. But for those several songs when characters are singing different lines at the same time, it's nice to have a reference and be able to pick out the words.
Bottom line - a must for "Company" fans.
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
