: Directed by Rebecca Frayn. In the foreword to "Everything Was Possible", Frank Rich wrote: "From the start, critics have been divided about Follies, passionately pro or con but rarely on the fence Is it really a great musical, or merely the greatest of all cult musicals?" The cast included Anne Rogers, Jo Anne Worley and Philip Bosco. Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) If I stick it long enough, I can get to strut my stuff. ; later replaced by Marni Nixon), Larry Raiken (Roscoe) and an assortment of famous names from the past. [86] A two-disc cast album of this production was recorded by PS Classics and was released on November 29, 2011. between Buddy and his pal, Ben. "[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"). Sally and her younger self enter and Ben firmly tells Sally that he never loved her. SIMON: Bernadette Peters stars in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. through June 19th. As the ghosts of the young showgirls slowly drift through the theater, a majordomo enters with his entourage of waiters and waitresses. He creates what's necessary for the piece. When Sally sees Ben, her former lover, she greets him self-consciously ("Don't Look at Me"). Oh. inspired the operetta kings to produce their lushest They find that hard to do. Clines, Francis X. [83], Reviews were mixed, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times writing "It wasn't until the second act that I fell in love all over again with Follies". The musical was written in one act, and the original director, Prince, did not want an intermission, while the co-director, Bennett, wanted two acts. And then as a teenager, I started singing soprano and I went, well, I can sing soprano. The reason the final curtain came down Saturday was that being a production by the Roundabout Theatre Company a subscription-based 'not-for-profit' theater company it was presented under special Equity terms, with its actors paid a minimal fee. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies). Sally appears next, dressed as a torch singer, singing of her passion for Ben from the past - and her obsession with him now ("Losing My Mind"). With Andrew Lincoln, Sophie Okonedo, Esther Coles, Darren Tighe. Paul Kerryson directed, and the cast starred David Durham as Ben, Kathryn Evans as Sally, Louise Gold as Phyllis, Julia Goss as Heidi and Henry Goodman as Buddy. 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: He does that with notes and music. Upgrade to PRO "[114] On the other hand, Martin Gottfried wrote: "Follies is truly awesome and, if it is not consistently good, it is always great. Sondheim, Stephen and Goldman, James (2001). What is. [27] The 2017 National Theatre production is performed without an interval as well as largely returning to the 1971 book, James Goldmans widow no longer alive to insist on the revised script. Darkness Around the Spotlight", " 'Good Times and Bum Times': Broadway Revival of 'Follies' Exceeds Expectations, But Doesn't Recoup", "Victoria Clark Will Be Sally in L.A. Follies with Elaine Paige, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein, Ron Raines", "Review: 'Follies' is a source of heartache and razzmatazz", "Follies in Concert review stars align in Melbourne for rare and exhilarating night of Sondheim", "Follies in Concert review [Melbourne 2016]", "Imelda Staunton to Star in London Follies", "National Theatre Announces Additional Casting for Angels in America and Follies", "Full Casting Announced for Follies at National Theatre", "National Theatre Live to Broadcast Follies this November", "Follies cast recording released on Spotify and iTunes", "Follies in Concert - Melbourne Recital Centre", "Show Business: The Once and Future Follies", "Stage: Concert Version of 'Follies' Is a Reunion", "That Old Feeling III: The Ghosts of Broadway", "Review:'Follies':Oh, Those Sharp Stones in a Dance Down Memory Lane", "Grammy Nominees for Musical Album Include 'Nice Work', 'Once', 'Follies', 'Newsies' and 'Porgy and Bess'; Shaiman & Wittman, Too", "Follies to return to National Theatre and release cast recording", "Is a Follies Film With Meryl Streep in the Works? [81] The cast starred Bernadette Peters as Sally, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis, Elaine Paige as Carlotta, Linda Lavin as Hattie, Ron Raines as Ben and Danny Burstein as Buddy. Buddy then appears, dressed in "plaid baggy pants, garish jacket, and a shiny derby hat", and performs a high-energy vaudeville routine depicting how he is caught between his love for Sally and Margie's love for him[4] ("The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues"). kiss me, " Sally tells him, I think I'm going to die.". The Company of our. Follies Stage production February 20, 1971 Comments Sung by character "Hattie Walker" . He thinks she's very neurotic, and she is very neurotic, so he said to me 'Congratulations. Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) The sun comes up, I think about you. 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 . SIMON: And from the performer's point of view, what makes him a genius by such universal acclaim? out the inadequacies of their marriages. Directed by Michael Scott, the cast included Lorna Luft, Millicent Martin, Mary Millar, Dave Willetts, Trevor Jones Bryan Smyth, Alex Sharpe, Christine Scarry, Aidan Conway and Enda Markey. [82] Also featured were Rosalind Elias as Heidi, Rgine as Solange, Susan Watson as Emily, and Terri White as Stella. Prince made a mistake by giving the recording rights of Follies to Capitol Records, which in order to squeeze the unusually long score onto one disc, mutilated the songs by condensing some and omitting others. Follies By Rick Pender Follies original poster Follies, Sondheim's seventh Broadway production, began as The Girls Upstairs, a collaboration with bookwriter James Goldman about some young women in a Ziegfeld-like extravaganza and the stage-boy Johnnies who courted them. The score offers a pastiche of 1920s and 1930s musical styles, evoking a nostalgic tone. [127] Tony Award-winning playwright and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan has expressed interest in writing the adaptation. Sondheim's songs aren't parodies or deconstructions; they are evocations that recognize the power of a love song. However, it is clear that Sally is still in love with Ben even though their affair ended badly when Ben decided to marry Phyllis. He is a salesman, in his early 50s, appealing and lively,[4] whose smiles cover inner disappointment. [93][94] Other new cast members included Carol Neblett as Heidi, Sammy Williams as Theodore and Obba Babatunde as Max. He asked author and playwright James Goldman to join him as bookwriter for a new musical. Roscoe, the old master of ceremonies, introduces the former showgirls ("Beautiful Girls"). Radiantly optimistic and more than a little sexy, they turned "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" into one of the highlights of the evening. The cast recording of the 2011 Broadway revival, by PS Classics, was released officially on November 29, 2011, and was in pre-sale before the store release. Join the StageAgent community The principal cast included Kim Crosby (Sally), Leslie Denniston (Phyllis), Jeff McCarthy (Ben), Lara Teeter (Buddy), Joy Franz (Solange), Marni Nixon (Heidi), and Donna McKechnie (Carlotta). BUDDY PLUMMER - Ben's pal, now a prosperous realtor in Arizona, with He noted, though, that "I'm sorry the cast was reduced from 52 to 38, the orchestra from 26 players to 14 To appreciate the revival, you must buy into James Goldman's book, which is peddling a panoramically bleak take on marriage." Solange proves she is still fashionable at what she claims is 66 ("Ah, Paris! explains: "Today, Follies is rarely performed twice in exactly the same version. "[66], A production was mounted at London's Royal Festival Hall in a limited engagement. Were Still Here! Most songs were therefore heavily abridged and several were left entirely unrecorded. SIMON: And you were talking like this or something? It is 1970 and on the stage of the Weismann Theatre, [32] Rich later wrote that audiences at the original production were baffled and restless. Stephen Sondheim Songs from Musicals Follies the Musical - Broadway Baby Lyrics I'm just a Broadway Baby. The producer was Cameron Mackintosh, the direction was by Mike Ockrent, with choreography by Bob Avian and design by Maria Bjrnson. It originally was performed in one act. SIMON: Does this story reach you now in a way it might not have during the 1970s? Ted Chapin[who?] Ms. PETERS: I don't know. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Each of the four is shaken at the realization of how life has changed them. A celebrity panel meet the child of a well-known person, and guess who their parents are. (Soundbite of song, "A Little Night Music"). 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. That's a surprise. Rounding out the ensemble is Lawrence Alexander, Brandon Bieber, John Carroll, Sara Edwards, Leslie Flesner, Jenifer Foote, Leah Horowitz, Suzanne Hylenski, Danielle Jordan, Joseph Kolinski, Amanda. [75][76] Donna McKechnie enjoyed top billing as Carlotta. Hard-hitting drama about a man who discovers that he has fathered a child only when he is approached by a child support agency. 