1971, the weismann theatre, new york city, College/University, Large Cast, Mature Audiences, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female. He is a salesman, in his early 50s, appealing and lively,[4] whose smiles cover inner disappointment. screen goddess Carlotta Campion to the most nondescript chorine, Sally tells Ben how her days have been spent with Buddy, trying to convince him (and herself) ("In Buddy's Eyes"). Ben admits to Phyllis his admiration for her, and Phyllis shushes him and helps Ben regain his dignity before they leave. The Complete Follies Collection puiblished by Hal Leonard publishers>. to read expert guidance for Broadway Baby and unlock other amazing theatre resources! to Ben as they meet for the first time in years. "[19][84], The production transferred to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in a limited engagement starting previews on August 7, 2011, with the official opening on September 12, and closing on January 22, 2012, after 151 performances and 38 previews. Songs cut before the Broadway premiere include "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (used in the prologue), "Can That Boy Foxtrot! The musical has had a number of major revivals, and several of its songs have become standards, including "Broadway Baby", "I'm Still Here", "Too Many Mornings", "Could I Leave You? However, it is clear that Sally is still in love with Ben even though their affair ended badly when Ben decided to marry Phyllis. [128], In November 2019, it was announced that Dominic Cooke will adapt the screenplay as well as direct, following the successful 2017 National Theatre revival in London, which returned in 2019 due to popular demand.[129]. Sondheim "did not think the London script was as good as the original." Roscoe, the old master of ceremonies, introduces the former showgirls ("Beautiful Girls"). As more guests arrive, Sally's husband, Buddy, enters. declares I'm Still Here. Before she has a chance to really let loose, they are both called on to participate in another performance Stella Deems gets Sally, Phyllis, Emily, Hattie, and some others to perform an old number ("Who's That Woman? ), 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 Phyllis kisses a waiter and confesses to him that she had always wanted a son. "When Follies opened in London it had an entirely different, and significantly more optimistic, tone. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. "[122] "[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. "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. But when. 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. And this is a very interesting character, probably unlike any other character I've ever played really. He feigns a lack of interest; there is an underlying tension in their relationship. It could be. In 1971 or 2001, Follies validates the legend that a Broadway show can be an event worth dressing up for. Ms. PETERS: Oh, definitely, because I was really a kid. There were only four showgirls in this version, and each one carried a shepherd's crook with a letter of the alphabet on it."[22]. Songs. 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. He creates what's necessary for the piece. Christine Baranski played Carlotta, and Lucine Amara sang Heidi. Follies girls through "the mirror number" The cast starred Donna Murphy (Phyllis), Victoria Clark (Sally), Victor Garber (Ben) and Michael McGrath (Buddy). Osborne, Robert. 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. a Follies girl. You know, I'll do it for, like, at least a year and then beyond that. The score offers a pastiche of 1920s and 1930s musical styles, evoking a nostalgic tone. Ms. PETERS: Do over. It's like I'm losing my mind. A recording of the National Theatre production was released on January 18, 2019.[104]. [77], New York City Center's Encores! 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. The London production had new songs and dialogue. [93][94] Other new cast members included Carol Neblett as Heidi, Sammy Williams as Theodore and Obba Babatunde as Max. 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"). However, he thought that it was "wonderful" that, at the end of the first act, "the principal characters recognized their younger selves and were able to acknowledge them throughout the last thirty minutes of the piece. 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. 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. "[46], This production was also recorded on two CDs and was the first full recording. For the 1985 concert, no one was going. Sondheim. The younger Ben and Buddy softly call to their "girls upstairs", and the Follies end. Road You Didn't Take). And I thought oh, this would be lovely to do. the Weismann Follies. 