Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix "Follies"- Page 2
Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix "Follies"
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#25Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 11:29am
jv92, now that's just unfair. I didn't say the book was a failure. In fact, it's exactly what the show needed in terms of script. Calling it a nasty piece of work was not an insult, but a comment on the tone of the work, which is intentionally mean-spirited. I don't even have a problem with that, as there are many excellent movies and plays that are mean-spirited. I was merely saying that the show was designed to be on stage, and not to be read. Now, the production I saw (at the Kennedy Center) just wasn't that kind of crazy good production that the original was, so it didn't really work for me as a whole. I wasn't really bored by it, but in the end I just couldn't care what happened. It's a mood piece, and when the mood isn't there, it doesn't really work.
#26Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 11:53am
I really wouldn't call the Follies book "mean-spirited," it's merely unsentimental. I think the point of view is very sympathetic towards Sally, Ben, Phyllis, and Buddy. They're simply not bathed in the artificially pink light of sentiment.
#27Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 12:20pm
newintown said: "...Some like to see Follies as a parade of old folks strutting their stuff in flashy, old-fashioned musical numbers. But Follies (need it be said again?) is about how life takes us all to places we never expected or wanted to go.
A friend from high school married his first love, had several children, has worked the same respectable job for decades, is now a still-happily-married grandfather; and yet time and again, he'll muse about how he had to abandon his dream of medical school when their first child came so early in his life, and he had to get a job right away. He will always wonder about his life as a doctor, the life that never happened.
That is what Follies is about."
I could not agree more. The 2011 revival of FOLLIES (which I saw 3 times in DC and once in NY) was a great showcase for older talent but I really loved the actors they got for the young counterparts. Not only were they wonderfully talented voice and dance-wise, they broke my heart when you would catch glimpses of what Ben, Phyllis, Buddy, and Sally had been. That's Goldman's writing. Some of the more high profile productions of "Follies" haven't been able to make those book scenes work due to directorial or casting choices that are in contrast with the delivery required. I've too often seen Young Phyllis' that were cold and standoffish from the beginning and I think for the pathos of the character to truly come through, you need to contrast brittle, witty, and wounded Older Phyllis with a softer and more vulnerable counterpart.
I found myself deliciously waiting for 'Could I Leave You' and the following verbal 'cacophony'. The breakdown that precedes 'Loveland' is absolutely chilling and brilliant if done correctly. I was already welling up after the song but the tears would flow unashamedly when Young Phyllis would ask for a baby at the exact time Sally berated her younger self for screwing Ben. It's so intense and I now understand why in every production of FOLLIES I've ever seen, 'Loveland' gets applause. It's from relief.
I'm sure part of that reaction in the original production was Aronson's brilliant sets but, having seen college, summer stock, regional, and Broadway productions of FOLLIES, it's interesting that the visual of decaying theater and miserable people immediately contrasted with colorful scenery and beautifully costumed showgirls is always shockingly awesome - whether done on a grand scale or not.
FOLLIES should be performed more. I'd love to see a MUNY FOLLIES with Beth Level as Stella or Carlotta. Maybe 2017?
"...ah, gays and their wit. Hell must be a laugh a minute!"
-Evie Harris
Updated On: 11/18/15 at 12:20 PM
neonlightsxo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
#28Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 1:10pm
Thanks to all for the interesting comments. This thread is great.
(Except Fantod, who I have blocked.)
evic
Broadway Star Joined: 3/5/04
#29Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 1:49pm
Phyllis has some really biting zingers in the original book like commenting on another chorine's outfit- "I didn't know this was a costume party" and "Now THAT was a riveting remark!"
#30Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 2:13pm
There have always been people who feel about Follies the way that Fantod does. It's just odd to hear someone so young express that opinion in those words.
It make me feel like I'm back as a teenager in 1971, obsessed by Follies and feeling like I'm the only one in the world who likes it.
I haven't heard someone grouse about the show like that in decades!
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#31Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 2:41pm
Of course, these days, everyone likes to pretend that everyone thought Follies was amazing, when many very intelligent people didn't. Now I'm treated like an idiot for having the same opinion as hundreds of others.
#32Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 2:54pm
Follies wasn't doing anything they weren't doing in the American new-wave film movement at the same time (Cassavetes' "Faces" preceded Company by two years and Follies by three, and was about ten times as abrasive as either), it was just doing it in a medium that, traditionally, doesn't/didn't outwardly support that kind of violent introspection. It does moreso today, even in the glitzy Disneyland orgy atmosphere, with thanks to musicals like Follies (and A Chorus Line and Evita and so on), but it's hard to replicate what made the original Follies production what it was. Like you said, without the mood it's nothing, but to get that mood you have to emotionally pack the show with true fear, menace, and disappointment, like a Lars von Trier movie or something, but that doesn't sit well with producers.
#33Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 3:38pm
neonlightsxo, totally agree. And with Fantod blocked, I find this website to be a lot less negative and self-centered.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#35Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 6:56pm
Guys, guys, guys! FOLLIES is as sacred to me as to anyone. The first time I saw it remains the most thrilling 2 hours I have spent in a theater.
Nonetheless, Fantod is entitled to his opinion.
Unhappy people tend to lash out at others. (I'm talking about the characters now, not Fantod.) Even Sally herself notes the rancor of the evening: "I don't want to fight with you, Phyl." As with VIRGINIA WOOLF, there will always be some people who don't want to spend their evening watching the carnage.
