FOLLIES: Thoughts...- Page 5

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 10:27am

those kind of changes in erotic energy

Simmer down, Henrik. There are children present.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 12:22pm

I'm well out of my teens. And I really hate how you've all turned into a bunch of a dirty old theatre queens over a few lousy questions. My original post was a combination of a bunch of people. My friends and I went out afterwards and had drinks and discussed the show and our thoughts/problems, and so I just wanted to get a discussion going as to why this was such a highly touted piece of theater.

Calm down. All of you.

Actually, Ms. Elias does not sound like a man at all. She is a mezzo-soprano and that is her tone quality which I, like the majority of everyone else here, think is beautiful. The woman is 82 years old; most people would kill to sound like that at 82!

"Also, as for Roscoe, if you have listened to or seen numerous other renditions of the show, all of the Roscoes through time have a tone quality similar to that of Mr. Hayes..."

---- Okay, but if you've read my posts you know that I have not seen/heard other productions. I just didn't care for his voice, that's all. I do not need a cast of Natalie Weiss' up there belting out the tunes or riffing for no reason, but his voice was just not my cup of tea is all.

I just don't see the big deal in all this. We're not solving cancer here; we're discussing a mainstream Broadway musical.

[bk]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 9:00pm

From the way your posts are written, I hate to tell you that I just don't believe you're out of your teens. The fourteen-year-old I mentioned earlier told me he was out of his teens, too. He used wonderful sentences like, "In all my years of theatergoing" - and then I met him. Fourteen.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 9:50pm

RippedMan, I for one am perfectly calm. This is my first post in this thread.

But the phrase "a bunch of a dirty old theatre queens" makes me totally uninterested in anything you have to say.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:28am

Just got back from seeing it. IN. CRE. DI. BLE.

Very few "flaws" I think it was mentioned earlier that Maxwell is not a dancer. It shows in her "Follies" number. I hope she loosens up. She reminded me of Daniel Radcliffe but a bit more relaxed. She still did a great job.

Unfortunately one of the ensemble members, Erin Moore, dropped her cane about 2 minutes into "Live, Laugh, Love". It was very audible and kind of took you out of the number as she had to take several steps to get back in sync. You were kind of watching her for a bit to see if she might do it again.

Outside of that, it was a thrilling night at the theatre. "Who's That Woman" completely brought the house down to the point that there was almost a standing ovation. Houdyshell and Paige just nailed their songs. Paige's "I'm Still Here" built to a fabulous ending. Danny Burstein was perfect as Buddy. And Ms. Peters was...Ms. Peters. Perfection. Her "Losing My Mind" was delivered straight forward. She didn't try to "sell" it and that's what made it so wonderful. And that gown she wears is just spectacular. (As is ms. Maxwell's).

if you go, keep an eye on the stage during intermission and pay attention to your surroundings before the show. The set, for some reason, took me a bit to really like but it is a nice set. Some nice touches around the theater. I do think the fabric across the ceiling is a bit much and it doesn't extent to the very back of the house. (Although the lights on wires do). It does, however, give the theater a more intimate feeling.

There was merchandise (T-shirts, magnets, a pillow and CD's. Maybe more)

I plan to buy another ticket tomorrow and see it again. The crowd just ate up tonights performance. If you have any desire to see this, don't procrastinate. get a ticket and go.

Updated On: 8/17/11 at 12:28 AM

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:33am

I'm sorry, uncageg, I don't know this production. What does "dropped her can" mean?

She fell on her ass? She was drinking a soda and it slipped out of her hands? Are they taking out the trash during "Live, Laugh, Love"? Now that I think of it, the possibilities are endless...

(Whatever the answer, thanks for stimulating my imagination!)

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:39am

Is that better? I would think you may have realized I was typing fast and had typos. But, maybe you didn't...or did and decided to be sarcastic instead of being nice and just pointing them out.

[binau]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:41am

Maybe there is added subtext to her dropping her cane, like the dropping of Ben's facade, lol.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:43am

I thought someone said Maxwell danced MORE in the DC production?

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 1:23am

Don't you mean "that tall lady with all the Tony nominations?"

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 2:18am

uncageg, I am truly sorry. I swear I was not being sarcastic and didn't realize you had merely typed "can" for "cane." (And I have no excuse, because I have seen other productions of the show and I should have expected she had a cane for that number.)

I stupidly thought "dropped her can" was a reference to something unique to this production. And then I got to laughing at my own fantasies of what the phrase could mean.

But I was never mocking you. I promise I make too many typos myself to make fun of the errors of others. Glass houses, stones and all that.

