1970
Group W Television
53 m

1970
Group W Television
53 m

Summary Stephen Sondheim's musical "Company" opened on Broadway in the Spring of 1970, and tradition dictates that the cast recording is done on the first Sunday after opening night. D.A. Pennebaker, the now-legendary documentarian, filmed the production of the original cast recording, the back and forth between Sondheim and the performers, and ...

Documentary

Directed By: D.A. Pennebaker

1970
Group W Television
53 m

1970
Group W Television
53 m

Original Cast Album: Company

Name: Original Cast Album: Company
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1970-10-28
Duration: 53 s
Rating: 83
Cast: Barbara Barrie, Charles Braswell, Susan Browning, George Coe, John Cunningham

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Documentary

Directed By: D.A. Pennebaker

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
8 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
8 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

IndieWire

Pennebaker captures Sondheim’s eccentric perfectionism with a lovingly amused gaze, offering a rare glimpse of the notoriously private musical theater legend.

By Jude Dry FULL REVIEW

The A.V. Club

Original Cast Album: Company would be worth viewing solely for Sondheim's witty lyrics and infectious music, but the human drama makes the session especially riveting.

By Nathan Rabin FULL REVIEW

The New Yorker

Pennebaker films Stritch’s first rendition, among the most celebrated outtakes in history, with a rapt devotion that’s as revealing of the limits of recording as it is of the thrills of live performance—and of the camera’s mediating creative power.

By Richard Brody FULL REVIEW

Polygon

What makes the documentary so compelling is that it captures the process of re-creating a performance that’s meant to be experienced live.

By Karen Han FULL REVIEW

TV Guide Magazine

Obviously filmed on a budget, production values leave much to be desired, but the power of the performances and the claustrophobic yet exciting atmosphere caught by the film more than make up for that.

FULL REVIEW

Slant Magazine

Throughout, Pennebaker’s camera moves in as close as it can to capture every moment of doubt, disappointment and rage in Stritch’s face. That even still viewers debate whether Stritch was playing up the drama of the moment for the cameras only underlines how deftly Pennebaker’s brief and unassuming film resides at the heart of the interplay between work, art, and performance.

By Eric Henderson FULL REVIEW

LarsenOnFilm

Keeping in mind that he was well aware of the presence of the camera—as was everyone during the cast recording session for the Broadway hit Company—lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim comes off as the kindest, gentlest genius you can imagine in Original Cast Album: Company.

By Josh Larsen FULL REVIEW

See All 8 Critic Reviews

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Production Company Castle Drive, Talent Associates-Norton Simon

Release Date Oct 28, 1970

Duration 53 m

Genres

Original Cast Album: Company

Top Cast

Barbara Barrie

Self (Sarah)

Charles Braswell

Self (Larry)

Susan Browning

Self (April)

George Coe

Self (David)

John Cunningham

Peter

Steve Elmore

Self (Paul)

George Furth

Self (book)

Harold Hastings

Self (music director)

Beth Howland

Self (Amy)

Dean Jones

Self (Robert)

Charles Kimbrough

Self (Harry)

Merle Louise

Self (Susan)

Donna McKechnie

Self (Kathy)

Pamela Myers

Self (Marta)

Harold Prince

Self (producer, director)

Teri Ralston

Self (Jenny)

Thomas Z. Shepard

Self (record producer)

Stephen Sondheim

Self (composer, lyricist)

Elaine Stritch

Self (Joanne)

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

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