Elaine Strich and I were friends from when we worked together in Noel Coward's "Sail Away". I was typecast as one of the obnoxious children in the show and by the time we closed, she had become "Aunt Elaine" and I "Kiddo". When I returned to performing in 1996 after retiring from the Army, I asked her about all the times people asked her to do "Ladies Who Lunch" and she said first "When Stephen Sondheim writes you a F**king song, you sing the F**king song!" - and then she said "Never forget - someone in the audience hasn't heard it yet." Whenever I am asked to sing a song that I have sung many, many times, I always remember what she said - and then I sing the song.
If you hire great actors to do the singing, instead of great voices to do the acting, you have little to lose twenty years later in a reunion concert, and a hell of a lot to gain through the experience of performing in character. These guys know what they are doing.
i was there. first time ive ever seen footage from this! seating in the row right in front of me were hal prince and patti lupone. in the next row right in front of me was stephen sondheim. what a night that was.
What a great piece of IMPORTANT footage this is. It is so wonderful to have this record of the original cast. We see how brilliantly Harold Prince cast his shows. Unfortunately, I saw the show after Dean Jones completed his very brief run - and experiencing the depth of his performance here shows those of us who didn't see him what we missed. What magic this night must have been. I hope that, somehow, we will all get to experience the entire performance. How I'd love to see SIDE BY SIDE.
You have hit on something I've long maintained and never been able to fully explain to others who weren't there: Prince's casting was inspired, so much so that most of the actors I've seen in revivals of his shows simply couldn't touch the originals. Performers who did not go on to star careers in musicals (say Pamela Myers and Terri Ralston in "Company," or Ann Morrison in "Merrily") were inexpressively perfect in their roles. I have seen one or two other fine Desirees, but Glynis Johns still owns the part. And then there are the original "Follies" leads, one of the main reasons why "Follies" revivals always come up short to some degree.
I can NEVER get enough of Tick Tock. Donna is a GODDESS throughout that entire number. I wish there were more recordings of performances of the song on youtube. It's my favorite song in the whole show and I hate that it usually gets cut out
I cannot thank you enough for this posting! Company was the very first LPs i ever bought,from my hippie neighbors yard sale. Everyone's voice facinated me.It felt like some kind of fantasy to me. Beautiful acting! storytelling!
This is incredible. I had no idea this footage existed until 40 minutes ago. Pamela Myers sings "Another Hundred People" better than anyone has since. And Dean Jones' "Being Alive" is a revelation. I've heard him on the OBC and seen the making of the cast album documentary, but he's so much better here. He understands this lyric better than any other Bobby I've heard.
This is terrific. Thank you so much for posting it. Wonderful to see that they were able to get Dean Jones for this, since he didn't stay in the original production very long. His replacement, Larry Kert, had died before this event.
His rendition of ‘Being Alive’ on the Pennebaker documentary of the Original Cast Album of COMPANY (when he was in his prime), is the greatest performance of any song ever in my opinion.
I saw the original cast in Boston before it hit NYC and later with Larry Kurt replacing Dean Jones (preferred the former) and then much later with Vivian Blaine as Joanne. The original cast was brilliant and they still were at this anniversary. Thanks for posting this!!!
Wow! Thanks so much! I admit to favorites: always loved Beth Howland (she just always will be my Amy) & what chemistry between Dean Jones & Susan Browning with another of my favorite songs from the show....All these performers are outstanding!!!!!!!! What a jewel you've shared with us! Thanks again. :)
The Pennebaker/Hegedus documentary of the Original Cast Recording of Company is on RUclips now. It is a must see for anyone who loves Sondheim or just loves the creative process.
elizabeth stanley is my favorite april, really the only april i've ever seen do all the scenes, but susan browning's voice is just... wow! what a talent. and of course the incredible elaine stritch is always astounding. donna mckechnie! what a dancer, i could only hope to compare to her one day. teri ralston - ...just wow. her technique is insane.
I knew of Dean Jones from Disney movies. Had no idea he could do this. I'm so glad he got to reprise it 20 years after his one month run on Broadway. He was stunning.
I got to see Crawford in Phantom. A true highlight. I wanted to see Dean Jones in Company SOOOOO badly. I am delighted to no end that I stumbled across this. It's as close to heaven as I'll ever get. Thanks spiderwoman!!