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. Sondheim's songs aren't parodies or deconstructions; they are evocations that recognize the power of a love song. It's just that the most glamorous room . HEIDI SCHILLER - A 90-year old Broadway legend, whose ringing soprano Follies had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, from February 20 through March 20, 1971.[28][29]. New York, NY, SM for Poor Yella Rednecks Girl and he has, sort of. HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. The rest of the album consists of material from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, written by the . He asked author and playwright James Goldman to join him as bookwriter for a new musical. The show closed on July 1, 1972, after 522 performances and 12 previews. For Sally and Phyllis Rogers Stone, a stylish and elegant woman,[4] arrives with her husband Ben, a renowned philanthropist and politician. Were Still Here! '"[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". Goldman's revised book offered some small improvements over the original. Emily and Theodore Whitman, ex-vaudevillians in their seventies, perform an old routine ("The Rain on the Roof"). That paradox is crystallized in " One More Kiss ," warbled by an ancient Viennese soprano while . What is. Shakespeare in the Woods 2023 Season As their younger counterparts approach them, Phyllis comments to Ben about their past. "[30] Prince planned to present the musical on the West Coast and then on a national tour. If you don't [43], The book "was extensively reworked by James Goldman, with Sondheim's cooperation and also given an intermission." Produced at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, This show features the wistful torch song Losing My Mind, the wry showstopper Im Still Here, and Broadway Baby, that determined ode to making it in show business. Vance, David. 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"). [23] The 1987 West End, 2005 Barrington Stage Company,[24] the 2001 Broadway revival[25] and Kennedy Center 2011 productions were performed in two acts. All rights reserved. in. Whose Baby? The producer was Cameron Mackintosh, the direction was by Mike Ockrent, with choreography by Bob Avian and design by Maria Bjrnson. Yesterday marked the birthdate of the actress/singer/dancer Ethel Shutta (pronounced Shuh-tay), born in 1896, immortalized as the person who introduced the Stephen Sondheim favorite "Broadway. The 2017 production was nominated for 10 Laurence Olivier Awards and won 2 for Best Musical Revival and Best Costume Design (by Vicki Mortimer). [2], Originally titled The Girls Upstairs, the musical was to be produced by David Merrick and Leland Hayward in late 1967, but the plans ultimately fell through, and Stuart Ostrow became the producer, with Joseph Hardy as director. 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; [125][126], In January 2015, it was reported that Rob Marshall signed on to direct, with Meryl Streep rumored to star. The Who. I saw no reason not to try new things, knowing we could always revert to the original (which we eventually did). Ben becomes frenzied, while the dancing ensemble continues as if nothing was wrong. As Roscoe She then tells Ben that their marriage can't continue the way it has been. and a brief glimpse of those dreams. Whose Baby? [56], The Dublin Concert was held in May 1996 at the National Concert Hall. "[123] The recording of the 2011 revival was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Musical Theater Album category. ", "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! And then the rest of the cast is fantastic, Jan Maxwell and Ron Raines and Danny Burstein. "Who's That Woman?" - Stella and Company. The original production, among the most costly on Broadway,[1] ran for over 500 performances but ultimately lost its entire investment. The Company of our. And usually SIMON: I mean a lot of big stars like to get out after three or four months, right? SIMON: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Broadway Baby" in the early 1970s for "Follies," the award-winning musical he created with James Goldman. the old days, stumble through a song or two and lie about ourselves" -before (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. A rich, new production of Follies has opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with the original orchestrations. It originally was performed in one act. Hal Prince said: "Follies examines obsessive behavior, neurosis and self-indulgence more microscopically than anything I know of. RCA VICTOR RD 87128 - Concert recording A celebrated New York event since 2010 (Its a Hit! The emotional high generated by the reunion of the Follies girls ultimately gives way to anger, disappointment, and weary resignation to reality. 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? despite the routine of married life. Julia McKenzie and David Healy. [102] This production notably goes back to the original plan of a one-act performance. 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. [75][76] Donna McKechnie enjoyed top billing as Carlotta. 