Original Cast Album: Company, the 1970 feature that followed the 18-hour recording session for the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, will serve as inspiration for an upcoming episode of IFC’s Documentary Now!
The episode, titled Original Cast Album: Co-Op, will premiere in 2019 as part of the series’ upcoming third season, which, as previously reported, will also include an episode featuring Oscar winner and Tony nominee Cate Blanchett and inspired by Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present.
Starring in the mockumentary are John Mulaney (Big Mouth, Broadway’s Oh, Hello), Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live, Hamilton), and James Urbaniak (Difficult People) as three producers overseeing the recording of the cast album of the (fictional) musical Co-Op. Hamilton Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony nominee Alex Brightman (School of Rock), Richard Kind (Red Oaks), and Paula Pell (A.P. Bio) will play the show’s stars.
The episode will also feature original songs composed by Eli Bolin (Found); Mike Pettry (The Light Princess) serves as orchestrator.
The original film offered a look into the trials and tribulations of preserving Sondheim’s intricate score during a prolonged recording session. Documentary Now! viewers may recognize traits of certain artists in the parody, including Dean Jones, Elaine Stritch, and Sondheim himself.
Documentary Now! is co-created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas and hosted by Helen Mirren. The series premiered in 2015 with a riff on another documentary with Broadway musical ties: Grey Gardens.
