Kirkeby, Marc (released April 1971). Like you have Linda Lavin singing "Broadway Baby," and you have Elaine Paige bringing down the house singing "I'm Still Here," and Regine bringing all her history. The Complete Follies Collection puiblished by Hal Leonard publishers>. The majority of the Broadway cast reprised their roles, with the exception of Bernadette Peters, who had prior concert commitments and was replaced by Victoria Clark in the role of Sally, a role she has previously played in New York. The younger Ben and Buddy softly call to their "girls upstairs", and the Follies end. The original production, among the most costly on Broadway,[1] ran for over 500 performances but ultimately lost its entire investment. Bennett also reprised her Olivier-nominated performance. "[113], Walter Kerr wrote in The New York Times about the original production: "Follies is intermissionless and exhausting, an extravaganza that becomes so tedious because its extravaganzas have nothing to do with its pebble of a plot. OTHER GUESTS and PERFORMERS, STAGE MANAGER, "[14] "Follies contains two scores: the Follies pastiche numbers and the book numbers. Buddy and Phyllis join their spouses and the foursome reminisces about the old days of their courtship and the theater, their memories vividly coming to life in the apparitions of their young counterparts ("Waiting For The Girls Upstairs"). With the endless variety of Stephen Sondheims score, a loving and brilliant pastiche of show music from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and the time-travel trickery of James Goldmans book, Follies is a glamorous and fascinating peek into a bygone era, and a clear-eyed look at the transformation of relationships over time. At first too weary to stand, and wearing clunky spectacles, she is incongruously dowdy - comic and poignant. Chapin relates that "there was one song that Dick Jones [producer of the cast album] didn't want to include on the album but which Steve Sondheim most definitely did. Do again. It's so hard to put into words. It could be. To extend the show, it would have been necessary to negotiate new contracts with the entire company because of the Belasco's limited seating, it wasn't deemed financially feasible to do so. (Soundbite of song, "A Little Night Music"). (1965), for which he had written the lyrics to Richard Rodgers's music, Sondheim decided that he would henceforth work only on projects where he could write both the music and lyrics himself. big-shots from the UN. [77], New York City Center's Encores! He tells Sally that he's done, but she is lost in a fantasy world and tells him that Ben has asked her to marry him. hours after the show Waiting for the Girls Upstairs in Two new additions to the cast, Jayne Houdyshell and Mary Beth Peil, are terrific. You know, I'll do it for, like, at least a year and then beyond that. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [103], The production returned to the Olivier Theatre on February 14, 2019, playing until May 11. Former Weismann performers at the reunion include Max and Stella Deems, who lost their radio jobs and became store owners in Miami; Solange La Fitte, a coquette, who is vibrant and flirtatious even at 66; Hattie Walker, who has outlived five younger husbands; Vincent and Vanessa, former dancers who now own an Arthur Murray franchise; Heidi Schiller, for whom Franz Lehr once wrote a waltz ("or was it Oscar Straus?" And this is a very interesting character, probably unlike any other character I've ever played really. "[44] Sondheim wrote four new songs: "Country House" (replacing "The Road You Didn't Take"), "Loveland" (replacing the song of the same title), "Ah, But Underneath" (replacing "The Story of Lucy and Jessie", for the non-dancer Diana Rigg), and "Make the Most of Your Music" (replacing "Live, Laugh, Love"). "[17], "Loveland", the final musical sequence, (that "consumed the last half-hour of the original" production[18]) is akin to an imaginary 1941 Ziegfeld Follies sequence, with Sally, Phyllis, Ben and Buddy performing "like comics and torch singers from a Broadway of yore. Sally thinks this is a sign that the two will finally get married, and Ben is about to protest until Sally interrupts him with a kiss and runs off to gather her things, thinking that the two will leave together. "[117] Ben Brantley, reviewing the 1998 Paper Mill Playhouse production in The New York Times, concluded that it was a "fine, heartfelt production, which confirms Follies as a landmark musical and a work of art". The 2017 