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?" The evening follows a reunion of the Weismann Girls who performed during the interwar period. At first too weary to stand, and wearing clunky spectacles, she is incongruously dowdy - comic and poignant. Young Phyllis, Ben, Sally and Buddy taunt their disillusioned I saw no reason not to try new things, knowing we could always revert to the original (which we eventually did). [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). Only Carlotta seems As their younger counterparts approach them, Phyllis comments to Ben about their past. During one night of romance and regret, two crumbling thirty-year-long marriages are put to the test. a Follies girl. Ben replies by saying that he wants a divorce, and Phyllis assumes the request is due to his love for Sally. "[30] Prince planned to present the musical on the West Coast and then on a national tour. The show and the score have a double vision: simultaneously squinting at the messes people make of their lives and wide-eyed at the lingering grace and lift of the music they want to hear. and sleek. but In Buddy's Eyes, she knows, she's still his princess. Recent episodes in T Greats Sally is awed by Ben's apparently glamorous life, but Ben wonders if he made the right choices and considers how things might have been ("The Road You Didn't Take"). Ben, goaded, starts to argue with Phyllis, Ms. PETERS: Oh, you know, what's great about it is that there's no comparison. "[11], Joanne Gordon, author and chair and artistic director, Theatre, at California State University, Long Beach,[12][13] wrote "Follies is in part an affectionate look at the American musical theatre between the two World Wars and provides Sondheim with an opportunity to use the traditional conventions of the genre to reveal the hollowness and falsity of his characters' dreams and illusions. 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. The production was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide on November 16 through the National Theatre Live program. Whitman recall their sweetly naive duct, Rain on the Roof: The director and choreographer was Casey Nicholaw. "Follies' Restaged In London". Follies - New Broadway Cast Recording Produced by Tommy Krasker and Philip Chaffin Executive Producers: Michael M. Kaiser, Sean Patrick Flahaven Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York City on October 3-4, 2011 Recorded and Mixed by Bart Migal Assistand Engineer: Bob Mallory, Tim Marchiafava, Tyler Hartman & Mike Bauer Music Coordinator: John Miller The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. The resulting album was more complete than the original cast album. It's so hard to put into words. New York, the eponymous Dimitri Weismann has gathered together (Soundbite of song, "Broadway Baby") SIMON: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Broadway Baby" in the early 1970s for "Follies," the award-winning musical he created with James Goldman. At its very start, ghosts of Follies showgirls stalk the stage, mythic giants in winged, feathered, black and white opulence. Follies premiered on Broadway on April 4, 1971, at the Winter Garden Theatre. For Sally and Buddy, Phyllis and Ben, Janie Dee and Peter Forbes returned as Phyllis and Buddy, while Joanna Riding and Alexander Hanson replaced Staunton and Quast as Sally and Ben. Afterward, Phyllis and Ben angrily discuss their lives and relationship, which has become numb and emotionless. and a brief glimpse of those dreams. Ms. PETERS: Oh, definitely, because I was really a kid. Ms. PETERS: When I did "Sunday in the Park with George." no children but everything else. WAITERS, WAITRESSES, PHOTOGRAPHERS, SHOWGIRLS, etc. It starred Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), along with several veterans of the Broadway and vaudeville stage. Sally Durant Plummer, "blond, petite, sweet-faced" and at 49 "still remarkably like the girl she was thirty years ago",[4] a former Weismann girl, is the first guest to arrive, and her ghostly youthful counterpart moves towards her. PHYLLIS ROGERS STONE - Ben's 50-year old society wife, smart, tart, vicious ", "Who Could Be Blue? She accuses him of having affairs while he is on the road, and he admits he has a steady girlfriend, Margie, in another town, but always returns home. SIMON: Is there a role you wish you could do over or do again?