A community theater FOLLIES....- Page 4

[Kalimba]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 10:26am

Jordan honey, in that clip you kind of reminded me of Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd. Have you ever played that role before?

Regarding the community dreck production of Follies, the person who is responding to the negative comments, kind of reminds me of the guy from the "Judy and Me" thread. I wonder if they're the same person.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 10:27am

I applaud the charity, love, kindness and good-heartedness of everyone involved in the production. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether people think the production looks good or bad based on video clips, but it sounds like a nice theatre group.

[DrDemento]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 1:08pm

Mr. Matt,
I thank you for offering constructive criticism and putting things in perspective. People who base their entire opinion on a few video clips, or enjoy anonymously posting witty statements like I vomited to impress their "friends" do so with cowardice. This abomination as it has been expressed by the Frank Rich wannabees centered on a clearing of a throat and a botched clarinet line.Opinions about the dresses and the set are director's decisions that you can like or not,

Many in the cast who were in Follies, are with me again in City of Angels. We found it pretty funny what aspects of the show torked off the rabble here. All over a show that is far too long, poorly written( I pressed the director to add the 4 lines by Weisman, to give the audience a clue why suddenly the show has a "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition" moment. The original show was a financial hemorrhage that almost ruined Broadway, and has been consistently rewritten in any subsequent performances.

The ending is so bad, that it is the one section that was rewritten for our production, but a clip of that has not been posted. In the end, Phyllis was given her divorce that she orchestrated knowing there were still feelings between Ben and Sally. Buddy and Phyllis stroll out past the broken and troubled Ben and Sally, letting the audience know that Buddy's other woman all this time had been Phyllis.

Our group does good work with the available talent and resources from the area. I offer up to the Monday Morning Divas that if they feel they can do a better job, than we will be selecting our winter and spring production in 2 weeks. It is open to anyone who has the background and credentials to do what they feel they can cast from the group. You are welcome to come on down and even present the Sondheim show of your choice. Any Takers?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 1:21pm

it is the one section that was rewritten for our production, but a clip of that has not been posted. In the end, Phyllis was given her divorce that she orchestrated knowing there were still feelings between Ben and Sally. Buddy and Phyllis stroll out past the broken and troubled Ben and Sally, letting the audience know that Buddy's other woman all this time had been Phyllis.

That is the stupidest, stupidest, stupidest thing I have ever read. I wonder if you are just making stuff up now.

Is everyone involved with your shows this touchy? That should make the notes-giving process a real treat.





Updated On: 9/30/10 at 01:21 PM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 2:16pm

I would not call "Follies" or "City of Angels" 'family-friendly' shows....

It is a fair point to say that most things on youtube are actually better in person, not that I am defending your theatre in any way.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 3:04pm

I'm still stuck on this bizzaro ending where people can get divorced at The Weismann Bistro.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 4:01pm

The ending is so bad, that it is the one section that was rewritten for our production, but a clip of that has not been posted. In the end, Phyllis was given her divorce that she orchestrated knowing there were still feelings between Ben and Sally. Buddy and Phyllis stroll out past the broken and troubled Ben and Sally, letting the audience know that Buddy's other woman all this time had been Phyllis.

Okay, kids. Let's stop playing around. This just got serious.

DrDemento--are you aware that you have just admitted guilt, on a public forum, to one or more counts of copyright infringement?

Think about the ramifications of your actions beyond responding to snarky comments on a website. Your posts here are admitting to criminal action.

Federal copyright law establishes statutory fines for each act of copyright infringement, ranging from a minimum of $500 for "innocent" infringement to a maximum of $100,000 for "willful" infringement.

Your confession in this thread is an admission that your infringement was willful and not innocent. Your lawyer will wish you hadn't done that.

Music Theatre International, from which you licensed the stock-and-amateur rights--presuming, of course, that you DID license the rights--makes very clear on their website the penalties for willful and malicious actions such as yours:

When you are granted a performance license, by law the show you license must be performed "as is." You have no right to make any changes at all unless you have obtained prior written permission from us to do so. Otherwise, any changes violate the authors’ rights under federal copyright law. Without prior permission from MTI, your actions may subject you to liability - not only to the authors, but also to us - for breaching the terms of your license agreement, which clearly forbids you to make any changes or deletions....It’s important to remember that under Federal copyright law, not only can the director or producer who decided to change the work be held liable, but the entire production staff, cast and crew -- even the owner of the building, can be held liable, whether or not they knew they were part of a willful violation of copyright law.

Okay, DrDemento. Here's what you need to do:

Take a deep breath.

Delete your posts here (although some of them have been quoted).

Cease posting in this thread.

And for god's sake, man, delete those damn YouTubes before MTI does!

And next time you feel like rewriting a script, stick to some of the dead playwrights whose work is in the public domain.

Or just don't post about it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 4:17pm

God, I wish they put up a clip of their ending. I would love to send it to MTI.

Idiots.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 4:23pm

Watch "Could I Leave You" before it's gone!

Although PalJoey is quite right, I hope DrDemento doesn't leave us just yet. I want to know if the name Margie was changed to Phyllie in The Right Girl and Buddy's Blues.

[JOak]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 4:23pm

"The ending is so bad..."
The one you used is worse.

