Can we just start planning for an Audra McDonald LCT Barlett Sher Follies now?

[binau]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 6:22pm

A tradition that should become sacred is when we finally get the 'afterparty' Follies production from a retired Rose (see, Bernadette in FOLLIES/GYPSY (11/03) and Imelda Staunton in FOLLIES/GYPSY (17/15). 

Having finally now with Audra GYPSY completed the 'red dress' set at the Sondheim birthday concert - all red dresses starring in major Sondheim productions on Broadway - It only seems right now that Audra is the next FOLLIES/GYPSY (XX/24). Where XX seems likely to fall somewhere between 26-31.

Audra might be the greatest Sally we haven't seen yet - a gorgeous soprano voice that has enough pathos to make 'In Buddy's Eyes' and 'Too Maning Mornings' haunting, and as she has just proven in "Coming Up Roses" on Broadway she also has a bit of chest-sounding power to make "Losing My Mind" hit different. If Nicole proves too difficult a competitor come Tony time perhaps Audra's 'Sally' will end up making up for it in a kind of Kelli O'Hara Bridges/King and I situation. 

The lack of an afterparty Follies production with Audra would certainly be something I could agree is a micro aggression, or just plain aggression. And maybe it will do something that no other Follies production has managed to do so far on Broadway and turn a profit. The grosses of GYPSY right now seem to be proving the idea that for some strange but not so strange reason people want to see Audra in musicals, not plays. 

When Audra does Follies I might stop talking about how BERNADETTE WAS ROBBED in 2011 for not being nominated for Follies. Michael riedel actually suggested that production might turn a profit but he was wrong just as he was wrong trashing Bernadette in her 2003 Gypsy - after about 12 weeks sales dived and the show played to half empty houses, la la la.

I can start compiling the notorious list of FAQs and comments that will come in:

* Is bolero d'Amore in or not in?
* How does "Broadway Baby" end? Trio or solo?
* A very.small minority who will ask every time whether "Ah, Underneath" might make it in instead of "Lucy and Jessie" but it never makes it in and no one except this tiny consistent minority seem to actually want this lol 
* posters who pop out of the shadows who say they saw the original production literally like 55 years ago and will somehow seem to believe they can perfectly remember every detail of every written word, note, song, costume and stage direction to be able to tell us why it was so much better and can never be repeated again in history 
* WHAT COLOUR IS THE DRESS?
* finally no one complaining that Audra's voice doesn't suit the past unlike the two previous FOLLIES/GYPSYs
* Likely me saying that when we went through the last revival of Follies, I still remember someone here once said the show would resonate at different points in life and now that I am watching the show XX years later (likely 15-20 years later inline with above) I absolutely agree
* The audience will be holding their breathe at the first preview hoping to god that the lights turn off before they start the PROLOGUE, which is almost as sacred as the Overture currently being exposed at the Majestic by bright naked light STOP TALKING AUDIENCE bright naked light each night right now

To help save the production some casting director costs I've done you the great favour in casting some of the show no need to thank me: 

* Sally - Audra McDonald 
* Buddy - Danny Burstein - YES bring him BACK. A Gypsy reunion and maybe a very cool strange situation where someone wins a Tony award for their second not first attempt at the role? (In 2011 Follies it felt like there was buzz he'd win but it never eventuated)
* Phyllis - Donna Murphy - YES bring HER back from Encores! Donna Murphy deserves to be back in a major Sondheim role. Her work is top tier - and maybe it will be Donna and not Audra taking the Tony home! 
* Ben - Brian Stokes Mitchell

YES how HAUNTING is the idea of Audra's Sally longing for Brian's Ben after Ragtime etc. the subtext is almost too much to bear. That "Too Many Mornings" would be so heartbreaking I don't think words could ever describe the pain. 

Realistically, this may be the last Follies revival to celebrate the legacy of the Birthday concert red dresses women while we still have most of them (RIP Marin and Elaine!). Respectfully will flip character/actor to actor/character now to introduce THEY ALL NEED TO BE THERE AS THEY WON'T ALL BE COMING DOWN THESE STAIRS AGAIN. WHO IS LEFTTTTTT???? 

Patti LuPone - Carlotta. AND LOOK AT THE OLD GIRL NOW FELLAS she has been making it big in the last few years on screen, earning her credentials (if not held already), and her "I'm Still Here" would bring the house down. Patti LuPone's ego vice that she won a Tony for Gypsy and not Bernadette would be boosted in a new construct where SHE BEATS BERNADETTE PETERS FOR A TONY IN THE SAME SHOW! 

Bernadette Peters - Hattie. No one encapsulates "Broadway Baby" more than Bernadette Peters who was a child actress in the national tour of Gypsy! Gurl has been working hard for decades since and feels like she has literally worked with everyone: Sondheim, ALW, Jerry Herman, Marvin Hamlisch (AND PROBABLY COPES WITH HER OWN EGO BOOST THAT SAM MENDES CHOSE HER AND NOT YOU PATTI FOR GYPSY!!! Even if it was because Arthur Laurents 'had his hand in there')

BUT there could be a Wild Card if everyone is sick of Bernadette singing "Broadway Baby" by then because of "Old Friends" opening next spring. Perhaps we'll get a Patti Hattie "BroadwAYYYYy BABBBBBBBBBBBBBYYYYYYYYYYYYY" and a Bernadette Carlotta (I have a sneaky suspicion she will find a way to break ground and act with hilarious expressions throughout, once again impressing and creating a mini play in a song for herself). PATTI HAND BACK THAT TONY GURL BERNADETTE IS COMING FOR IT.

LCT present AUDRA DONNA PATTI BERNADETTE DANNY BRIAN in FOLLIES. 

Where can I invest? 




