Solange proves she is still fashionable at what she claims is 66 ("Ah, Paris! [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. Variations are discussed in Versions. Once the party gets under way it isn't long before the regulars However, the show did not do well in its Los Angeles engagement and plans for a tour ended. Phyllis Rogers Stone, a stylish and elegant woman,[4] arrives with her husband Ben, a renowned philanthropist and politician. 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 reunion, if it reunifies one couple, destroys another. 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. Group Sales Associate at Broadway at The National "MOT Box Office Opens Sept. 11 For Fall Season". Synopsis. 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. Accuracy and availability may vary. [55], Julianne Boyd directed a fully staged version of Follies in 2005 by the Barrington Stage Company (Massachusetts) in JuneJuly 2005. [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. The producer was Cameron Mackintosh, the direction was by Mike Ockrent, with choreography by Bob Avian and design by Maria Bjrnson. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, See more songs from [86] A two-disc cast album of this production was recorded by PS Classics and was released on November 29, 2011. As Roscoe Radiantly optimistic and more than a little sexy, they turned "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" into one of the highlights of the evening. a Follies girl. Bernadette Peters, who's stopped more shows on Broadway than the stagehands union, joins us in our studios. declares I'm Still Here. The rest of the album consists of material from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, written by the . [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. Buddy and Ben, the theatre seems haunted by their younger selves, Afterward, Phyllis and Ben angrily discuss their lives and relationship, which has become numb and emotionless. [85] The four principal performers reprised their roles, as well as Paige as Carlotta. 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. 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"). The 2017 production was nominated for 10 Laurence Olivier Awards and won 2 for Best Musical Revival and Best Costume Design (by Vicki Mortimer). Ms. PETERS: As a little girl, yeah. Having exorcised the ghosts of their pasts the two couples depart the giddy hopefuls of 1940. "), as they are mirrored by their younger selves. OTHER GUESTS and PERFORMERS, STAGE MANAGER, [19] However, the August 23, 2011 Broadway preview performance was performed without an intermission. ; later replaced by Marni Nixon), Larry Raiken (Roscoe) and an assortment of famous names from the past. his mind, all the past evening's traumatic experiences are regurgitated Other notable performers in the original productions were Fifi D'Orsay as Solange LaFitte, Justine Johnston as Heidi Schiller, Mary McCarty as Stella Deems, Arnold Moss as Dimitri Weismann, Ethel Shutta as Hattie Walker, and Marcie Stringer and Charles Welch as Emily and Theodore Whitman. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. I thought I wasn't a Sondheim girl. "[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. Follies had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, from February 20 through March 20, 1971.[28][29]. no children but everything else. Finally, Weismann enters to greet his guests. Inspired by a New York Times article about a gathering of former Ziegfeld Girls, they decided upon a story about ex-showgirls. Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally) and Don't panic. 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 . The music is so beautiful, classical, involved, intricate. Like an actor turns himself into another character. 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. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville 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 . After previews from August 3, 2002, it opened officially on August 6, and closed on August 31, 2002. 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? follies. That's a surprise. Bennett also reprised her Olivier-nominated performance. She's hale and hearty, singing and swinging better than ever. DIMITRI WEISMANN - An impresario who flourished between the wars and Stephen Sondheim Songs from Musicals Follies the Musical - Broadway Baby Lyrics I'm just a Broadway Baby. 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." CARLOTTA CAMPION - A resilient motion picture star, once a vamp, then [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). 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. 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. an eerie operetta waltz, all dreams are a sweet mistake and eventually 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. 