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 enlarge | Creators: Stephen Sondheim, Raul Esparza, Barbara Walsh, Keith Buterbaugh, Matt Castle, Robert Cunningham, Angel Desai, Kelly Jeanne Grant, Kristin Huffman, Amy Justman
Label: Nonesuch
Category: Music
List Price: $20.98
Buy New: $13.41
You Save: $7.57 (36%)
New (22) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $9.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 5762
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.7
MPN: 106876
UPC: 075597999136
EAN: 0075597999136
ASIN: B000LV6R4G
Release Date: February 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: All products brand new and factory sealed.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Super May 30, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a super recording of one of my least favorite musicals (perhaps because shows that come close to real-life issues are much less entertaining than, say, The Wedding Singer). Raul Esparza is wonderful in the lead, and every cast member is highly talented. There are a few new songs in this production, and the recording is sparkling clear. A must have for any Broadway collection.
Sondheim at His Most Accessible with Esparza a Standout in a Sparkling Update May 16, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I'm probably fortunate not to have the vivid memory of the classic 1970 cast recording swimming through my head as I can listen to this sparkling update with comparatively fresh ears. Several songs here have been inescapable at karaoke bars for years from the lips of overly zealous musical theater aficionados, yet staged like a minimalist cabaret act, John Doyle's joyous 2006 Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical has brought new life to the oft-resuscitated show. I saw the show this past weekend at the Barrymore Theater and was unexpectedly enthralled, and luckily, this crisp recording gratefully captures most of it for posterity. For a canon as legendary and often erratic as his, Sondheim's sophisticated music and lyrics never seemed as accessible and hummable as they do here.
The story is blessedly simple as it revolves around Bobby, a perennial 35-year old bachelor with commitment issues, as he observes his circle of upscale Manhattanite friends, primarily five married couples at different stages in various vignettes that make him reconsider what he wants out of life. There is an element of contrivance to the structure, but what I thought would be Furth's severely dated libretto continues to resonate with wit and insight. Moreover, the most daring move of the stage production, having the actors play their own musical instruments, is not even relevant on the recording since the accompaniment sounds seamless. So much of the show rides on the crucial casting of Bobby, and Raul Esparza superbly manages the precarious balance between yearning romantic and cynical hedonist. With a beautifully expressive singing voice coupled with a common-guy demeanor, he captures the character's arc with an escalating emotional intensity from the measured romanticism of "Someone Is Waiting" to the tender tentativeness of "Marry Me a Little" (with the beautiful, Sondheim-trademarked rolling piano) to the bursting climactic catharsis of "Being Alive".
The rest of the cast accomplish some wonderful moments that already come with high expectations - Heather Laws dexterously motors her way through "Getting Married Today" with her character's nerve-wracking intensity intact; Elizabeth Stanley brings a likeable warmth to the dim-bulb flight attendant April as she duets sweetly with Esparza on the comically post-coital "Barcelona"; the poignant "Sorry - Grateful" performed by the comparatively less spotlighted male ensemble; and of course, there are the lacerating observations in "The Ladies Who Lunch", handled with fierce worldliness by Barbara Walsh as Joanne (her repeated primal screams at the end pierce with wounding acuity). My one minor complaint about the recording is the fluctuating volume control especially evident during the showstoppers. However, I can heartily recommend this CD to hear Sondheim's brilliance in full bloom, much of Furth's sharp book and a star-making vocal turn by Esparza.
Exciting Interpretation May 13, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Company does not lack for good to great recordings to line your shelves. I have all the Company recordings that have been released commercially and up to now the Original Broadway has always held pride of place but it is now threatened by this innovative new recording. Raul Esparza's Bobby is so breathtaking that any other reservation about this interpretation is blown aside. "Being Alive" is the testing piece for any singer but listen closely to this interpretation as Esparza puts a different tone into each repeat of "being alive" adding depth and emotion as the song unwraps. To my mind this is the definitive interpretation. The musical arrangements can at times startle the listener who is used to the previous interpretations, particularly the origninal but this new version brings new humour and lightness and is a real joy to add it to the Sondheim collection.
Excellent retelling and Raul is perfect May 12, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Marry me a little is the best interpretation I have heard - just brilliant - worth buying just for this.
Company May 7, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent production values characterize this latest Sondheim CD. Vocals and instrumentals came through with remarkable clarity so that the words could be understood and none of the Sondheim wit was lost.
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