production was nominated for 10 Laurence Olivier Awards and won 2 for Best Musical Revival and Best Costume Design (by Vicki Mortimer). "Could I Leave You?" - Phyllis. The director and choreographer was Casey Nicholaw. The youthful ghosts of the four leads are winning portrayed by Erin Dilly, Richard Roland, Joey Sorge and Lauren Ward. [50][51], A production also ran from March to April 1995 at the Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas, and in April to May 1995 at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle with Constance Towers (Phyllis), Judy Kaye (Sally), Edie Adams, Denise Darcel, Virginia Mayo, Maxene Andrews (Hattie), and Karen Morrow (Carlotta). wife, kids - and a mistress. "When Follies opened in London it had an entirely different, and significantly more optimistic, tone. Ms. PETERS: Wow. Facts never interest her; what matters is the song! Finally, Weismann enters to greet his guests. I'm Scott Simon. Directed by Matthew Warchus with choreography by Kathleen Marshall, it starred Blythe Danner (Phyllis), Judith Ivey (Sally), Treat Williams (Buddy), Gregory Harrison (Ben), Marge Champion, Polly Bergen (Carlotta), Joan Roberts (Laurey from the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! seems to be seeping into the present. 66. he is at everything - but his song gradually starts to go wrong. In the London production the characters come to understand each other." It was Prince who changed the title to Follies; he was "intrigued by the psychology of a reunion of old chorus dancers and loved the play on the word 'follies'".[2]. "[123] The recording of the 2011 revival was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Musical Theater Album category. Ms. PETERS: I don't know. [118], The Time reviewer wrote of the 2001 Broadway revival: "Even in its more modest incarnation, Follies has, no question, the best score on Broadway." Note: This is the song list from the original Broadway production in 1971. Ben tells Sally Yet he and Warren Carlyle just as clearly revel in the richness of the knowing pastiche songs with which Mr. Sondheim evokes the popular music of the prerock era. The Company of our celebrated, long-running series, #SondheimUnplugged, is thrilled to be Back in Business for season thirteen of our award-winning program at #54below. "[45] In The New York Times, the critic Francis X. Clines wrote: "The initial critics' reviews ranged from unqualified raves to some doubts whether the reworked book of James Goldman is up to the inventiveness of Sondheim's songs. Variety singer and performer Joan Savage sang "Broadway Baby". "Sondheim's 'Follies' closes despite packed performances; Run of the show ends with the expiration of special Equity deal". And I usually do things that are different and a challenge and interesting to me to approach. "[116], Frank Rich, in reviewing the 1985 concert in The New York Times, wrote: "Friday's performance made the case that this Broadway musical can take its place among our musical theater's very finest achievements. During one night of romance and regret, two crumbling thirty-year-long marriages are put to the test. [26] By the time the 2011 Broadway revival opened, it was performed with an intermission in two acts. "[15] Some of the Follies numbers imitate the style of particular composers of the early 20th century: "Losing My Mind" is in the style of a George Gershwin ballad "The Man I Love". After previews from August 3, 2002, it opened officially on August 6, and closed on August 31, 2002. Sondheim, too, has added and removed songs that he judged to be problematic in various productions. He asked author and playwright James Goldman to join him as bookwriter for a new musical. as he looks back at a lifetime of lost opportunities (The The show closed on July 1, 1972, after 522 performances and 12 previews. [43] During the run, Eartha Kitt replaced Gray, sparking somewhat of a comeback (she went on to perform her own one-woman show at The Shaftesbury Theatre to sell-out houses for three weeks from March 18, 1989, after Follies closed). The coffee cup, I think about you. "Loveland" has dissolved back into the reality of the crumbling and half-demolished theater; dawn is approaching. with Live, Love, Laugh, singing of how clever and adept Recent episodes in T Greats The rest of the album consists of material from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, written by the . Not to say the show's not fun, the show has got lots of fun moments and it's haunting and it's gorgeous, because they've