 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 6:45pm

Until your dream becomes reality, at least there is this for those who need it.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 6:49pm

Remember that time Sondheim called Audra arrogant?

Did they ever kiss and make up?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 6:49pm

Given Sher’s track record of late, that’s a hard pass from me. 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 6:55pm

I’d like Megan Mullally in there somewhere, binau. If you commit to that, I will invest.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 7:28pm

binau said: "somewhere between 26-31"

I think 31 is the beginning of the range for another Follies, by which time Bart will have made his graceful exit from the premises.

 

Updated On: 12/8/24 at 07:28 PM

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 8:47pm

I don't see Audra in Follies at all really. She isn't really right for Sally or Phyllis. I think O'Hara and Benanti in Follies would be better casting. I do agree that we're probably due for a revival in the next 5 or so years.

Who do we want as Carlotta? Lupone? Would she do it? Let them put her in the little box?

Updated On: 12/8/24 at 08:47 PM

[inception]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 8:57pm

By 2031 both Peters & Lupone will be over 80.  If they're  still here, doubt they'll still be performing 8 shows a week.

Updated On: 12/8/24 at 08:57 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 9:13pm

Glenda Jackson played King Lear at 83!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 9:56pm

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Remember that time Sondheim called Audra arrogant?

Did they ever kiss and make up?"

I believe he only called out the creative team on that?  " He also praised its stars Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald, adding that by the time it opens, perhaps the creative team "will have earned their arrogance," but suggested changing the title to Diane Paulus's Porgy and Bess. "

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/8/24 at 10:28pm

inception said: "By 2031 both Peters & Lupone will be over 80. If they're still here, doubt they'll still be performing 8 shows a week."


Oh.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 12:50am

Thanks, Eric - I guess I misremembered.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 3:01am

We wouldn't see Audra tackle another major broadway role until at least 2027-8...but this may be the perfect opportunity for me to share my long-held dream cast for an All-Black FOLLIES.

Audra as Sally (she would indeed be perfect.) Renee Elise Goldsbury as Phyllis; Wayne Brady as Buddy. Norm Lewis as Ben...I'd suggest Stokes, but Norm closer to the right age (the characters are all late 40s, early 50s)...and also I don't think my heart could take a Stokes-Audra "Too Many Mornings." Andre de Shields as Dmitri Weismann. LaChanze as Solange, Lillias White as Hattie, Keica Lewis as Stella, Denyce Graves as Heidi...and Jennifer Holiday as Carlotta. 

The world would lose it's f***ing mind. 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 3:32am

I kind of hate to say it, but I think Follies is about f*cked up white people and a lot of the things they sing and talk about in the show are very specific and do not really reflect black life or experiences of that era.

I do wonder if having a black Sally and Buddy with a white Ben and Phyllis would add an interesting layer to the show

[WhoCouldBeBlue]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 7:21am

Georgeanddot2 said: "I kind of hate to say it, but I think Follies is about f*cked up white people and a lot of the things they sing and talk about in the show are very specific and do not really reflect black life or experiences of that era.

I do wonder if having a black Sally and Buddy with a white Ben and Phyllis would add an interesting layer to the show"

Racism in Follies.  What a stretch.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 7:55am

I prefer my blind casting with zero political agenda, like the Pearly Bailey/Cab Calloway HELLO, DOLLY! and the 1976 Broadway revival of GUYS & DOLLS. Just all-black actors playing roles normally played by white actors.  Nothing more. Their race isn't addressed nor any reality check tossed in regarding the history of their race during the time those musicals take place in. Miss the days where nothing was dissected like a legal document.  

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 8:13am

Oh Audra is much too tall for Sally and she is too powerful a presence to sing songs like Don’t Look at Me.  Though in isolation her Too Many Mornings with Nathan Gunn is stunning. 
 

And yes, I’m in the minority but I think Ah, But Underneath is much better than Lucy and Jessie in reflecting Phyllis’ dilemma. The former was apparently written because Bennet wanted to choreograph a big number for Smith (and from what I’ve read it was stunningly staged). 

[binau]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 8:52am

Sondheim definitely called out Audra among others suggesting that Audra showed ‘disdain’ for the Opera. He might not have used the term arrogant, but I think if you read the note it’s the kind of thing that I don’t think Audra would have enjoyed reading and would have made for an uncomfortable meeting with Sondheim after this. They are both reasonable adults I would blindly guess that they had private follow up conversations and resolved any differences  

https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/stephen-sondheim-takes-issue-with-plan-for-revamped-porgy-and-bess/

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 8:55am

The former was apparently written because Bennet wanted to choreograph a big number for Smith (and from what I’ve read it was stunningly staged).

Here ya go and… enjoy!

 

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 9:11am

Can we...just calm down?

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 12:45pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "I prefer my blind casting with zero political agenda, like the Pearly Bailey/Cab Calloway HELLO, DOLLY! and the 1976 Broadway revival of GUYS & DOLLS. Just all-black actors playing roles normally played by white actors. Nothing more. Their race isn't addressed nor any reality check tossed in regarding the history oftheir race during the time those musicals take place in. Miss the days where nothing was dissected like a legal document.



"

Whether you want to recognize it or not, these black performers 100% played these characters as black people and the work opened up and allowed for them to exist within their truth. I'm not sure Follies would do the same. Would Carlotta sing about the same things in "I'm Still Here" if she were a black woman, I don’t think so. I think colorblind casting that seems to deny the actor is a PoC is not as progressive as people think it is.

Then again, I'm always open minded and with the right director, I could see an all black cast for Follies being really special and maybe they'd find all kinds of interesting things in the text.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 7:34pm

Binau… that was actually worse than I remembered! Sondheim sure ripped into Audra.

[Emma White]

Posted: 12/9/24 at 8:21pm

Her Phyllis is obviously Nicole Scherzinger