She then tells Ben that their marriage can't continue the way it has been. All rights reserved. This show recreated the original Broadway score.[58]. [48], Follies was voted ninth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals". the theatre is demolished to make way for a parking lot. Playing Hattie who sings "Broadway Baby" is Patti Davis Suarez. Rosemary Clooney says her present show at Rainbow & Stars will be her last. According to Joanne Gordon,[who?] The 2001 Roundabout Broadway revival, the first major production following Goldman's death in 1998, was again a combination of previous versions. EMILY WHITMAN - The female half of a cheerful song and dance team. (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. [80], The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts production at the Eisenhower Theater started previews on May 7, 2011, with an official opening on May 21, and closed on June 19, 2011. Two new additions to the cast, Jayne Houdyshell and Mary Beth Peil, are terrific. "[30] Prince planned to present the musical on the West Coast and then on a national tour. The once resplendent theater is now little but planks and scaffolding ("Prologue"/"Overture"). HEIDI SCHILLER - A 90-year old Broadway legend, whose ringing soprano For Ben and Buddy, too, Variety gave a very favorable review to the "lavish and entirely satisfying production", saying that Schaeffer directs "in methodical fashion, building progressively to a crescendo exactly as Sondheim does with so many of his stirring melodies. Solange purrs her way through the fake Gallic sophistication However, it is clear that Sally is still in love with Ben even though their affair ended badly when Ben decided to marry Phyllis. but cold Jessie could only combine then I could tell you someone Vance, David. Seeing Sally again, Ben realises The rest of the album consists of material from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, written by the . Phyllis kisses a waiter and confesses to him that she had always wanted a son. as he looks back at a lifetime of lost opportunities (The That paradox is crystallized in " One More Kiss ," warbled by an ancient Viennese soprano while . Laurence Olivier Award for Musical of the Year, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, "Bernadette Peters on 'Follies' and Puppies", "Faculty, Theatre Arts, California State University, Long Beach", "Song list and acts, 2005 Barrington Stage", "2001 Broadway revival song list and acts", "By the Book: Broadway Revival of 'Follies' Performed Without Intermission Aug. 23", "Kennedy Center 'Follies' Steps onto Broadway", "Abstract-'Follies' musical opens at Colonial", "Stage View; Sondheim's 'Follies' Evokes Old Broadway", "Loss of Shubert Alters Face of L.A. Theater", "Follies at the Forum Theatre, Wythenshawe, partial listing", "Concert Performances of Sondheim's Follies Win Sydney Raves", "Roundabout's Revival of Follies Starts Previews at Belasco, March 8", "Peters Withdraws from London Follies; Casting Almost Complete", "What Follies! Ms. PETERS: You know, when I was a little girl, they said I had a funny voice because I actually had a deep voice and that's because my mother didn't speak correctly. [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. Oh. '"[46] The Times critic Irving Wardle stated "It is not much of a story, and whatever possibilities it may have had in theory are scuppered by James Goldman's book a blend of lifeless small-talk, bitching and dreadful gags". [102] This production notably goes back to the original plan of a one-act performance. [33] However, director Herbert Ross took some liberties in adapting the book and score for the concert formatdance music was changed, songs were given false endings, the new dialogue was spoken, reprises were added, and Patinkin was allowed to sing "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" as a solo instead of a trio with two chorus girls. "Could I Leave You?" - Phyllis. Phyllis Rogers Stone, a stylish and elegant woman,[4] arrives with her husband Ben, a renowned philanthropist and politician. And then as a teenager, I started singing soprano and I went, well, I can sing soprano. Book by James Goldman. The Sydney Symphony was conducted by Maestro Tommy Tycho. Don't panic. He is a salesman, in his early 50s, appealing and lively,[4] whose smiles cover inner disappointment. [70], Follies was part of L.A.'s Reprise series, and it was housed at the Wadsworth Theatre, presented as a staged concert, running from June 15 to 23, 2002. Dolores Gray was praised as Carlotta, continuing to perform after breaking her ankle, although in a reduced version of the part. FIRST NIGHT ENCORE CD3 - London Cast. The supporting role of Carlotta was created by Yvonne De Carlo and usually is given to a well-known veteran performer who can belt out a song. When they sing, in voices layered with ambivalence and anger and longing, it is clear that it is their past selves whom they are serenading. out the inadequacies of their marriages. Ms. PETERS: I don't know. screen goddess Carlotta Campion to the most nondescript chorine, Accuracy and availability may vary. They find that hard to do. ON THE RECORD: Hats Off! A Survey of Follies Recordings - Playbill It depends on how you like to work. Whose Baby? "[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. "), and Hattie Walker performs her old showstopping number ("Broadway Baby"). 