come back to this old theater and you notice ghostly, walking really slow, gorgeous showgirls. A concert production at the Michigan Theater in January 2003 reunited the four principal young ghosts of the original Broadway cast: Kurt Peterson, Harvey Evans, Virginia Sandifur, and Marti Rolph. Ben, goaded, starts to argue with Phyllis, and Loveland calls, luring them back to a playground of SIMON: All the featured roles you've played on Broadway, including several obviously noteworthy Sondheim roles, I mean: "Annie Oakley," Mama Rose in "Gypsy," Witch in "Into the Woods," where does Sally Durant Plummer fit in? Ms. Peters plays Sally Durant Plummer, a one-time showgirl who attends a bittersweet reunion with her fellow performers, in a cast that includes Elaine Paige, Linda Lavin, and Regine. SIMON: Is there a role you wish you could do over or do again? The cast starred Donna Murphy (Phyllis), Victoria Clark (Sally), Victor Garber (Ben) and Michael McGrath (Buddy). Whitman recall their sweetly naive duct, Rain on the Roof: The Who's fifth studio effort is an exhilarating rock 'n' roll masterpiece stacked with killer songs that made it a staple of '70s rock radio. [49], Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) was the first major American opera company to present Follies as part of their main stage repertoire, running from October 21, 1988, through November 6. And then as a teenager, I started singing soprano and I went, well, I can sing soprano. Dimitri Weismann's reunion; they'll have to find out whether anything's [121] The original cast album has always been controversial, because significant portions of the score were cut to fit onto one LP. I am happy to report that since then, Ms Peters has connected with her inner frump, Mr. Raines has found the brittle skeleton within his solid flesh, and Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Burstein have only improved. What follows is a series of musical numbers performed by the principal characters, each exploring their biggest desires. She shakes loose from the memory and begins to dance with Ben, who is touched by the memory of the Sally he once cast aside. It also highlights that the Follies were such an incredible mix of high art and low art. Having exorcised the ghosts of their pasts the two couples depart I like the run and I like to keep going deeper and deeper and see what I can learn and experience about life. After the failure of Do I Hear a Waltz? YOUNG PHYLLIS - A showgirl in the chorus of the final edition of CARLOTTA CAMPION - A resilient motion picture star, once a vamp, then Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! [31], Frank Rich, for many years the chief drama critic for The New York Times, had first garnered attention, while an undergraduate at Harvard University, with a lengthy essay for the Harvard Crimson about the show, which he had seen during its pre-Broadway run in Boston. "[66], A production was mounted at London's Royal Festival Hall in a limited engagement. She's crazy. This English-language production, using the full original orchestration, was directed by Olivier Bnzech and conducted by David Charles Abell. In this it reflects the age of Heidi Schiller, one of the more senior of the Follies girls. Phyllis kisses a waiter and confesses to him that she had always wanted a son. Whose Baby? "[21], According to Sondheim, producer Cameron Mackintosh asked for changes for the 1987 London production. HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. (Who's That Woman), shadowy wraiths of their younger selves 'Follies'. It starred Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), along with several veterans of the Broadway and vaudeville stage. his mind, all the past evening's traumatic experiences are regurgitated Ms. PETERS: Oh, it's my pleasure to be here again. waltzes. Don't Look At Me, Sally babbles This show recreated the original Broadway score.