the resurrection of their distant pasts only serves to point After the failure of Do I Hear a Waltz? [19][81] The production played to 95% capacity. Follies has had 20 productions including Broadway which opened in 1971, Broadway which opened in 1971, US Tour which opened in 1972, Off . 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. She's hale and hearty, singing and swinging better than ever. Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) If I stick it long enough, I can get to strut my stuff. out the inadequacies of their marriages. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Ms. BERNADETTE PETERS (Actress; Singer): (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) I'm just a Broadway baby walking SIMON: A huge, rich revival of "Follies" has opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with the original orchestrations. HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. Suddenly, at the peak of madness and confusion, the couples are engulfed by their follies, which transform the rundown theater into a fantastical "Loveland", an extravaganza even more grand and opulent than the gaudiest Weismann confection: "the place where lovers are always young and beautiful, and everyone lives only for love". 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. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. What is. Synopsis. And I usually do things that are different and a challenge and interesting to me to approach. 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. [48], Follies was voted ninth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals". The cast included Anne Rogers, Jo Anne Worley and Philip Bosco. Mr. Weismann's exquisite taste in feminine pulchritude. The director and choreographer was Casey Nicholaw. 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. I like to do that. Two new additions to the cast, Jayne Houdyshell and Mary Beth Peil, are terrific. THEODORE WHITMAN - Emily's husband. 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. for a first and last reunion: an invitation "to glamorize In 1971 or 2001, Follies validates the legend that a Broadway show can be an event worth dressing up for. Phyllis kisses a waiter and confesses to him that she had always wanted a son. "[9] Bernadette Peters quoted Sondheim on the character of "Sally": "He said early on that [Sally] is off-balance, to put it mildly. The resulting album was more complete than the original cast album. Shakespeare in the Woods 2023 Season Janie Dee and Peter Forbes returned as Phyllis and Buddy, while Joanna Riding and Alexander Hanson replaced Staunton and Quast as Sally and Ben. "[14] "Follies contains two scores: the Follies pastiche numbers and the book numbers. The musical was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won seven. BUDDY PLUMMER - Ben's pal, now a prosperous realtor in Arizona, with "[114] On the other hand, Martin Gottfried wrote: "Follies is truly awesome and, if it is not consistently good, it is always great. At first too weary to stand, and wearing clunky spectacles, she is incongruously dowdy - comic and poignant. Ms. PETERS: Oh, you know, what's great about it is that there's no comparison. And as years went on and I got out of that bad habit, my real voice revealed itself. Not only has it already outsold every other album at our website, but the steady stream of emails from customers has been amazing. 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). in. Phyllis begins wondering at her younger self, who worked so hard to become the socialite that Ben needed. [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). Ms. PETERS: When I did "Sunday in the Park with George." And this is a very interesting character, probably unlike any other character I've ever played really. [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. And, in the haze of nostalgia, the past "[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"). : With David Nixon, Richard Coleman, Jimmy Young, Diana Coupland. According to Joanne Gordon,[who?] as he looks back at a lifetime of lost opportunities (The "Could I Leave You?" - Phyllis. It is 1970 and on the stage of the Weismann Theatre, Once the party gets under way it isn't long before the regulars On the drab stage Follies Stage production February 20, 1971 Comments Sung by character "Hattie Walker" . A lthough it has legions of admirers, Follies has often seemed a problematic show. And as you keep learning and growing and studying your range, you know, grows and grows. 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). days waiting around for the girls upstairs, but they're still here. Sondheim "did not think the London script was as good as the original." [62][63] It followed a similar presentation at the 1995 Melbourne Festival of Arts with a different cast and orchestra. SIMON: Bernadette Peters stars in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. through June 19th. hours after the show Waiting for the Girls Upstairs in Finally, Weismann enters to greet his guests. enchanted citadel where the two couples can re-visit their individual Linden, Duke, Carr, Bosley Do Sondheim in L.A. June 15-23", "Evita's Bob Gunton Replaces Hal Linden as Ben in L.A. 'Follies' June 15-23", "McKechnie, Evans, Peterson in Follies in Concert in MI", "Broadway-Bound 'Follies' Plays Final Performance at Kennedy Center June 19", "Casting Complete for Kennedy Center 'Follies'; "Young" Counterparts Announced", "Kennedy Centers Follies is Broadway Bound", "Hey, L.A., We're Coming Your Way: 'Follies' Ends Broadway Run Jan. 22", "The Right Girls: Kennedy Center Follies, With Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Elaine Paige, Begins Broadway Previews", "Two-Disc 'Follies' Revival Recording Is Big Seller", "Theater Review. 66. Gene Nelson (Buddy). If you don't "[34] Chapin confirms this: "Alas final word came from Capitol that they would not go for two records [Dick Jones] now had to propose cuts throughout the score in consultation with Steve. [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. a musical in one act. explains: "Today, Follies is rarely performed twice in exactly the same version. and sleek. Buddy and Ben, the theatre seems haunted by their younger selves, I'm Scott Simon. Rosemary Clooney says her present show at Rainbow & Stars will be her last. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal noted that "One of the signal achievements of this Follies is that it succeeds in untangling each and every strand of the show's knotty plot Mr. Schaeffer is clearly unafraid of the darkness of Follies, so much so that the first act is bitter enough to sting. Each of the four is shaken at the realization of how life has changed them. wife, while poor miserable Sally moans in a smouldering torch number HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. Ben admits to Phyllis his admiration for her, and Phyllis shushes him and helps Ben regain his dignity before they leave. 