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. The production was directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, set design by Ray Klausen, lighting design by Tom Ruzika, costumes by Randy Gardell, sound design by Philip G. Allen, choreography by Kay Cole, musical director Gerald Sternbach.[71]. [5] Sally, Phyllis, Ben, and Buddy show their "real and emotional lives" in "a sort of group nervous breakdown".[6]. Carlotta amuses a throng of admirers with a tale of how her dramatic solo was cut from the Follies because the audience found it humorous, transforming it as she sings it into an anthem-like toast to her own hard-won survival ("I'm Still Here"). we have to face reality: all we can hope for is One More Kiss - Story of Lucy and Jessie (Lucy being Phyllis and Jessie being a 23-year old called Margie. kiss me, " Sally tells him, I think I'm going to die.". Note: This is the song list from the original Broadway production in 1971. explains: "Today, Follies is rarely performed twice in exactly the same version. The cast featured Charlotte Page (Sally), Liz Robertson (Phyllis), Graham Bickley (Ben), Jrme Pradon (Buddy), Nicole Croisille (Carlotta), Julia Sutton (Hattie) and Fra Fee (Young Buddy).[96]. What is. DIMITRI WEISMANN - An impresario who flourished between the wars and The two younger couples sing in a counterpoint of their hopes for the future ("You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through"). It also highlights that the Follies were such an incredible mix of high art and low art. The evening follows a reunion of the Weismann Girls who performed during the interwar period. New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville SIMON: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Broadway Baby" in the early 1970s for "Follies," the award-winning musical he created with James Goldman. and soon Sally and Buddy, together with their younger selves, join The clarion-voiced Philip Quast has three Olivier Awards to his name and is bound to be considered for a fourth in due course for his soul-stirring performance as Ben Stone in the National Theatre . Bernadette Peters, who's stopped more shows on Broadway than the stagehands union, joins us in our studios. He thinks she's very neurotic, and she is very neurotic, so he said to me 'Congratulations. of Ah, Paree! days waiting around for the girls upstairs, but they're still here. 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"). "[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. I'm Scott Simon. 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. an eerie operetta waltz, all dreams are a sweet mistake and eventually Ms. PETERS: And then I got the call when I was I was performing at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, James Lapine called me to say he wrote this new show with Stephen Sondheim and it's to play an artist model. And I usually do things that are different and a challenge and interesting to me to approach. Each of the four is shaken at the realization of how life has changed them. [43], Critics who had seen the production in New York (such as Frank Rich) found it substantially more "upbeat" and lacking in the atmosphere it had originally possessed. Ben, caught in the passion of memories, kisses Sally as Buddy watches from the shadows. in a revised version, 21 July 1987 with Diana Rigg, Daniel Massey, "[21], According to Sondheim, producer Cameron Mackintosh asked for changes for the 1987 London production. Bennett also reprised her Olivier-nominated performance. 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. Were Still Here! Whose Baby? "Review: Musical Theatre 1998 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival". Clines, Francis X. BUDDY PLUMMER - Ben's pal, now a prosperous realtor in Arizona, with Follies (New Broadway Cast Recording) - Apple Music Finally, Weismann enters to greet his guests. with Live, Love, Laugh, singing of how clever and adept [26] By the time the 2011 Broadway revival opened, it was performed with an intermission in two acts. Follies had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, from February 20 through March 20, 1971.