[58]. Ben denies this, but still wants Phyllis out of his life. Radiantly optimistic and more than a little sexy, they turned "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" into one of the highlights of the evening. ), Sondheim Unplugged features some of Broadway and cabarets most dynamic voices accompanied by piano only.Kelli Rabke is best known as Eponine in Les Miserables and the original Narrator in Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat.For more videos from 54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, subscribe here https://54Below.org/YouTubeView upcoming shows and purchase tickets on our website https://54Below.org/calendarFollow us on social media!Facebook https://54Below.org/FacebookInstagram https://54Below.org/InstagramTwitter https://54Below.org/TwitterTikTok https://54Below.org/TikTok "Follies' Restaged In London". Ms. PETERS: Oh, you know, what's great about it is that there's no comparison. At its best momentsand there are manyit is the most imaginative and original new musical that Broadway has seen in years. Ms. PETERS: When I did "Sunday in the Park with George." Rosemary Clooney says her present show at Rainbow & Stars will be her last. [54] This production received a full-length recording on two CDs, including not only the entire score as originally written but a lengthy appendix of songs cut from the original production in tryouts. WAITERS, WAITRESSES, PHOTOGRAPHERS, SHOWGIRLS, etc. he's spent Too Many Mornings dreaming of her. [92], The 2011 Broadway and Kennedy Center production transferred to the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, California, in a limited engagement, from May 3, 2012, through June 9. The production starred Bob Gunton (Ben), Warren Berlinger (Dimitri Weismann), Patty Duke (Phyllis), Vikki Carr (Sally), Harry Groener (Buddy), Carole Cook (Hattie), Carol Lawrence (Vanessa), Ken Page (Roscoe), Liz Torres (Stella), Amanda McBroom (Solange), Grover Dale (Vincent), Donna McKechnie (Carlotta), Carole Swarbrick (Christine), Stella Stevens (Dee Dee), Mary Jo Catlett (Emily), Justine Johnston (Heidi), Jean Louisa Kelly (Young Sally), Austin Miller (Young Buddy), Tia Riebling (Young Phyllis), Kevin Earley (Young Ben), Abby Feldman (Young Stella), Barbara Chiofalo (Young Heidi), Trevor Brackney (Young Vincent), Melissa Driscoll (Young Vanessa), Stephen Reed (Kevin), and Billy Barnes (Theodore). Bobby Vernon; Gloria Swanson; Jay Dwiggins; Martha Trick; Robert Milliken; Fritz Schade; Juanita Hansen; Sylvia Ashton; Helen Bray; Florence Clark; Phyllis Haver; William Irving; Edgar Kennedy; Myrtle Lind; Accuracy and availability may vary. the theatre is demolished to make way for a parking lot. the surviving players of his lavish pre-war Follies, from the silver overwhelming optimism, where skies are ever blue. Broadway impresario Dimitri Weismann arranges a reunion of the actors, singers, dancers, and personalities who peopled his famous Follies in the years between the World Wars, as a farewell tribute to the doomed building. "/", "Bolero d'Amour" Danced by Vincent and Vanessa , "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" / "Love Will See Us Through" Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy, "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" Buddy, "Margie", "Sally", "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" Phyllis and backup male dancers . Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording) Stephen Sondheim. that You're Gonna Love Tomorrow, and for young Sally and out his wife's name and we return sharply to reality. According to Variety, the production was a "total financial failure, with a cumulative loss of $792,000. Roscoe, the old master of ceremonies, introduces the former showgirls ("Beautiful Girls"). serenades those Beautiful Girls, the now-elderly ing6nues The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. A Broadway revival opened at the Belasco Theatre on April 5, 2001, and closed on July 14, 2001, after 117 performances and 32 previews. ; and Hattie proclaims again that she's, Copyright 2011 NPR. Hal Prince said: "Follies examines obsessive behavior, neurosis and self-indulgence more microscopically than anything I know of. He forget his lines, the tune, the dance steps and finally, in The production was directed by Eric Schaeffer, with choreography by Warren Carlyle, costumes by Gregg Barnes, set by Derek McLane and lighting by Natasha Katz. The MOT production starred Nancy Dussault (Sally), John-Charles Kelly (Buddy), Juliet Prowse (Phyllis) and Ron Raines (Ben), Edie Adams (Carlotta), Thelma Lee (Hattie), and Dennis Grimaldi (Vincent). "[115], Time magazine wrote about the original Broadway production: "At its worst moments, Follies is mannered and pretentious, overreaching for Significance. Tysons, VA, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. I had always was aware of his shows but I never thought I'd ever be in any of his shows. Produced at the Winter Garden, New York, 4 April 1971 with Alexis hunting land for lease in cherokee county, alabama, is snowglobe one word or two words,
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