Elaine Paige Joins FOLLIES on Broadway; Tickets on Sale- Page 3

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/5/11 at 11:22pm

I soooo did.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/5/11 at 11:35pm

I've seen a couple of clips from different shows where she REALLY effs up the song, to the point that she's just singing random words through most of the final lines, but in the performance I saw she gave a different performance.

And I still liked the dress. So there!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/5/11 at 11:40pm

I still don't know if I really believe that she let Florence Lacey recite her "I never get a chance to talk" speech. I know she gives the speech to Lacey, but why in the world would she let Lacey randomly recite it one night?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 12:03am

Is it possible she dropped the line and Florence Lacey was just moving the scene along?

I guess I was lucky I saw her in such good form. Although it would have been fun to see some crazy.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 12:21am

I really enjoyed her performance--it just needed to be toned down and musicalized a notch which I'm sure Sondheim will help with. (example: career to career to career)

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 1:21am

I am really happy about Paige transferring with the production. I thought she was very good, and it is definitely one of my favorite versions of "I'm Still Here".

[newintown]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 9:14am

It wasn't that she gave one line to Lacey - Lacey did the entire speech, delivered to Weissman. Paige wasn't even on stage at the time.

It's possible that Elaine didn't bother to leave her dressing room, and when the time came for the scene-let, Flo just grabbed the nearest actor and went out and did it.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 9:23am

Interestingly on the 25th of November, 23rd and 30th of December they have friday Matinees.

Do they have off for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Christmas and New Year's Eve/New Year's?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 9:49am

Thanks for posting AEA, I knew the reference was there somehwere I just couldn't remember what it was.

Was it John Barrowman that played Joe to her Norma? He's something like 6' and she's only 4'8". All I remember is that it looked like Joe was dancing with a child. I had to look down to see if she was standing on his feet while they danced.

[snookyookums]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 10:14am

The night that everyone keeps mentioning, where she 'gave' her speech to Flo Lacey and didn't do Mirror Mirror, Elaine was ill - food poisoning I heard. She was unable to do that line and that number, but came back to do her song and finish the show. That's heroic, if you ask me. I would've gone home and let my understudy finish!

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 10:33am

That's heroic, if you ask me. I would've gone home and let my understudy finish!

I hear former Evitas are very suspicious of their understudies.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 10:41am

I so wanted to like Paige's performance in DC, but just didnt. She was just not up to the role or the song, imo. There are different ways to portray Carlotta and I loved both Miller and Bergen live - SO different, but Paige just did not seem to get the song at all.

This is the first performance of hers I've seen live, but on television I've found her perfs uneven.

LOVE her "Dont Cry for Me...", HATE her "Memory".

Whatevs, I would've liked to see someone else do the role and am surprised she is bothering with the bad reviews she got.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 11:11am

Now see on the night in question, I heard that she started singing: the actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear and then Flo Lacey jumped in and started an Evita show-down (ala Anything you can do, I can do better).

[theeatah]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 11:54am

It seems odd to me that Florence Lacey would play leading roles (including Sally Durant Plummer) for Eric Schaeffer and then agree to play a bit part in his new production of Follies. Has she been guaranteed that she'll get to go on as Sally/Carlotta? Or is it more likely a case of a sweet deal money-wise?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 12:07pm

"Whatevs, I would've liked to see someone else do the role and am surprised she is bothering with the bad reviews she got."

A girl's got to eat.

[snookyookums]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 12:54pm

Amen. Money is money and Broadway is Broadway. I don't think any of us would turn down that chance.
Updated On: 7/6/11 at 12:54 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 8:38pm

Got my ticket this afternoon. Can't wait!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 9:11pm

Lacey seems to have no problem understudying.


From Playbill in December...

"Who ever would have thought that at this age I'm still getting these crazy jobs?," Lacey laughs. "It's all because of my dear Eric. It's gonna be thrilling just to be around all that star power." Lacey, who will play the role of Sandra Crane, actually played the role of former Follies star Sally Durant Plummer in the Signature's 2002-03 production of the musical — two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters will play that role at the Kennedy Center. "That's why Eric called me," Lacey explains, "and said he hated to do this to me but would I mind standing by for Bernadette? I said, 'Oh, my God! I'll be so honored. I'll get to brag about it. Are you kidding?' As long as she never gets sick!"

I have a feeling she'll get to go on as Carlotta. I don't see Bernadette being out unless she's very ill and unable to sing the score.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/6/11 at 10:24pm

I don't think there's anything odd about it at all. This is a bigger production and Bernadette Peters is a bigger star. Those facts just are. No judgment. No hatin'.

I wish I had seen her play Sally at Signature. She's got such a different presence than Bernadette Peters and I wondered what she might be like in the role. Like, would she wear her Sandra costumes or would they have a Flo Lacey red dress and a dress like Bernadette's in Losing My Mind?

And it's a shame she's not also understudying Phyllis, because I could do a lot of rhymes with Lacey and racy and precis.
Updated On: 7/6/11 at 10:24 PM

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/9/11 at 9:24pm

Very exicted to see EP again in "Follies." I got my ticket last night for Sat evening, Sept 24th with the current discount code.

I was going to see the show the 3rd week of November when I'll be there, but according to Ticketmaster, EP will be out of "Follies" from 11/7 - 11/27. It doesn't say why..??

Either way, I'm thrilled to see the show again.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/10/11 at 12:12am

Elaine was definitely one of the only actors in this production who really did it for me. I loved her rawness and energy in her singing, but hated the staging with those waiters. Her last notes were spine tingling.