Loved this reunion. Recently purchased the Original London Cast of this show, which had all the originals but with Larry Kert for Dean Jones, who may have taken ill and Larry who was the second, the understudy took over, fairly soon after Company opened. The record company used the same OBC recording but deleted Jone's track and Larry sang as they punched it in. Larry Kert is by far an incredible singer and this version of Company released a few months after the original is worth owning. Larry Kert is the only cast replacement to be nominated for a Tony Award; he replaced Dean Jones shortly after Company opened in 1970.
What a surprise to see this clip! Is there more available? I was there that night. I've often told people it was one of the rare show nights you could feel the excitement/electricity in the air. Afterwards there was a VIP party at L Opera on Pine, what fun we had with Elaine and Dixie Carter at the party. A night to remember.
Nobody has mentioned Beth Howland. She has arguably the most difficult job on this stage to recreate 'Not Getting Married at the original tempo. The breath control, phrasing and enunciation required are without parallel in the annuls of Musical theater. Its got to be lot more difficult at an older age to fill those lungs and release them of just enough air to be heard and still sustain the extended line, than it was in her twenties. But she tries valiantly.
I love seeing Tick Tock performed by the one and only Donna! By any chance, does anyone know if she performed the original choreography from the 1970’s?
Shortly after opening night, Jones withdrew from the show, reportedly due to illness, but actually due to his belief that the show was too nihilistic, spurred on from his ongoing divorce proceedings. Larry Kert was in the role the Broadway run and then the West End London run. He would not have been in this reunion as he passed in 1991. BTW before Dean Jones took the role, Anthony Perkins ( Pscyho) was to play Robert, but he left to direct a play.
I found an unopened mint condition vinyl record album of Company London Cast. It is the same OBC recording except Jones' vocal track was eliminated and and a new one was substituted by Larry Kert the understudy to Jones originally. This recording is superior i.m.h.o. because of singing done by Larry Kert. BTW if you can find the re-released version of Scorcese's "New York, New York," a vocal duet number " Happy Endings" with Larry Kent and Liza Minelli was added back.
Elaine Strich and I were friends from when we worked together in Noel Coward's "Sail Away". I was typecast as one of the obnoxious children in the show and by the time we closed, she had become "Aunt Elaine" and I "Kiddo".
When I returned to performing in 1996 after retiring from the Army, I asked her about all the times people asked her to do "Ladies Who Lunch" and she said first "When Stephen Sondheim writes you a F**king song, you sing the F**king song!" - and then she said "Never forget - someone in the audience hasn't heard it yet."
Whenever I am asked to sing a song that I have sung many, many times, I always remember what she said - and then I sing the song.
Wow I love this! What an awesome experience/memory thanks for sharing.
If you hire great actors to do the singing, instead of great voices to do the acting, you have little to lose twenty years later in a reunion concert, and a hell of a lot to gain through the experience of performing in character. These guys know what they are doing.
timestamps
3:30 - "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"
6:18 - "Someone is Waiting"
9:10 - "Another Hundred People"
11:58 - "Getting Married Today"'
16:29 - "Poor Baby"
19:39 - "Tick-Tock"
23:08 - "Barcelona"
26:40 - "The Ladies Who Lunch"
31:38 - "Being Alive"
i was there. first time ive ever seen footage from this! seating in the row right in front of me were hal prince and patti lupone. in the next row right in front of me was stephen sondheim. what a night that was.
WOW Tom!
What a great piece of IMPORTANT footage this is. It is so wonderful to have this record of the original cast. We see how brilliantly Harold Prince cast his shows. Unfortunately, I saw the show after Dean Jones completed his very brief run - and experiencing the depth of his performance here shows those of us who didn't see him what we missed. What magic this night must have been. I hope that, somehow, we will all get to experience the entire performance. How I'd love to see SIDE BY SIDE.
You have hit on something I've long maintained and never been able to fully explain to others who weren't there: Prince's casting was inspired, so much so that most of the actors I've seen in revivals of his shows simply couldn't touch the originals. Performers who did not go on to star careers in musicals (say Pamela Myers and Terri Ralston in "Company," or Ann Morrison in "Merrily") were inexpressively perfect in their roles. I have seen one or two other fine Desirees, but Glynis Johns still owns the part. And then there are the original "Follies" leads, one of the main reasons why "Follies" revivals always come up short to some degree.
