| Company | 
| Director: John Doyle
Actor: Raul Esparza
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $10.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (45 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1625
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Enhanced, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 132 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: IMED4480D
UPC: 014381448023
EAN: 0014381448023
ASIN: B0014IC31G
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
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| Customer Reviews:
 Brilliant performance of brilliant, sophisticated musical theater October 20, 2008
"Company" is musical theater for a sophisticated audience - filled with the bitingly clever lyrics and musical complexity that typify the best of Sondheim. "Company" consists of a series of vignettes exploring the nature of relationships seen through the eyes of 35 year old, single Bobby - and the truthfulness expressed will certainly resonate with people of a similar age.
The production is striking with director John Doyle employing his trademark schtick of the performers singing, acting, AND performing the music (for another example of this you should listen to the excellent Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)). Raul Esparza as Bobby leads an incredibly talented cast.
The extras are excellent and consist of:
- A lengthy interview with Sondheim
- A revealing interview with Raul Esparza
- Interview with Director John Doyle
Amazing. October 10, 2008
There are not nearly enough video recorded broadway shows. This is one of the best available. Entertaining but not without some depth.
 Good production of a score and story that I do not enjoy October 4, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Loving the theater, I am always excited to see a staged performance captured on DVD. I hope more and more will be forthcoming. Therefore I am loath to say anything negative about any such offering. However, I didn't particularly care for Company. Let me be clear, it is not the production itself but the source material I did not enjoy.
This production is my first experience with Company. I just did not enjoy Sondheim's score or the story. It was all pretty depressing and glum. The point of view felt rather cynical and jaded. I couldn't identify or recognize anything desirable in the characters or relationships. Some of the dialogue had a very dated feel (though expected in a musical from 1970, it was not enjoyed). It felt bound to a time and place - not one filled with wonder and excitement, but one that I am glad has been left behind. One I have no joy in visiting.
On the positive side, Raul Esparza did a wonderful job in the lead. He made the character endearing and likable enough. He is a very talented singer and actor (I loved him in the recording of Jonathan Larson's Tick... Tick...Boom!). The rest of the ensemble was also generally good. There were several humorous moments despite the general melancholy feel. The sparse staging and the actors doubling as instrumentalists took a bit of getting used to, but it was successful enough in the end. I will not go so far as to say it added to the production, but it was passable. I do wonder if such technique should be used if it does not truly enhance the material, though. Doesn't one wish to see the best staging possible? I am not sure this is it.
If you like Company or are a raging fan of Sondheim, I would highly recommend you check out this production. The talented cast and innovative staging just couldn't overcome the material itself for me. Certainly that is a matter of taste.
Broadway Live On Stage October 3, 2008
I loved Company when I saw it on Broadway, but the concept, with the actors working with musical instruments in hand during the performance, was distracting and took away from the show. But here, with the camera able focus on individual players, one at a time, it works. It works better than it did on Stage. Raul Esparza is terrific throughout, and the Sondheim score is, at turns, beautiful, funny and relevant throughout.
This is a real triumph and a real gift from PBS.
 Sondheim's finest September 29, 2008
Sondheim's finest musical has finally been recorded for posterity and this production by PBS is excellent. A number of camera angles provide a brilliant capture of the performance and give a feeling that almost surpasses sitting in the Ethel Barrymore theatre itself. The sound and picture quality are spot on and the only disappointing element (causing the loss of a star) is the lack of Extras. They amount to two poorly filmed interviews with confident star Raul Esparza and director John Doyle; and the surprising inclusion of an interview conducted with Sondheim by Jonathan Biggins for Foxtel and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation when he attended the opening of Kookaburra musical theatre's 2007 production of Company - which was far inferior to the main feature of this DVD and performed in the standard manner (i.e. without the actors also playing the instruments). Where are the 'backstage' extras - e.g. filming the cast in preparation in their dressing rooms, or any rehearsal footage? The path to putting this version on stage would have involved some interesting rehearsal processes to get the staging right with the inclusion of the instruments - a feature on this aspect would have been eagerly welcomed.
But never mind that, the performances captured here are magical and might I even say that this is the definitive version of Company? If it's not, it's darn close. You won't regret purchasing this title.
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