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. [77], New York City Center's Encores! The score offers a pastiche of 1920s and 1930s musical styles, evoking a nostalgic tone. I like the run and I like to keep going deeper and deeper and see what I can learn and experience about life. who would finally feel just fine." In this it reflects the age of Heidi Schiller, one of the more senior of the Follies girls. Recent episodes in T Greats "[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. 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 . SOLANGE LAFITTE - A Broadway Parisienne. Peter Marks of The Washington Post wrote that the revival "takes an audience halfway to paradise." All the voices begin speaking and yelling at each other. [102] This production notably goes back to the original plan of a one-act performance. [64] It was significantly stripped down (earlier productions had featured extravagant sets and costumes) and was not a success critically. At its very start, ghosts of Follies showgirls stalk the stage, mythic giants in winged, feathered, black and white opulence. descend the famous Follies staircase one last time. But they're both What follows is a series of musical numbers performed by the principal characters, each exploring their biggest desires. 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. Portions of the concert were seen by audiences worldwide in the televised documentary about the making of the concert, also released on videotape and DVD, of 'Follies' in Concert. Ms. PETERS: Oh, it's my pleasure to be here again. That, if I'm good enough for you, you're not good enough SIMON: When did the relationship with Stephen Sondheim begin - looking back on it? Oh, you do? Ben pledging their love. [56], The Dublin Concert was held in May 1996 at the National Concert Hall. Sally tells Ben how her days have been spent with Buddy, trying to convince him (and herself) ("In Buddy's Eyes"). Tysons, VA, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. "Loveland" has dissolved back into the reality of the crumbling and half-demolished theater; dawn is approaching. Inspired by a New York Times article about a gathering of former Ziegfeld Girls, they decided upon a story about ex-showgirls. "[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. 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. The young sweethearts Ben and Phyllis promise each other As their younger counterparts approach them, Phyllis comments to Ben about their past. Follies girls through "the mirror number" I tried to give it the sardonic knowingness of Lorenz Hart or Frank Loesser. [43], The book "was extensively reworked by James Goldman, with Sondheim's cooperation and also given an intermission." "[115], Time magazine wrote about the original Broadway production: "At its worst moments, Follies is mannered and pretentious, overreaching for Significance. "[122] [33], For commercial reasons, the cast album was cut from two LPs to one early in production. to get him down, as he scuttles frantically between mistress and The exceptions are the title song, from Follies, which she sang memorably at the 1984 Tony Awards show, and "Bobo's" from The Act. [74] Having originated the young ghosts over 30 years prior, the actors portrayed the older versions of their Broadway roles. "[65], Theater writer and historian John Kenrick wrote "the bad news is that this Follies is a dramatic and conceptual failure. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. The theatermania.com reviewer wrote that "The result is an album that, more so than any of the other existing recordings, allows listeners to re-experience the heartbreaking collision of past and present that's at the core of the piece. Girl and he has, sort of. 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. ", and "Losing My Mind". Rich, in his review, noted that "As performed at Avery Fisher Hall, the score emerged as an original whole, in which the 'modern' music and mock vintage tunes constantly comment on each other, much as the script's action unfolds simultaneously in 1971 (the year of the reunion) and 1941 (the year the Follies disbanded). Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. 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 . reduced to mother r6Ies, but still hanging in there. Ben becomes frenzied, while the dancing ensemble continues as if nothing was wrong. 'Follies'. 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! Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording) Stephen Sondheim. "Who's That Woman?" - Stella and Company. She yearns for him to hold her, but young Sally slips between them and the three move together ("Too Many Mornings"). )"[36][37], The musical was produced at The Muny, St. Louis, Missouri in July 1972 and then transferred to the Shubert Theatre, Century City, California, running from July 22, 1972, through October 1, 1972. concert for The New York Times, wrote: "I have never felt the splendid sadness of Follies as acutely as I did watching the emotionally transparent concert production At almost any moment, to look at the faces of any of the principal performers is to be aware of people both bewitched and wounded by the contemplation of who they used to be. OTHER GUESTS and PERFORMERS, STAGE MANAGER, times, she's grateful just to have got through it, and confidently She had nodes that she had to have removed. indestructibly, a Broadway Baby. This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 21:33. Young Daisy Eagan sings "Broadway Baby" from Sondheim's "Follies."This video is an excerpt from the highly recommended 1992 concert DVD "Sondheim: A Celebrat. 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. The evening follows a reunion of the Weismann Girls who performed during the interwar period. 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. Amidst a deafening discord, Ben screams at all the figures from his past and collapses as he cries out for Phyllis. (Soundbite of song, "The God Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues"). [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). 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. 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'. 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. Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally) and [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. Most songs were therefore heavily abridged and several were left entirely unrecorded. This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. As more guests arrive, Sally's husband, Buddy, enters.
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