Anyone going to the first preview of FOLLIES?

[explorer]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 10:37am

So looking forward to this. Updated On: 8/7/11 at 10:37 AM

[binau]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 10:41am

Yes. Excited!!!!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 11:40am

You will not be alone.

[AvenueQResident]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 1:04pm

Me! Just picked up a student ticket, and landed row K25 in the Mezz. Really excited for this one, first time watching Bernadette on stage!

Updated On: 8/7/11 at 01:04 PM

[binau]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 1:09pm

They appear to still have the pillow, hehe. And colour playbills.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 2:28pm

Can someone please post a picture of the pre show set up?

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:27pm

AveQ - what time did you get there? Any info you can provide on day one of rush is appreciated.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:30pm

Intermission...

Couple of quick things...

-Bernadette has a new dress. It's pink and less form-fitting, though it still has spaghetti straps.

-Jayne Houdyshell steals the first 20 minutes of the show. A huge improvement over Lavin.

-Florence Lacey and Elaine Page both have new wigs. Page has a new dress.

-Jan Maxwell remains brilliant.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:37pm

Much improved since DC! Bolero is still cut.
Bernadette's new dress is much better. It appears to have a flower print.
Paige looks STUNNING in her new dress and wig. She repeated the Shirley Temple twice.
Some minor book changes. A couple brand new lines. No real cut additions yet.

[theatrefreak0109]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 5:09pm

cant wait to go on tues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 5:24pm

>> Bolero is still cut.

Grrrrrrr......

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:01pm

Has Lucy and Jessie been re-staged?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:17pm

Lucy and Jessie only seemed to have some minor changes. Jan's dress has been altered for the better. She is much more comfortable with the dancing, but i think fans will still crucify the choreography.

Raines has gotten a lot better. His breakdown 10x more powerful now.
Bernadette fully gets Sally now. She will absolutely break your heart. Burstein and Maxwell are giving breakout performances.

Solange's dialogue has returned. And the montage is indeed back. Houdyshell nails it.

More thoughts later.

[Sauja]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:24pm

Anyone know if they did modify the choreography in "Lucy and Jessie" since DC? I looooved Jan Maxwell in the part but didn't think that number showed her off to her fullest advantage.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:29pm

She does a somersault at the end now.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 6:34pm

Maxwell did a somersault at the end in Washington too.

Does Houdyshell wear the same costume that Lavin did? Any staging changes to "Who's That Woman?"?

Updated On: 8/7/11 at 06:34 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:07pm

I must have missed it in DC. Thanks for clarifying.

Houdyshell has a different costume than Lavin. Her outfit is very frumpy, very plain Jane, as it were. I said it upthread, and I'll say it again here....Houdyshell is outstanding in her small role. The first 20 minutes of the show belong to her. She really nails the character, and is leagues better than Lavin, who seemed like all she was interested in doing was belting Broadway Baby and then going home.

I didn't notice any major changes to the staging of Who's That Woman?.

Mary Beth Peil, by the way, looks absolutely stunning. I hope I look as good as she does when I'm 71. Wow.

Another note...unlike DC, the walls and ceiling of the entire theater (as opposed to just the front) are covered in the dark drapes. There were worklights hanging from the ceiling in the mezzanine.

Updated On: 8/7/11 at 07:07 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:29pm

Another note...unlike DC, the walls and ceiling of the entire theater (as opposed to just the front) are covered in the dark drapes. There were worklights hanging from the ceiling in the mezzanine.

Wow that sounds awesome! So I take it they really built the design out into the Marquis?

[JMcD]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:02pm

I was there, Row M center. Couldn't believe my luck!

Didn't see the Kennedy Center version. Loved some things -- the set, the lighting, the costumes -- and was puzzled by a few others. Bernadette, may she live forever, has Sally pathetic to the point of being a little crazy. I think it's a step too far; if she's nuts, it diminishes her choices and the pathos. Also, a passive, needy creature doesn't really feel like her. I kept waiting for her to have more to do.

Jan Maxwell's Could I Leave You was a blockbuster. Just ripped the roof off. Her later Loveland sequence was fine, well executed, but somehow I didn't feel anything. Hers was the only follies moment that actually seemed a little flat.

I liked Houdyshell very much, what fantastic personality she delivers, but felt like her number could be more of a showstopper than she made it. Likewise, Elaine did fine (after repeating part of a verse), really fine as it went on, but the ending again could have gone to 11. (My one real note for Elaine, though, is change your bio. It begins, "EP, an actress, recording artist, producer and broadcaster, has made a major contribution to the modern musical, ensuring her own chapter in the entertainment world and the title 'The First Lady of the British Musical Theater.'" A bit much, especially after you flub the verse.)

I was very skeptical of Raines, but he was great. Got better and better as the show went on. His journey and Maxwell's are by far the strongest and clearest as the show is now.