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]. but In Buddy's Eyes, she knows, she's still his princess. [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. YOUNG HEIDI - The celebrated soprano in her heyday. [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). Read is the book writer, writing a new ending to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, alongside a score comprising the pop music of Grammy . [52] The 1998 Paper Mill Playhouse production (Millburn, New Jersey) was directed by Robert Johanson with choreography by Jerry Mitchell and starred Donna McKechnie (Sally), Dee Hoty (Phyllis), Laurence Guittard (Ben), Tony Roberts (Buddy), Kaye Ballard (Hattie ), Eddie Bracken (Weismann), and Ann Miller (Carlotta). screen goddess Carlotta Campion to the most nondescript chorine, of Ah, Paree! Girl and he has, sort of. enchanted citadel where the two couples can re-visit their individual despite the routine of married life. 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 as years went on and I got out of that bad habit, my real voice revealed itself. 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. 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'. Amidst a deafening discord, Ben screams at all the figures from his past and collapses as he cries out for Phyllis. I had always was aware of his shows but I never thought I'd ever be in any of his shows. 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). You know, when I went to see "A Little Night Music," before I was even knew I was going to be in it, the music started and I went: Oh my God, I can't believe the person that wrote all those other things also wrote this. Not only has it already outsold every other album at our website, but the steady stream of emails from customers has been amazing. He forget his lines, the tune, the dance steps and finally, in According to the Associated Press (AP) reviewer, "A revised version of the Broadway hit Follies received a standing ovation from its opening-night audience and raves from British critics, who stated the show was worth a 16-year wait." He creates what's necessary for the piece. reduced to mother r6Ies, but still hanging in there. PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker stated "We've never had the kind of reaction that we've had for Follies. [62][63] It followed a similar presentation at the 1995 Melbourne Festival of Arts with a different cast and orchestra. The young sweethearts Ben and Phyllis promise each other "When Follies opened in London it had an entirely different, and significantly more optimistic, tone. Solange purrs her way through the fake Gallic sophistication [32] Rich later wrote that audiences at the original production were baffled and restless. [73] Tom Bosley originally was cast as Dimitri Weismann. YOUNG HEIDI - The celebrated soprano in her heyday. [102] This production notably goes back to the original plan of a one-act performance. 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. [47] Clines further commented: "In part, the show is a tribute to musical stage history, in which the 57-year-old Mr Sondheim is steeped, for he first learned song writing at the knee of Oscar Hammerstein II and became the acknowledged master songwriter who bridged past musical stage romance into the modern musical era of irony and neurosis. But they're both A rich, new production of Follies has opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with the original orchestrations. If you're somebody that gets it and then thinks, you know, I've done it, I've gotten it now and there's no place else to go. [77], New York City Center's Encores! YOUNG STELLA - The singer and dancer as she was in 1940. for a first and last reunion: an invitation "to glamorize [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. Playing Hattie who sings "Broadway Baby" is Patti Davis Suarez. Phyllis begins wondering at her younger self, who worked so hard to become the socialite that Ben needed. HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. Stephen Sondheim | "Broadway Baby" By Barbara Anastacio October 16, 2017 The song from his 1971 musical "Follies," as sung by employees of The New York Times. Songs cut before the Broadway premiere include "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (used in the prologue), "Can That Boy Foxtrot! At first too weary to stand, and wearing clunky spectacles, she is incongruously dowdy - comic and poignant. Ms. PETERS: (as Sally Durant Plummer) (Singing) The sun comes up, I think about you. Marge Champion and Donald Saddler are endearing as the old hoofers. He asked author and playwright James Goldman to join him as bookwriter for a new musical. But when. Panic-stricken, he rushes off, screaming Two new additions to the cast, Jayne Houdyshell and Mary Beth Peil, are terrific. "[21], According to Sondheim, producer Cameron Mackintosh asked for changes for the 1987 London production. Broadway Baby The Road You Didn't Take Bolero d'Amour . Each of the four is shaken at the realization of how life has changed them. : With David Nixon, Richard Coleman, Jimmy Young, Diana Coupland. you can't turn the clock back: as Heidi Schiller reminds us in mimic their movements. Copyright 2011 NPR. [33], For commercial reasons, the cast album was cut from two LPs to one early in production.