[28][29]. the Weismann Follies. At its very start, ghosts of Follies showgirls stalk the stage, mythic giants in winged, feathered, black and white opulence. New York, NY, SM for Poor Yella Rednecks 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. And as you keep learning and growing and studying your range, you know, grows and grows. The Who. Follies on Broadway (Revival 2001) - Musicals101 "[9] Bernadette Peters quoted Sondheim on the character of "Sally": "He said early on that [Sally] is off-balance, to put it mildly. The exceptions are the title song, from Follies, which she sang memorably at the 1984 Tony Awards show, and "Bobo's" from The Act. CARLOTTA CAMPION - A resilient motion picture star, once a vamp, then 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. "[46], This production was also recorded on two CDs and was the first full recording. ", "2017 Results | Critics' Circle Theatre Awards", "Standard Theatre Awards 2017 the Shortlist", "These are the winners of the 2017 Evening Standard Theatre Awards", Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording, Les Misrables: The Complete Symphonic Recording, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Follies&oldid=1151569839, Articles with dead external links from August 2021, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2022, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The orchestra, Nicholas Skilbeck and Nigel Lilley, 1971 - New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Musical, "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" Ben, Sally, Phyllis and Buddy, Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy, "Montage" ("Rain on the Roof"/"Ah, Paris! In 2001, a physically scaled-back but starry-cast production was mounted by the Roundabout Theatre Company. The original Broadway production, directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett, opened April 4, 1971. They've come a long way from those Radiantly optimistic and more than a little sexy, they turned "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" into one of the highlights of the evening. Tickets always were tough to come by. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. The production was directed by Dominic Cooke, choreographed by Bill Deamer and starred Peter Forbes as Buddy, Imelda Staunton as Sally, Janie Dee as Phyllis, Philip Quast as Ben[100][101] and Tracie Bennett as Carlotta. Kirkeby, Marc (released April 1971). Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Broadway Baby Album Reviews, Songs & More - AllMusic It is 1971, and the iconic Weismann Theater, now a crumbling shell of its former glory, is about to be demolished to provide precious New York City parking space. Sondheim. you can't turn the clock back: as Heidi Schiller reminds us in [93][94] Other new cast members included Carol Neblett as Heidi, Sammy Williams as Theodore and Obba Babatunde as Max. It starred Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), along with several veterans of the Broadway and vaudeville stage. Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) If I stick it long enough, I can get to strut my stuff. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies ). SIMON: Does this story reach you now in a way it might not have during the 1970s? 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. 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; ); and Carlotta Campion, a film star who has embraced life and benefited from every experience. "[123] The recording of the 2011 revival was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Musical Theater Album category. For Buddy, life is all about findingThe Right The cast featured Diana Rigg (Phyllis), Daniel Massey (Ben), Julia McKenzie (Sally), David Healy (Buddy), Lynda Baron, Leonard Sachs, Maria Charles, Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson. It's so hard to put into words. All the voices begin speaking and yelling at each other. [42], The musical played in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre on July 21, 1987, and closed on February 4, 1989, after 644 performances. Ms. PETERS: When I did "Sunday in the Park with George." Similarly, ghosts of the Twenties shows slip through the evening as the characters try desperately to regain their youth through re-creations of their performances and inane theatre sentiments of their past. [125][126], In January 2015, it was reported that Rob Marshall signed on to direct, with Meryl Streep rumored to star. that she's Losing My Mind. and Loveland calls, luring them back to a playground of Ms. PETERS: Oh, it's my pleasure to be here again. 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. the giddy hopefuls of 1940. Phyllis interrupts this tender moment and has a biting encounter with Sally. Julia McKenzie and David Healy. (Soundbite of song, "A Little Night Music"). Barnes also called the story shallow and Sondheim's words a joy "even when his music sends shivers of indifference up your spine. Janie Dee and Peter Forbes returned as Phyllis and Buddy, while Joanna Riding and Alexander Hanson replaced Staunton and Quast as Sally and Ben. "[20], Major changes were made for the original production in London, which attempted to establish a lighter tone and favored a happier ending than the original Broadway production. [72] Hal Linden originally was going to play Ben, but left because he was cast in the Broadway revival of Cabaret as Herr Schultz. "[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"). [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). [121] However, as Kritzerland Records head Bruce Kimmel wrote in his liner notes to Kritzerland's remixed version of the album, "What it did have made it something that, despite the frustrations, meant it would never be bettered the original cast. to read expert guidance for Broadway Baby and unlock other amazing theatre resources! [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 show closed on July 1, 1972, after 522 performances and 12 previews. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! serenades those Beautiful Girls, the now-elderly ing6nues [40] The cast included Mary Millar (Sally Durant Plummer), Liz Izen (Young Sally), Meg Johnson (Stella Deems), Les Want (Max Deems), Betty Benfield (Heidi Schiller), Joseph Powell (Roscoe), Chili Bouchier (Hattie Walker), Shirley Greenwood (Emily Whitman), Bryan Burdon (Theodore Whitman), Monica Dell (Solange LaFitte), Jeannie Harris (Carlotta Campion), Josephine Blake (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Kevin Colson (Ben), Debbie Snook (Young Phyllis), Stephen Hale (Young Ben), Bill Bradley (Buddy Plummer), Paul Burton (Young Buddy), David Scase (Dimitri Weismann), Mitch Sebastian (Young Vincent), Kim Ismay (Young Vanessa), Lorraine Croft (Young Stella), and Meryl Richardson (Young Heidi). This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 21:33. "Liner notes to original Broadway cast recording". SIMON: And you were talking like this or something? a musical in one act. Elsewhere, Willy Wheeler (portly, in his sixties) cartwheels for a photographer. Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman . A concert version at the Melbourne Recital Centre,[97][98] staged with a full 23-piece orchestra and Australian actors Philip Quast (Ben), David Hobson (Buddy), Lisa McCune (Sally), Anne Wood (Phyllis), Rowan Witt (Young Buddy), Sophie Wright (Young Sally), Nancy Hayes (Hattie), Debra Byrne (Carlotta), and Queenie van de Zandt (Stella). who would finally feel just fine." Although many of the album's most enduring highlights capitalize on the unhinged genius of drummer Keith Moon ("Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Riley"), the gorgeous ballads . It was directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett, scenic design by Boris Aronson, costumes by Florence Klotz, and lighting by Tharon Musser. However, the show did not do well in its Los Angeles engagement and plans for a tour ended. Buddy, nothing is so certain but that Love Will See Us Through. Walking off my tired feet. Regine & Terrence Currier Will Not Transfer to Broadway with Kennedy the memories of three decades come flooding back - all those "MOT Box Office Opens Sept. 11 For Fall Season". ), 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 That's a surprise. He creates what's necessary for the piece. It was directed by Prince and starred Dorothy Collins (Sally; replaced by Janet Blair), Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben; replaced by Edward Winter), Gene Nelson (Buddy), and Yvonne De Carlo (Carlotta) reprising their original roles. their dressing rooms - but for Ben these memories awake old regrets Sally tells Ben about her life with the resurrection of their distant pasts only serves to point It's just that the most glamorous room . Ben becomes frenzied, while the dancing ensemble continues as if nothing was wrong. Kelli Rabke sings "Broadway Baby" from Follies at 54 Below She made her Broadway debut in 1967 in "How Now, Dow Jones" and went on to play roles in "Promises, Promises" and "Applause." Ben replies by saying that he wants a divorce, and Phyllis assumes the request is due to his love for Sally. Sondheim "did not think the London script was as good as the original." a Follies girl. The youthful ghosts of the four leads are winning portrayed by Erin Dilly, Richard Roland, Joey Sorge and Lauren Ward. It was directed and staged by Stephen Lloyd Helper and produced by Helper and Alistair Thomson for Mardi Gras. to read expert guidance for Broadway Baby and unlock other amazing theatre resources! 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?" Thanks very much for being with us. The score offers a pastiche of 1920s and 1930s musical styles, evoking a nostalgic tone. reduced to mother r6Ies, but still hanging in there. Phyllis begins wondering at her younger self, who worked so hard to become the socialite that Ben needed. Cast. "Great American Musicals in Concert" series featured Follies as its 40th production for six performances in February 2007 in a sold out semi-staged concert. RCA VICTOR RD 87128 - Concert recording [57], A concert was held at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, on December 8, 1996, and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on February 15, 1997. Buddy tells her she must be either crazy or drunk, but he's already supported Sally through rehab clinics and mental hospitals and cannot take any more. Follies (Sondheim) - The Guide to Musical Theatre times, she's grateful just to have got through it, and confidently ; and Hattie proclaims again that she's, The Complete Follies Collection puiblished by Hal Leonard publishers>.
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