Thrilled to see Peil out there; thought she carried her moment off pretty well, but she needed a sort of an angle on her song. It was well delivered, but I think there's more fun to be had there. Feels a bit like filler.

A couple of the ladies don't have their own numbers; I'm assuming numbers have been cut, but their presence up there ends up seeming strange as a result.

Last comment -- three times in the last 20 minutes cell phones rang in the orchestra. The first was as Bernadette, may she ever be exalted, paused to sing the last note of Losing My Mind. I kid you not. The second was during Live, Laugh, Love -- and went on and on -- and the last was as Ben and Phyl reconciled. People actually gasped out loud at the third incident.

Honest to goodness, I know any of us can mistakenly leave our phones on, but I nevertheless cast a gypsy hex under my breath. No one interrupts Bernadette, may her vocal cords be ever blessed, or Sondheim, may he write more shows (please!), damn it.

This is my first post here; I hope I haven't gone too long.

[AndersonTours]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:29pm

Maxwell remains wonderful. Bernadette (new dress/better) is better than ever. I think Ron Raines sings the hell out of the show. Maybe better than I've ever heard it. But there's no getting around the fact that he's not an actor. Burstein is, again, a surprise for me. His performance is so subtle for most of Act I that you hardly notice he's acting. Then wham he hits you with emotion and in Act II he delivers two terrific songs. He and Maxwell are especially excellent. Houdyshell is such a huge addition to the show. I am so glad they got her. She is the perfect Hattie. In the mold of Ethel Shutta, just what the role needs. Mary Beth Piel is so beautiful and also a huge improvement. Not a surprise, but still. The rest of the cast is excellent. Nice to see Don Corriea, even if it is only in a small role. The set seems to fit in better at the Marquis. Not sure why. It feels more intimate.
This is the best first preview I've ever attended. Not just saying that. I knew what to expect, for the most part, having seen it in DC, and it was even better than I remembered. Saw Mr. Sondheim in the audience. Wanted to talk to him having met him once before, but I let him be. Seeing him so happy made it even more special.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:38pm

Those unfortunate phone ringing incidents are ridiculous.

Don't some West End theaters use technology that scrambles cell phone signals? I feel like that's something that needs to be looked into here in New York.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:43pm

*Some spoilers and random thoughts*

The 'environmental set design' is truly environmental now. As Adam said, the entire theater is covered in sheets/drapes. There is a sense of destruction as soon as you enter the theater. There is also a new pile of rubble on stage left. The staircase also seems different.

Bernadette's entrance is still utterly stunning. She says so much without saying a word. Her performance has truly transformed since DC. She now has the perfect combination of girlish excitement and sadness. Completely gone are any traces of her Desiree. I think many fans will be pleased with her new dress, as it is much more 'Phoenix housewife.' There is a beautiful moment before "The Road You Didn't Take" - Raines attempts to hold Bernadette's hand, and then he pulls it back. You can practically feel the electricity shoot through Bernadette's body.

Mary Beth Peil indeed looked stunning. At first it was a bit jarring to hear her sing in such a low register, but she really sold the somewhat thankless number.

"Who's That Woman?" did not seem to have any major changes. I've grown to love the choreography for it. It truly brought the house down.

As I said earlier, there are some random new lines here and there. Before "Too Many Mornings," Ben now says "The one mistake I made was marrying Phyllis" - instead of "The one impulsive thing I did was marry Phyllis." That's a pretty big change. Maybe Raines just messed it up?

Lucy and Jessie is still not a home run. Jan is definitely more comfortable, but her choreography is way too "cutesy." I think it should be sexier. "Ah, But Underneath" is really the better number for her.
Updated On: 8/7/11 at 08:43 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 8:52pm

Bernadette's new dress was perfect. She was perfect. I was amazed by how much she delivered. I had heard mixed things about her in DC-- WOW!

Jan Maxwell was wonderful. "Leave You" was remarkable.

Danny Burstein and Ron Raines were the best two males leads since Nelson and McMartin.

The Montage went without a hitch. The Mirror Number was terrific-- though I still missed the Bennett original. (Wouldn't you?)

And to pay homage to Walter Kerr, there was one "wild wrong note." Elaine Paige. Woah. She looks great. She speaks her lines wonderfully. But essentially, Carlotta is all about "I'm Still Here", and not only did Paige out Yvonne DeCarlo Yvonne DeCarlo by way of forgetting lyrics, she had some kind of bizarre mental breakdown at the end, screaming and screeching. Oy vey.

The set was stunning. The costumes were great. The choreography was okay. The direction was swell.

SPOILER!!!

The whole Marquis Theatre is turned into the old theater. Really neat!
Updated On: 8/7/11 at 08:52 PM

[Hest882]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 9:00pm

Thanks for all the reviews. I have to wait until November to see this, so I'll be following along for months!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/7/11 at 9:14pm

I wanna see this enviornmenyal set design so bad... It sounds awesome. Was te Loveland set changed at all or is it still just the bed of roses design?