"Happily Ever After" - Cut from 'Company'

(The audio starts at like 0:08)
This was the original ending to Furth's and Sondheim's masterpiece 'Company', but it was thought to be too negative for Robert to sing as the finale of the show, and Sondheim later took the lyrical ideas from this song and wrote one of his most famous songs; "Being Alive".

This audio is from the 'Marry Me A Little' OCR - A 1980 musical revue of Sondheim songs that he either wrote for 'Saturday Night' or cut from previous shows. The singer is Craig Lucas who helped conceived the show with Norman Rene who directed it.

Lyrics:
Someone to hold you too close
Someone to hurt you too deep
Someone to love you too hard
Happily ever after

Someone to need you too much
Someone to read you too well
Someone to bleed you of all
The things you don't want to tell
That's happily ever after,
Ever, ever, ever after
In hell

Somebody always there
Sitting in the chair
Where you want to sit
Always, always
Somebody always there
Wanting you to share
Just a little bit
Always, always

Then see the pretty girls
Smiling everywhere
From the ads and the TV sets
And why should you sweat?
What do you get?
One day of grateful,
For six of regret!

With
Someone to hold you too close
Someone to hurt you too deep
Someone to bore you to death
Happily ever after

Someone you have to know well
Someone you have to show how
Someone you have to allow
The things you'd never allow
That's happily ever after,
Ever, ever, ever after
'Til now


So quick!
Get a little car, take a little drive
Make a little love, see a little flick
Do a little work, take a little walk
Watch a little TV
And click!
Make a little love, do a little work
Get a little drunk,
You've got one little trip, seventy years
Spread it around!
Take your pick!
Buy a little here, spend a little there
Smoke a little pot for a little kick
Waste a little time, make a little love
Show a little feeling

But why should you try?
Why not, sure, feel a little lonely?
But fly! Why not fly!

With
No one to hold you too close
No one to hurt you too deep
No one to love you too hard
Happily ever after

No one you have to know well
No one you have to show how
No one you have to allow
The things you'd never allow
That's happily ever after
Ever, ever, ever after
For now

Ever, ever, ever after
Ever, ever, ever, ever after
Ever, ever, ever after

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• stephen
• sondheim
• george
• furth
• company
• happily
• ever
• after
• being
• alive
• marry
• me
• little
• craig
• lucas

[1037pm]

Anyone know where I can get a vocal score with piano?!

I want to use this for an audition for Sweeney Todd and I think I might do this (only thing I liked that wasn't from the show)

If you have suggestions thats good too!

[AtLastOnTheGround]

Search for sheet music to "Marry Me A Little" (the revue, not the song).

What part are you auditioning for?

[1037pm]

Sweeney :/

[AtLastOnTheGround]

I definitely wouldn't audition with this song -- It's too bright and high to show off your "Sweeney factor."

Check out "In Praise of Women" from another Sondheim show - 'A Little Night Music.'

[MUSICALANGIE]

Thank you for this! Recently got much interested in Company, as well as the cut songs. Isn't Craig Lucas the book writer of The Light in the Piazza? I like that show too.

[AtLastOnTheGround]

Yupp - He wrote the book for "Piazza".

And "Company" is SUCH a great show -- One of my favs.

[90lysander]

@monkeyroadkill7 To be strictly accurate, this was not intended as the finale either. The last song, yes; the finale, no. It was to be followed by a book scene in which Robert meets a girl in a park and finally connects with her. That was too long and it was cut. It was only then that Happily Ever After became the finale, and too much of a downer. There was always supposed to be an angry reaction to marriage followed by a gesture of openness. Being Alive is the better song and encompasses both.

[autopolydidact]

Brilliant writing! I wish this were the end, if only to see how the show plays out with it.

[monkeyroadkill7]

This ending is so much better. It fits with the rest of the show and the rest of Robert's character far more than "Being Alive" does.

Plus it reminds me SO much of Up In The Air.

[monkeyroadkill7]

@horerfandod3 Meh, not quite. "Marry Me a Little" was added as the ending to the first act, but it was never the finale of the show. "A Multitude of Amy's" was the first ending, until it was replaced by this, which was replaced after a few shows by "Being Alive."

[horerfandod3]

@AtLastOnTheGrond marry me a little eas the original ending to the show. this song was the secondand being alive is the third and chosen ending.

[horerfandod3]

its hard to believe that this was considered to be the ending. thank god they chose being alive

[pannicatack]

The sheet music is also available in "The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology Vol. 3, Baritone/Bass."

[barbwirejim]

thank you

[BOomeek]

Thank you so much for uploading this, it's a brilliant song!

[1037pm]

Alright, thank you !