{"product_id":"25799-sondheim-stephen-what-would-we-do-without-you-company-autograph-signed-lyrics-manuscript","title":"Sondheim, Stephen. (1930–2021) \"What Would We Do Without You?\" [\"Company\"] - Autograph Signed Lyrics Manuscript","description":"\u003cp\u003eAutograph manuscript, being a modified set of twelve lines of lyrics from the groundbreaking 1970 musical, \u003cem\u003eCompany\u003c\/em\u003e.  In pencil, one page, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eon ruled paper, \u003c\/span\u003eneatly written out in block letters by the composer and signed at the conclusion \"Steve Sondheim \/ March 4, 1973.\" Block of toning, tape remnants to edges, else fine. 7 x 7.25 inches; 17.8 x 18.5 cm. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat would we do without you?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow would we ever get through?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWho would I complain to for hours?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWho'd bring all the flowers\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen I have the flu?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eWho changes subjects on cue?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWho cheers us up when we're blue? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eWho is so dear and who is so deep?\u003cbr\u003eAnd who would keep me occupied \u003cbr\u003ewhen I want to sleep?\u003cbr\u003eWhat would we do without you?\u003cbr\u003eJust what you usually do!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile the first five lines of the present manuscript correspond to the final published version of the song, we then find jumbled lines from different verses: lines 6 and 7 and 12 here are from final version Verse 6, while our lines 8-11 are from final version Verse 2. The final line \"Just what you usually do\" is also inscribed in the left margin, \"SS,\" likely a reference to the composer himself. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRare. While, short autograph musical quotations and typed letters from the composer appear with some regularity on the market, we have located no examples of autograph lyrics having ever appeared in the trade or at auction. Of further rarity, the present manuscript is dated only a few years after the first production of \u003cem\u003eCompany\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCompan\u003c\/em\u003ey is about a single man, his married friends, and several girlfriends. Robert wrestles with relationships and commitment and the show’s title has multiple facets, all important to appreciating its complexity. In Act II, it’s (still) Robert’s birthday, and (again) he blows out most of the candles, still not making a wish, and the wives finish the task for him. He reflects on being the odd man out, and the couples sing about togetherness (“Side by Side by Side”) and celebrate their friendship with him (“What Would We Do Without You?”), although the answer is “just what you usually do.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA musical comedy based on a book by George Furth with music and lyrics by Sondheim, the original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six. A concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, \u003cem\u003eCompany \u003c\/em\u003ewas among the first musicals to deal with adult themes and relationships. As Sondheim puts it, \"Broadway theater has been for many years supported by upper-middle-class people with upper-middle-class problems. These people really want to escape that world when they go to the theatre, and then here we are with \u003cem\u003eCompany\u003c\/em\u003e talking about how we're going to bring it right back in their faces.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62776215371935,"sku":"25799","price":10000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/4826\/7423\/files\/SondheimAS257991.jpg?v=1776537182","url":"https:\/\/www.schubertiademusic.com\/products\/25799-sondheim-stephen-what-would-we-do-without-you-company-autograph-signed-lyrics-manuscript","provider":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}