A co-worker at the now-closed FABULOUS PALM SPRINGS FOLLIES was very disappointed with the most recent revival when it came to LA. "What are they all whining about?" he asked me later. "The old people at the PS FOLLIES are all so positive!" I replied, "Of course, they're positive: they're still working in their 70s! That isn't an option for the characters in the play." But he disliked the show because he found its view of aging depressing. Myself, I think he's in denial.
Updated On: 11/18/15 at 06:56 PM
#36Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 7:40pm
I was utterly transfixed with Follies from the first time I heard the score (through the Papermill recording), at the ripe age of 14. I've spent so many hours over the years watching the various videos, mining the internet for the stunning photos, the glorious soundboard. I can understand the obsession the many people who were fortunate enough to have seen the OBC felt.
I have the original script and I absolutely agree it's the best version. Everyone is always talking about how flawed the book and show as a whole is. I DON'T SEE IT. I find it much more thought-provoking and enjoyable than those "oh-so-perfect" musicals like MY FAIR LADY or HELLO DOLLY. It's shadowy and wrenching and so gloriously tragic, with the funny lines and bright production numbers making it even more stabbing. It's not a happy show but it leaves such a feeling with you, in a way the "perfect" shows have never affected me.
I think certain people are enamored with this show and others aren't and no one can change that. I don't know what ingredients make up a hardcore FOLLIES fan but I am one.
Keeping BroadwayWorld Illustrated
Updated On: 11/18/15 at 07:40 PM
#37Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 8:01pm
Nowack, those pictures are glorious!
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
#39Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 8:42pm
Mr. N, those pictures are wonderful. Actually looking at the picture of "One More Kiss" makes me wonder how Prince/Bennett staged it originally; I don't think it was filmed at all from the countless footage we have gotten.
#40Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/18/15 at 9:37pm
Yes, the One More Kiss" photo is the one that grabbed my eye the most. It's not a number that is hyped up much despite being very important thematically. I remember someone saying once that Heidi is supposed to be the only one that understands what's going on with the ghosts, and I think that comes through marvelously in that image.
Martha Swope's work on the show (some of her earliest I would say?) is spectacular, the images are stunning and capture the essence of the show spectacularly. It is sad you can't see the set (draped in shadow as it was) in any of them. Except maybe a few of the "loveland" sequence.
Keeping BroadwayWorld Illustrated
Wilmingtom
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
#41Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 1:16am
As others have said, the original production of Follies was a mind bending, game changing experience. I am on team Goldman where the book is concerned. His sardonic comedy would have been at odd with what Simon would have brought to the table. As for the central metaphor, the material is strong enough to read into it what you like. But famously Frank Rich, as a senior at Harvard writing a review in the school newspaper, opined that it was, essentially, about the death of the Golden Age of Broadway. And time has proven him astute. Those old gals coming down that rickety staircase hadn't much farther to go, and the two central couples would go right back to where they came from and...what?...wait to die? Follies made clear that the days of My Fair Lady and Pajama Game and Bells Are Ringing and Hello, Dolly! were over. Certainly subsequent shows followed the blueprints of those predecessors but after Follies, there were new, more profound possibilities.
#42Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 11:05am
You're absolutely right Musical Master, "One More Kiss" was the only musical number which was never filmed of the original production (up to date). There is another song which was technically not filmed, and that's part of the B'way Baby trio, "Listen to the Rain on the Roof". But there is footage of that song from the end of the trio, so you can see part of the choreography.
All the other numbers were filmed, even if in very short, 10-second clips, and are incorporated in this reconstruction I created: 1971 Follies Movie (Original 1971 Broadway Production ...
#43Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 11:22am
As much as I love and adore the work Florence Klotz did for all of the costumes in the original production, I think Gregg Barnes' costumes for the ghosts in the Kennedy Center/Broadway 2011 production are the best looking out of all the various productions over the years. I mean look at these, that is drop dead gorgeous! No wonder Barnes won a Tony Award for his work on Follies.
#44Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 11:39am
They're stunning - every single element of 'One More Kiss' is perfection and I love the dress for Young Heidi.
"...ah, gays and their wit. Hell must be a laugh a minute!"
-Evie Harris
#45Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 11:40am
Barnes' costumes were quite nice, but, like the rest of that poorly conceived production, suffered perhaps from being overly-literal. They look more like actual costumes from the Ziegfeld Follies, rather than (as the script suggests) people's exaggerated memories of Follies costumes.
#46Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 1:05pm
Surry but no. Nothing beats Flossie Klotz's sense of character and what she did with those ghosts.
#47Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 1:24pm
Don't get me wrong, Florence Klotz's designs for Follies are still the best designs when it comes to our main characters, the party guests, the Loveland sequence as a whole, and the ghosts have a surreal beauty to their look. But I can't ignore the beauty, intricacy, and charm that Gregg Barnes had worked so hard on the Broadway revival in 2011. But we can definitely agree that the set designs by the legendary Boris Aronson will never, EVER be topped.
#48Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 2:16pm
I liked the costumes in the 2011 revival, but everything about it was so unfeelingly concrete and unimaginative.
#49Michael Bennett's Attempt to Fix
Posted: 11/19/15 at 2:23pm
I agree Charley Kringas Inc, I'd blame the direction, choreography, and set design for that. If Bartlett Sher and his crew worked that revival instead of what we got, it would've been a hugely different story.