And I can't fathom anyone liking that set. Don't mention budget, if you had budget for that, you surely had budget for a nice staircase.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 5:19pm

How could Phyllis get a divorce when the show takes place in the span of about 12 hours? Was there a 24 hour drive-thru courthouse available?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 5:42pm

I think this "improved" ending just trumped what's his face from a month or two ago who bragged about the "brilliant" rewrites to the end of his local production of Rent where Mimi was going to die.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 6:26pm

I've always heard that The James Street Players leave much to be desired, but I didn't realize they ere this bad.

Imagine re-writing a show without the author's conset, mounting a dreadful production of it and then posting clips from it on YouTube; expecting everyone to fall head over heels in love with its brilliance!

I really want to see CITY OF ANGELS the same way I wanted to see IN MY LIFE--to laugh my way through it!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 6:33pm

After hearing the "justifications" for the unauthorized (and ill-conceived) re-writes to Follies I'm sure there will be some brilliant inserts in City of Angels to help their poor audiences understand what is going on with the various character doubling. Or maybe they'll just split all the doubled parts between two actors to make sure their audience knows what's going on.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 6:51pm

I want to know if the name Margie was changed to Phyllie in The Right Girl and Buddy's Blues.

Maybe because in this inane production Buddy ended up with Phyllis? So bizarre. Especially because there is zero evidence in the book that suggests Phyllis was always Buddy's other woman.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 7:16pm

You know, all of this is an insult to the audience. Obviously the "director" feels a need to dumb-down the material so they can comprehend it.

[chellie]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 7:22pm

I think this "improved" ending just trumped what's his face from a month or two ago who bragged about the "brilliant" rewrites to the end of his local production of Rent where Mimi was going to die.

HA. I agree. The funniest part is that both of them were looking for praise for changing the ending of a show they presumably wanted to do in the first place. It's so odd. If the original ending is that disagreeable to you, then you should just pick a different show to put on.
Updated On: 9/30/10 at 07:22 PM

[Director =)]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 9:04pm

I spent two years in community theater before moving on to study it at the college level. I am now a master's degree student in directing.

I think what needs to be kept in mind is that very, very few in community theater have any theater training whatsoever. Some people give up their "dream" and find it in community theater, where they don't have to be in top physical shape or be the next Patrick Stewart or whoever you like in terms of acting. Directing is MUCH more of an art than saying "Yeah, I know what upstage and downstage means, so I can direct." Acting and performing is more than learning your lines or your songs.

That said, I think the criticism is a wee bit harsh. At the same time, posting those videos does invite criticism.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 9:25pm

The space is not optimum for theater since it is without fly space, wing space, and any item that enters the stage has to be smaller than 3 feet.

I've seen plenty of black box spaces do a lot better with a lot less. They just have the sense to pick the shows and stage them with the space in mind instead of trying to shoehorn a full size show in. It looked like a Punch and Judy routine with Sally and Ben popping out on that tiny puppet theatre in the background.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 9:28pm

It looked like a Punch and Judy routine with Sally and Ben popping out on that tiny puppet theatre in the background.

Yes!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 9:55pm

>>>"I spent two years in community theater before moving on to study it at the college level"<<<

You can STUDY community theater in college? What did Community Theater 101 consist of?

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 10:45pm

Stupidity runs rampant here on BWW, DrDemento...and yes, I am directing this at you.

I don't think anyone can deny that the original book of FOLLIES has its flaws, we have recognized that and we have learned to accept it. However, it is a helluvalot better than the 'revisals' which have tampered with the original book (ie, the Roundabout 2001 and the Papermill). The original production of FOLLIES was a milestone in Broadway history, something so stunning and extravagant that we may never see the likes of again. The critics have always been split when it comes to FOLLIES--the book needs work, but the score is stunning and has inspired people since the 70s. It is also a gamble to produce; I know, I'm a theatre producer myself. Though it is a great show, it has somewhat of a 'cult' following and the costs are sky-high if you want to do it correctly. and don't get me started on the types of people you need to cast it well...


Best wishes with your future career in the theatre.



(and I am sorry for going off on a tangent at some points here)

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 11:14pm

Well said, SondheimFan!

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/1/10 at 12:34pm

Will DrDemento ever return??

[bk]

Posted: 10/1/10 at 12:51pm

a) not all community theater is created equal

b) Pal Joey's post says it all. The chutzpah of the "Dr. Demento" and the "director" of this production is beyond repair, I'm afraid and while I was annoyed at the comments in this thread initially, my annoyance with them pales in comparison to my annoyance with Dr. Demento and the director.

c) note to Dr. Demento and the director: Follies was, at the time of its original mounting, the most expensive show in Broadway history - I believe costing $700,000. It ran for 522 performances, a respectable run - no, it did not recoup, but the run was in no way a disaster. Follies did not need your "help." I will defend its original book forever and every subsequent "rethinking" or "revising" of it has lessened what was, for me, the most brilliantly conceived, performed, directed, and choreographed show I have ever seen. You, sir, are not a patch on the butt cheeks of anyone associated with the show (and that includes the ushers) and therefore your chutzpah in "fixing" their work IS vomit-inducing, I'm afraid.

d) Shame on you.

e) Shame on me for even taking the time to respond.

f) I am forwarding your post to Mr. Sondheim, who, I'm sure, will not be amused or, depending on the time of day and what he's doing, may be amused.
Updated On: 10/1/10 at 12:51 PM