Company..

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 10:24pm

Was Company ever recorded and shown on T.V ?

Listening to it now and the other person here is certain they have seen it on T.v.

Or was any of the music ever partialy used in movies ( maybe Ethel Merman ( marriage a joy ? )

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 10:28pm

as to my knowlege they havent but I could be wrong.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 10:47pm

The full OBC production was never filmed (legally) or ever shown on tv. There is a documentary of the filming of the original cast recording that's quite wonderful, though.

Updated On: 12/6/05 at 10:47 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 10:50pm

Thank you Margo..Pity it's such a great show, but saying that have seen that documentary.

Cheers.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 10:51pm

The London production at Domnar was filmed. I believe it only aired in England though. I've seen it, and it's quite dark and a lot of the cast is a bit odd.

[fiatlux]

Posted: 12/3/05 at 11:27pm

I'm not a huge fan of tv recordings of theatrical pieces and the BBC's recording of Mendes' Company was a case in point - what seemed to work in terms of performances in the theatre doesn't come across so well onscreen. If I sit as far as possible from the screen it works all right

[jacco]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 5:34am

The Mendes production is in my VCR at least once a month. I LOVE it! And there is now show that makes me cry like Company....

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 6:56am

Jacco I couldn't agree more. I think it is a fantastic production.

[Glebb]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 7:28am

I loved the Mendes 'Cabaret' and 'Gypsy' productions.
I saw the national tour of the original version of COMPANY when I was a child and would love to see the Mendes version.
Can't wait for his Sweeney.

[Flahooley]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 6:26pm

I saw the Mendes COMPANY and the Scott ELLIS Broadway Revival COMPANY.

To me:
Mendes' was sooo edgy that I needed a drink to brave the second Act.
Ellis' was so dull as to leave me not caring whether or not this guy "got it" when it comes to relationships.

I remember seeing a program with Hal Prince on preserving live shows on video for scholarly purposes. Behind him, in the interview, was playing on a TV screen a B&W video of the orginal COMPANY tour. I also remember Prince pointing out that "on tour" COMPANY didn't have an elevator. I'd love to see the whole video.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 6:56pm

"Ellis' was so dull as to leave me not caring whether or not this guy "got it" when it comes to relationships."

I agree!! That was one boring production. And I saw it on one of the days that Boyd Gaines showed up.

I saw the Mendes production in London. I enjoyed the acting because they really fleshed out the characters. I don't think they needed to add "Marry Me A Little". It really didn't go anywhere. I didn't like the cutting of the Tick Tock Dance, which is essential to the balance of the show.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:17pm

Forget liquor; I needed a cup of coffee to get through the Ellis/Roundabout revival of COMPANY. Boyd gaines was there when I saw it, too, but he was not in fine voice. He cracked so many times during "Marry Me A Little" that I thought for sure he'd leave at intermission.

The only two things that revival had going for it were Jane Krakowski (a perfect ditzy April) and Debra Monk, who did the best she could.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:23pm

I saw James Clow (I think that was his name) as Bobby in the Roundabout production. I heard Boyd Gaines missed a lot of performances. I was really looking forward to it, but it was a bit of a let down for me.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:27pm

Gaines was simply not vocally strong enough to sing that score eight times a week, and blew out his voice several times. Rumors were swirling at the time that he had AIDS...

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:29pm

That's too bad...I saw him is SHE LOVES ME and I loved him...

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:32pm

He hasn't had any major vocal problems since, knock wood.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:34pm

Wasn't there a big scandal where they wanted to replace him or something?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:53pm

They were going to transfer it to a commercial run and put Michael Rupert in as Bobby, but it fell through. Too bad...Rupert would have been KILLER.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:58pm

A rather inferior video recording of, I believe, the first National Tour starring Jane Russell as Joanne can be seen at the Rodgers and Hammerstein archives at Lincoln Center.

Bretaigne Windust
NY, NY

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 8:00pm

Thanks MEF, I actually found and interesting article about it on the net.

And I agree Michael Rupert would have been wonderful in the role!
Sondheim Review

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 8:06pm

Great article...Thanks for the link!

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 8:09pm

You're welcome!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 10:21pm

"The only two things that revival had going for it were Jane Krakowski (a perfect ditzy April) and Debra Monk, who did the best she could."

It also had La Chanze's thousand-watt smile and Charlotte D'Amboise who could dance Tick Tock.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 6:51am

It also had La Chanze's thousand-watt smile and Charlotte D'Amboise who could dance Tick Tock.

Agreed and agreed. Both of those talented ladies slipped my mind at the time of my first post.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 10:12am

I love La Chanze singing "Another Hundred People" on the cast recording. She has a voice that surprises me. You think it's cranking along one way, and then suddenly she opens up her throat and belts one past the rafters. Her voice can get HUGE. There are certain sections she sings (like "Some go away...") toward the end of the song, that never fail to give me chills. She's a remarkable performer. She did the same thing in the L.A. "Ragtime" (which I had the pleasure of seeing 4 times with her as Sarah).

As for Debra Monk... she was in one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenarios. She had Stritch's Size-12 shoes to fill... So, do you approach it the same way or go a different direction? On the cast album, at least, she landed squarely somewhere in the middle, which doesn't really work for me. It ends up "sounding" like an often-pale imitation of the original mold. I love Ms. Monk... but not here, and not in this role.