Saw it in 70 and the whole thing is still fresh and new. Cove it always. I’m tearing up. Thank our stars. What a creation.
The 36 minutes of this is INVALUABLE!!! Thank you for sharing!
OMG THIS IS AMAZING! I saw first LA tour of Company, 1971 with George Chakiris. Changed my life. Forever. OMG. Thank you for posting!!
I can NEVER get enough of Tick Tock. Donna is a GODDESS throughout that entire number. I wish there were more recordings of performances of the song on youtube. It's my favorite song in the whole show and I hate that it usually gets cut out
She was popping the head. Zach disapproves. 😂 (I’m kidding. If you know, you know.)
Literally "stumbled" across this........OMG!!!! Have worn out the records/CD's, etc.....Elaine Stritch...no matter the age - - - - SUPERB!
Have you recovered and healed from your literal stumble??
I cannot thank you enough for this posting! Company was the very first LPs i ever bought,from my hippie neighbors yard sale. Everyone's voice facinated me.It felt like some kind of fantasy to me. Beautiful acting! storytelling!
The poor conductor trying to keep the beat with Elaine Stritch HAHAHAHAHA MAGIC I love her.
Top notch orchestra.
They can catch a vocalist who strays from the arrangement!
That was amazing he caught her!
This is incredible. I had no idea this footage existed until 40 minutes ago. Pamela Myers sings "Another Hundred People" better than anyone has since. And Dean Jones' "Being Alive" is a revelation. I've heard him on the OBC and seen the making of the cast album documentary, but he's so much better here. He understands this lyric better than any other Bobby I've heard.
This is terrific. Thank you so much for posting it. Wonderful to see that they were able to get Dean Jones for this, since he didn't stay in the original production very long. His replacement, Larry Kert, had died before this event.
RIP Dean Jones. What a superb talent!
His rendition of ‘Being Alive’ on the Pennebaker documentary of the Original Cast Album of COMPANY (when he was in his prime), is the greatest performance of any song ever in my opinion.
Dean was Very Underrated.
WOW... they're all still wonderful. But...Donna McKechnie and her solo dance, "Tick Tock" - and she was 52 doing this concert. WOW.
I saw the original cast in Boston before it hit NYC and later with Larry Kurt replacing Dean Jones (preferred the former) and then much later with Vivian Blaine as Joanne. The original cast was brilliant and they still were at this anniversary. Thanks for posting this!!!
Saw it in 1970. With all of them. Nothing like it in the theater. Memorable beyond words.
You lucky, lucky man.
Wow! Thanks so much! I admit to favorites: always loved Beth Howland (she just always will be my Amy) & what chemistry between Dean Jones & Susan Browning with another of my favorite songs from the show....All these performers are outstanding!!!!!!!! What a jewel you've shared with us! Thanks again. :)
The best and only cast as far as I am concerned. I saw this show more times then I would like to admit. I was so lucky.
Fully agree about this original cast, and also saw the original production many times.
@@auroraspiderwoman5886 So you saw this with the great Larry Kert, as Dean left after opening night. His voice in incredible. He was a really singer
Wow! Where has this been? Donna McKechnie dancing in this was the most delicious surprise.
Yes. Very reminiscent of her dance in A Chorus Line.
The Pennebaker/Hegedus documentary of the Original Cast Recording of Company is on RUclips now. It is a must see for anyone who loves Sondheim or just loves the creative process.
elizabeth stanley is my favorite april, really the only april i've ever seen do all the scenes, but susan browning's voice is just... wow! what a talent. and of course the incredible elaine stritch is always astounding. donna mckechnie! what a dancer, i could only hope to compare to her one day. teri ralston - ...just wow. her technique is insane.
So great to see them all again! Their bodies changed. But wow those voices. Yes their chemistries... Love it. Thank you!
I knew of Dean Jones from Disney movies. Had no idea he could do this. I'm so glad he got to reprise it 20 years after his one month run on Broadway. He was stunning.
Thank you.💕💕💕
This is the first time I’ve seen Dean jones and I’m beyond impressed by his acting
Wow! Thank you!
