Sondheim's "Company": Three Meanings

The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, interprets Broadway

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Shalom!

This week, The Broadway Maven looks at Company:

• On Monday, January 10 at Noon and 7 pm ET, there will be a FREE Zoom class exploring Sondheim’s pioneering “concept musical.” Register here.

• This Weekly Blast:

A) looks at the meanings of the title “Company”;

B) RAVES about a Sondheim documentary;

C) contains a student RAVE about Miss Saigon;

D) links to a YouTube GEM with a sitcom scene that echoes Company;

E) links to a YouTube GEM about music theory and Sondheim; and

F) contains this week’s homework: an introduction to concept musicals

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The best Broadway titles have multiple shades of meaning (you can even find Hamlet in Hamilton). What does the title of Company signify? It could be:

• “We’re having company for dinner.” Bobby is the guest of several couples during the show. He’s their company.

• “I want some company as I grow older.” Bobby is trying to decide whether he wants to tie himself to one other person for the rest of his life.

• “The entire company came out on stage.” Even though the couples and girlfriends in the show have separate relationships with Bobby, they all join together at several points to comment on - and critique - his life choices.

Now, I haven’t found a connection between the show and definitions like “electric company” and “company of soldiers.” But I wouldn’t put it past Sondheim and Furth to have intended echoes of those meanings as well.

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Six by Sondheim (available here on YouTube) is an excellent 2013 documentary exploring Sondheim’s life and work through the lens of six of his best songs. Each song is performed by Broadway actors like Audra McDonald and Jeremy Jordan, with explanations about lyrics and musical scaffolding. The film, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, intersperses the songs with interviews of Sondheim and those who have worked with him.

Why does “Send in the Clowns” have such an unusual structure? Why was “I’m Still Here” written at the last minute? Why is Sunday in the Park with George “closest to [his] heart”?

In my favorite moment, Sondheim says “My Friends” from Sweeney Todd is at bottom a love song to some razors - which is bizarre, shocking, and essentially Sondheim.

I recommend the documentary highly.

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Aswin Nair: I watched a recording of the 2014 London rendition of Miss Saigon. Right from the start, you can see all the actors up-close, starting in 1975 Saigon with the love story between Kim (Eva Noblezada) and Chris (Alistair Brammer). It shows Americans’ perceptions about Vietnamese people at the time and the desperation of people in Vietnam to flee and move to America.

The quick changes in the impressive sets are done well - for example the transition from “The Transaction” to “The Dance” and a change in scenery during “Sun and Moon.” The chemistry between Kim and Chris is amazing, but the real scene stealer is Jon Jon Briones, who makes the play his own with the Engineer’s witty lines and delivery in “The American Dream” number.

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A wag on the Internet named Damien Slattery noticed that this scene from Friends echoes the “plot” of Company rather perfectly. Tell us if you agree below.

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Here’s a sophisticated but relatable music theory video about how Sondheim uses dominant and tonic chords.

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Life, love, and marriage at age 35. Not a very fresh subject, right? Well, in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, we see a nuanced, tuneful, and compelling exploration of precisely those themes. From the manic “Getting Married Today” to the stirring “Being Alive,” Company is a masterwork from a master tunester.

We’ll discuss that sublime show, with clips and conundrums, on Monday, January 10 at Noon and 7 pm ET.

Register for Company here.

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Watch this video about Concept Musicals (such as Company, Assassins, and CATS.) What’s your favorite concept musical? Explain your answer in the comments.

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February and March classes have been announced. Get automatic registration to everything, plus fee waivers on paid classes; special invitations to monthly exclusive classes (looks like Phantom of the Opera in February and Jesus Christ Superstar in March); and the Weekly Blast for FREE. I’ve slashed the price of the January-March Pass from $79 to $69; and the price of the Annual 2022 Pass from $225 to $195.

Get your passes here. (On sale through January 31st only.)

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Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.

(ALL Evening classes in 2022 will start one hour earlier - 7 pm ET instead of 8 pm ET.)

• Monday, January 10: Company (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Sunday, January 16: “Sunday Flicks” watch party (press link, Passcode “Benkof”): Sweeney Todd (Noon ET, ALL-ACCESS Passholders ONLY)

• Monday, January 17: Sweeney Todd (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Monday, January 24: Into the Woods (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Tuesday, January 25: Special Sondheim career retrospective (Noon and 7 pm, ALL-ACCESS and tuition-paying Sondheim students ONLY)

• Thursday, January 27 CATS (ALL-ACCESS Passholders ONLY, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Monday, January 31: Assassins (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Thursday, February 3: SNL’s Jews (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

• Monday, February 7: Bob Fosse’s Cabaret (FREE, Noon and 7 pm ET)

and save the dates for classes with special guests (registration opens soon):

• Monday, February 21 Next to Normal with Pulitzer Prizewinners Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt (FREE, Noon ET ONLY)

• Monday, March 21: Ain’t Misbehavin’ with Tony winner Murray Horwitz (FREE, Noon ET ONLY)

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The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.