This holy grail for both documentary and theatre aficionados offers a tantalizingly rare glimpse behind the Broadway curtain. In 1970, right after the triumphant premiere of the ground-breaking concept musical Company by Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story), the renowned composer, his director Harold Prince, the show’s stars, and a large pit orchestra all went into a Manhattan recording studio as part of a time-honoured Broadway tradition: the recording of the original cast album.
What ensued was a marathon session in which, with the pressures of posterity and the coolly exacting Sondheim’s perfectionism hanging over them, all involved pushed themselves to the limit—including theatre legend Elaine Stritch (30 Rock), who fought anxiety and exhaustion to record her iconic rendition of “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
With thrilling immediacy, legendary filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker (Dont Look Back) offers an up-close view of the larger-than-life personalities, frayed-nerve energy, and explosive creative intensity that go into capturing the magic of live performance.
Extras
New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by Chris Hegedus and Nate Pennebaker, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New audio commentary by composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director D. A. Pennebaker, actor Elaine Stritch, and Broadway producer Harold Prince
New conversation among Sondheim, orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, and critic Frank Rich
New interview with Tunick on the art of orchestrating, conducted by author Ted Chapin
Never-before-heard audio excerpts from interviews with Stritch and Prince, conducted by Pennebaker and Hegedus in 2000
“Original Cast Album: Co-Op,” a 2019 episode of the TV series Documentary Now! that parodies the film
Reunion of the cast and crew of “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” recorded in 2020, featuring director Alexander Buono; writer-actor John Mulaney; actors Rénee Elise Goldsberry, Richard Kind, Alex Brightman, and Paula Pell; and composer Eli Bolin
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