I got to see Crawford in Phantom. A true highlight. I wanted to see Dean Jones in Company SOOOOO badly. I am delighted to no end that I stumbled across this. It's as close to heaven as I'll ever get. Thanks spiderwoman!!
So glad you found this and enjoyed---Dean Jones was wonderful in "Company" in 1970 and again in "Company" '93.
I love watching Susan Browning go through the beats of “Barcelona”
Susan was Gorgeous in 1970. RIP
'you will recognize the host" !! thank you for the laugh :)
The camera trying to keep up in Poor Baby was hilarious.
Ravencroft77 I thought I was going to puke🤢🤢🤢
17:20 for anyone searching for that part lol
the ladies who lunch is the gem of this show, always liked it better than being alive.
Another wonderful gem 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Loved this reunion. Recently purchased the Original London Cast of this show, which had all the originals but with Larry Kert for Dean Jones, who may have taken ill and Larry who was the second, the understudy took over, fairly soon after Company opened. The record company used the same OBC recording but deleted Jone's track and Larry sang as they punched it in. Larry Kert is by far an incredible singer and this version of Company released a few months after the original is worth owning. Larry Kert is the only cast replacement to be nominated for a Tony Award; he replaced Dean Jones shortly after Company opened in 1970.
Larry Kert, TONY Award- (regretfully Dean Jones departed cast/show early) - deserved his award. KERT was vocally terrific…!
I wanna see them perform at their prime so badly...
It is one of the great tragedies of 20th century art and technology that this staging is barely available in its original form.
Agreed. At least we can see them sing in the video recording of the cast album.
Great!!!
Glad you like it!
Donna ages the best... She looks and sound amazing!
no such thing as any of them ageing better than any other - they're all doing them and look great in which ever way they now look x
What a surprise to see this clip! Is there more available?
I was there that night. I've often told people it was one of the rare show nights you could feel the excitement/electricity in the air. Afterwards there was a VIP party at L Opera on Pine, what fun we had with Elaine and Dixie Carter at the party. A night to remember.
Interesting---Elaine and Dixie had previously worked together in a Long Beach "Pal Joey," and Elaine sat behind me at Dixie's "Master Class" opening.
Thank you!!!1
Nobody has mentioned Beth Howland. She has arguably the most difficult job on this stage to recreate 'Not Getting Married at the original tempo. The breath control, phrasing and enunciation required are without parallel in the annuls of Musical theater. Its got to be lot more difficult at an older age to fill those lungs and release them of just enough air to be heard and still sustain the extended line, than it was in her twenties. But she tries valiantly.
I love seeing Tick Tock performed by the one and only Donna! By any chance, does anyone know if she performed the original choreography from the 1970’s?
A treasure!
where can i buy the dvd?
Shortly after opening night, Jones withdrew from the show, reportedly due to illness, but actually due to his belief that the show was too nihilistic, spurred on from his ongoing divorce proceedings. Larry Kert was in the role the Broadway run and then the West End London run. He would not have been in this reunion as he passed in 1991. BTW before Dean Jones took the role, Anthony Perkins ( Pscyho) was to play Robert, but he left to direct a play.
Very interesting information. I thought I had heard that it was more than illness that caused Jones' withdrawal but didn't know the details. Thanks.
Divorce from his wife 😊
Tony Perkins would have been a GREAT Bobby.
Can you please post the HQ recording of have I got a girl for you? It’s really hard to hear Merle in the reprise, in the bootleg versions
Excellent addition Spiderwoman!!!
Thanks, Christoper!
I found an unopened mint condition vinyl record album of Company London Cast. It is the same OBC recording except Jones' vocal track was eliminated and and a new one was substituted by Larry Kert the understudy to Jones originally. This recording is superior i.m.h.o. because of singing done by Larry Kert. BTW if you can find the re-released version of Scorcese's "New York, New York," a vocal duet number " Happy Endings" with Larry Kent and Liza Minelli was added back.
Is there footage of the NY concert? Is it available anywhere?
Here's a bit of pro-shot: ruclips.net/video/rGM73HUliL4/видео.html
La Stritch is a bit rusty and nervous. But still wonderful.
why no listing of the names of he performers????