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?" On the drab stage of Ah, Paree! Ms. PETERS: Wow. big-shots from the UN. [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. and Loveland calls, luring them back to a playground of A few years after the fling that led to his unknown fatherhood, the man has settled into a new life, but the establishing of his paternity makes him determined to . It was directed and staged by Stephen Lloyd Helper and produced by Helper and Alistair Thomson for Mardi Gras. [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. And even when I saw it, I think it was about 2000 there was a revival, maybe 2001. "/", "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 . Kelli Rabke sings "Broadway Baby" from Follies at 54 Below 54 Below 25K subscribers Subscribe 0 Share No views 1 minute ago #SondheimUnplugged #54below We're Still Here! HEIDI SCHILLER - A 90-year old Broadway legend, whose ringing soprano inspired the operetta kings to produce their lushest waltzes. Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording) Stephen Sondheim. Buddy warns Phyllis that Sally is still in love with Ben, and she is shaken by how the past threatens to repeat itself. his mind, all the past evening's traumatic experiences are regurgitated [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." [99] The production was directed by Tyran Parke and produced by StoreyBoard Entertainment. mimic their movements. YOUNG PHYLLIS - A showgirl in the chorus of the final edition of Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) If I stick it long enough, I can get to strut my stuff. Buddy leaves the shadows furious, and fantasizes about the girl he should have married, Margie, who loves him and makes him feel like "a somebody", but bitterly concludes he does not love her back ("The Right Girl"). 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. 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. years ago". The four characters are "whisked into a dream show in which each acts out his or her own principal 'folly'". Polly Bergen stops everything cold with "I'm Still Here", bringing a rare degree of introspection to a song that is too often a mere belt-fest [T]he emotional highpoint comes when Joan Roberts sings 'One More Kiss'. [72] Hal Linden originally was going to play Ben, but left because he was cast in the Broadway revival of Cabaret as Herr Schultz. their dressing rooms - but for Ben these memories awake old regrets Buddy and Ben, the theatre seems haunted by their younger selves, Synopsis. Finally, he wrote: "But Follies never makes fun of the honorable musical tradition to which it belongs. EMILY WHITMAN - The female half of a cheerful song and dance team. Afterward, Phyllis and Ben angrily discuss their lives and relationship, which has become numb and emotionless. "[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"). During one night of romance and regret, two crumbling thirty-year-long marriages are put to the test. Dolores Gray was praised as Carlotta, continuing to perform after breaking her ankle, although in a reduced version of the part. Bennett also reprised her Olivier-nominated performance. "[19] "Loveland" features a string of vaudeville-style numbers, reflecting the leading characters' emotional problems, before returning to the theater for the end of the reunion party. as he looks back at a lifetime of lost opportunities (The [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. Hard-hitting drama about a man who discovers that he has fathered a child only when he is approached by a child support agency. I'm Scott Simon. Produced at the Winter Garden, New York, 4 April 1971 with Alexis 'A truly fantastic evening,' The Financial Times concluded, while the London Daily News stated 'The musical is inspired,' and The Times described the evening as 'a wonderful idea for a show which has failed to grow into a story. Facts never interest her; what matters is the song! Tysons, VA, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. [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. [82] Also featured were Rosalind Elias as Heidi, Rgine as Solange, Susan Watson as Emily, and Terri White as Stella. Playing Hattie who sings "Broadway Baby" is Patti Davis Suarez. [64] It was significantly stripped down (earlier productions had featured extravagant sets and costumes) and was not a success critically. (1999 Broadway Revival Cast) Cole Porter, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, Michael Berresse & Amy Spanger. 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. really changed in their lives. Sally is bitter, having never been happy with Buddy, although he has always adored her. Ben, caught in the passion of memories, kisses Sally as Buddy watches from the shadows. Broadway Baby, Learning how to sing and dance, Waiting for that one big chance To be in a show.Oh.Gee.' I'd like to be On some marquee, All twinkling lights,
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