Please accept my apology.
Updated On: 8/17/11 at 02:18 AM

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 8:53am

i saw it last week and it is awful. The direction is so boring, the "choreography" is a joke (why oh why did Jan MAxwell allow them to make her dance that much in the second act number is beyond me. She looks dreadful) and the performances, other than Jan's and Danny's are so stiff and stale. If her name wasn't "bernadette" people would be railing on her performance. Especially "losing my mind". And ron raines couldn't be more of an old school "park and bark" singer. I love the man's voice but wow.

Such a boring show. The demographic there was mainly over 50 white people who probably heard the score before and was excited to see it live. HOw this director (Glory days. MIllion Dollar Quartet) keeps getting jobs on broadway is beyond me. COME ON PEOPLE WAKE UP!

[FrauleinKost]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 9:16am

massofmen--curious, what was your familiarity with the show prior to you seeing this performance? Also, if you don't mind my asking--age range and your top 3 favorite Broadway shows.

If I was in school, I swear, I'd be doing a research project on this.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 9:21am

HOw this director (Glory days. MIllion Dollar Quartet) keeps getting jobs on broadway is beyond me. COME ON PEOPLE WAKE UP!

Eric Schaeffer is a huge fixture in DC theatre. He runs the very successful Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. GLORY DAYS originated in DC. This production of FOLLIES originated in DC. That's how he got the job.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 9:33am

Gavestone2, apology accepted.

For those who found it boring, I don't know what you were expecting. Special effects? AI belting? This show features some of the best talent out there doing what they do best. As far as the demographics were concerened, were you expecting all young kids? Did the older white people take away from your enjoyment? Did you think those people could have possibly seen the original, are Sondheim fans and also wanted to see a staged production of it? And what's wrong with them wanting to see it live? I did. I never saw the original or the first revival.

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 9:38am

oh i know how he got it, I am wondering why people still entrust him with these shows.

I have zero familiarity with this show. I knew, "losing my mind" and "broadway baby" and thats it from the music. Just because i know nothing about the show does not mean I cannot have an opinion. I though the show was dreadfully boring. I understand all the subtext its not difficult to figure out. For its time I am sure it was wonderfully poignant and new but now, to me it seems trite and dated. People around me were falling asleep, but clapped for the appropriate actor or actress that they remembered seeing in "sunday in the park" or "cats" when they were 30 yrs old 30 years ago.

my top 3 broadway shows in the history of broadway? Oh so you can put me in a box and judge me and make sure my tastes and standards are up to yours. Well then lemme see cause this is important to my status as an intelligent human being:

Sweeney Todd
A little night music
and the third is difficult. I would say Urinetown because it brought back a brilliant comedic style of making fun of its' own genre which many many shows are doing now. The honest humor and the writing is exploratory and brilliant and the the music has almost a Kander and Ebb "its brilliance is in its simplicity" quality to it. But choosing 3 out of thousands is semi-difficult. Wouldn't you say?

BUt i might also say cabaret because its really 2 shows in one. Its a brilliant score and the book is just incredibly dense with subtextual verse explaining relationships on the surface and underneath, but also the german culture as it began to change with censorship. What a great show.




what are your 3 fav musicals? Legally blonde, wicked and Wicked again?

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 9:55am

A lot of the work he's done at Signature has been really smart and well-received--it seems like New York just doesn't get to see him at his best, unfortunately.

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:03am

maybe thats true. Cause these 3 showings of his talent are pretty grim IMHO. I have heard its a magical place, seriously, and that the kander and ebb festival down there with "Kiss of the Spider woman, The Happy Time, and The visit" was amazing.

maybe he is a better facilitator than director.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:27am

It could be, although he directs a lot of the shows at Signature. I saw the KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN with Natascia Diaz, Hunter Foster, and Will Chase, and it was amazing. He scaled back the spectacle and the production reflected the grittier nature of the original novel and film, and it worked really well in an intimate space. (And the three lead performances were superb) GLORY DAYS never should have moved to Broadway--and they definitely weren't trying to, originally, until Peter Marks gave it a rave review in The Post and it seemed like the show could be another SPRING AWAKENING--but, having seen it, I didn't really think it was as bad as it was made out to be. The score has some really fine music, IMO, even if the show itself doesn't necessarily cohere.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:49am

I have only seen pictures and grainy video of the original production of 'FOLLIES". Last night I was a little underwhelmed by the set at first. It appears scaled back from the original. But after taking in what they did to the Marquis Theater interior, it all worked. I had expected the other staircases to be there at least for the opening when the gosts appeared or some kind of "transformation" but it was fine. I really loved how they just walked around that upper level and in and out of the door.

