Sondheim Saturday : Side by Side from Company

The Master himself

Every Saturday I'll feature the genius of musical heater Steven Sondheim. For our first edition here is "Side by Side" the opening song from the 2nd act from 1971 masterpiece "Company". It won the Tony for Best Musical and was revived several times including most recently an acclaimed production in 2006.

Adrian Lester as Bobby

This version of the song is from 1996 Donmar Theater production in London staged by Sam Mendes. It features the first Bobby of color, Adrian Lester. At the time it was both hailed and reviled as a "modern" interpretation. Not for casting a black man but for the other florishes that Mendes added. It doesn't look so revolutionary 17 years later but still works. Unfortunately I could not embed so head over to youtube to watch. It's very good.

What is your favorite production of Company? Tell all in the comments.