There are comments in another thread about bernadettes voice last night. Thinking back, she may have been having some vocal issues but I think she still sounded great.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:54am

I've always viewed Bernadette more as an "actor who sings" than a "singer who acts," despite the fact that she has made her career almost exclusively in musicals and is a recording artist in her own right. She's never had the sheer tonal beauty of someone like Dorothy Collins or Barbara Cook or Victoria Clark, to name three other women who have played Sally. But--and I'm speaking for myself here--I don't go to see Bernadette to be wowed by the beauty of her voice. And I'd take imperfect singing and a great performance over technical precision and blandness any day.

That said, I haven't seen her in New York in this production yet. Maybe she really is having issues. Maybe the years are catching up to her.

[FrauleinKost]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 11:15am

LMAO, massofmen, why on earth would you think I'm a fan of Legally Blonde or Wicked? Hated both, actually. I'm one of those people who are obsessed with Follies; there's not much crossover there.

I would have thought those would have been your responses, frankly. But I was wrong. Ah, well.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 11:29am

FrauleinKost, as someone who counts FOLLIES as one of their favorite shows as well, I do think that your post asking massofmen his age range and his three favorite shows, and then saying that you would assume that a show like WICKED would be among them, is condescending. It can be hard to realize that not everyone feels the same way as you about a show that is very near to you.

[Christoph]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 3:13pm

I have to agree with some of what you have said, RippedMan. I saw the show for the first time in DC with people making out like it was the Second Coming. I thought the end result was very uneven - there were some elements I enjoyed and some elements I did not like at all. Ironically, most of my issues seem to come from the book rather than the staging or the performances.

The first act of the show seems aimless and does come across often as a series of stand-alone numbers - some great, some not so great. The dialogue scenes between the four main characters really wore on me. It was like attending your high school reunion and discovering that everyone had returned as embittered disenchanted characters chronically bemoaning the states of their sorry unfulfilled lives. I thought the characters developed a bit more in Act 2, especially in the Loveland numbers.

Terri White was a real stand-out and I personally enjoyed Linda Lavin's number. Elaine Paige handled "I am Still Here" well, but she looked bored during the remainder of her stage time. I also thought Regine came off better than some indicated in her brief number. A number of the performers came off as wasted or forgotten - like Susan Watson or Florence Lacey.

Of the four leads, Danny Burstein and Jan Maxwell were simply amazing. I thought Burstein was also going to be wasted, but he was finally able to strut his stuff and craft a sympathetic character out of Buddy. Maxwell also is a delight. She rocks both of her big numbers and makes you root for her Phyllis to leave Ben.

By contrast, I was less impressed with Bernadette Peters and Ron Raines. I usually adore Peters and I thought she was in fine voice, but her "Losing My Mind" just did not affect me the way that it should. I am also not sure I agree with her acting decisions in playing Sally. Granted, I have not seen other interpretations, but Peters' Sally seems an irritating clinging nut almost from the get-go and it is impossible to develop much sympathy for her because she seems so far around the bend already from the start. Much like when Phyllis tells Ben to go to hell, I was glad when Buddy finally tells Sally where to stick it.

I know many disgree, but I found Raines stiff and boring in the role of Ben. It was impossible to understand why these women found him remotely charismatic. His voice is fine, if a bit generic, but there is no excitement in any of his numbers and I found very little introspection in his acting. His final breakdown seemed very artificial to me and I never found him remotely sympathetic or deserving of another chance.

I was also not thrilled that the characters ostensibly end where they began after all this soul-baring and chest-thumping. No one strikes out into new territory despite all of the threats about doing so. Other than the psychotic Sally, I can too easily see the remaining characters returning to business as usual after a good night's sleep, and I am fairly sure that is not the idea that I should be leaving the theater with.

All in all, I was glad to have seen it, but it is not one of my favorites. And I don't think age has anything to do with appreciation of it. My mother and a former work colleague, both in their late 50s attended with me, and while they liked a couple of numbers, neither of them particularly liked the show itself.

However, two very funny and memorable exchanges did happen that will stay with me for a while.

First, when Heidi Schiller comes out to that sedate music in Act 2 and lets loose with that potent operatic delivery, the two elderly women in front of me jumped and screamed - then looked at each other and started laughing.

Second, during intermission when the ghosts of the women were still meandering about on stage, the 60-ish woman on my right tapped me and asked "Do you understand who these young women are in the fancy dresses that keep wandering around in the background?" I said, "I believe they are the younger versions of the female characters." She looked at me as though I were crazy, started laughing and said "Oh, it's one of those shows!" And then turned laughing to her companion to tell her who the young woman were. I am still not quite sure what she meant by "those shows", but I thought it was humorous.
Updated On: 8/17/11 at 03:13 PM

[FrauleinKost]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 3:38pm

True, AC, and I apologize for that. To be honest, I'm really trying to get a sense of the demographic of people who DON'T like this show. To me, the opposite of Follies is Legally Blonde. But, you're right, it did come off as snarky, and for that I apologize.