Encores! Follies added another performance?

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/22/06 at 11:52pm

http://www.nycitycenter.org/ticketing/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=2089

Showing a Monday performance at 7?

I guess tickets are in high demand, they are addiing another night?

I'm a little upset, I thought I would be seeing the closing night on Feb. 11.

Any info on the added performance?

[Just_John]

Posted: 12/23/06 at 12:03am

threadjack: Is this a benefit concert or a full musical with sets and costumes?

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/23/06 at 12:56am

It's not a benefit concert. But it's a stage concert. Minor set, and usually some nice costumes.

The revivals of Chicago Wonderful Town, and The Apple Tree came from Encores! So those productions give/gave you an idea of what they were like at Encores!

The cast is required to hold a script in hand during the book scenes. But they usually put them down for the dance numbers.
Updated On: 12/23/06 at 12:56 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/23/06 at 2:02am

While it is an Equity rule for these sorts of concerts that performers have to have their scripts in hand throughout (and that's generally followed), I remember that Chenoweth rarely held onto hers very long and never even looked at her script for the entire THE APPLE TREE concert. At the other end of the spectrum, Olympia Dukakis had her eyes absolutely glued to her script non-stop throughout the 70 GIRLS 70 concert -- basically ruining her performance (same with Dolores Roberts for the BYE BYE BIRDIE concert).

While Equity has that rule in place to protect its performers, not everyone follows it and at the best concerts, the lead performers are completely off-book and give surprisingly solid performances.

We'll see what happens with FOLLIES.

Posted: 12/23/06 at 8:44am

i'll be mid-mezzanine for sunday night!

Updated On: 12/23/06 at 08:44 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 2:12am

It's a official they're adding a Monday performance, I missed the article on this site.

But I just re-read Margo's post.

And I'm hoping Clark, Garber, Murpy and McGrath will all be off book. I think they will considering how professional they are, and how "holy" this material is to musical theater, and especially the Follies/Sondheim fanatics.

But hearing the story of Olympia gives me some fear. But I highly doubt our 4 Follies leads will be reading from their book.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 2:18am

I've done binder theatre (reading Prose and poetry) and it's really its own genre almost. You really should memorize the script, and you usually choose certain points to look down to make it look like you're reading, but the binder part is just a performance in and of itself imo.

[D2]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 7:54am

In "Wonderful Town" Donna Murphy rarely, if ever, had the book in her hand. IMHO she was far better in the concert than in the Broadway production.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 5:06pm

LJay, here's an excerpt for an interview with Victor Garber from earlier this year when he did the concert of "Of Thee I Sing" for Encores!:
Since holding a script in hand is a concert-performance custom, how is Garber coping with it? 'It's sort of an art to learn how to use the book, to be able to turn the pages when everyone else does. I'm grateful to have it, but it will be challenging.'
'When I told Victoria Clark, at the time I saw Light in the Piazza again, that I was doing one of these, she said, 'I have one piece of advice: Know it all before you go into rehearsal.' I took her advice, and learned all the music, and read a version of the script...'"
Garber garnered great reviews during this show--unlike Dukakis who was widely criticized for relying too much on the script. I'm seeing the show opening night but I'm not worried because Murphy, McGrath, Garber, and Clark have all been part of an Encores! concert in the past and know what to do and how to handle themselves. I'm sure the four of them will give quite a performance and will not disappoint.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 9:08pm

I think that it is soo cool that they are using another Byrd rejected "Follies" design for this concert. I hope that they will be putting out a poster for this one!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 10:31pm

Margo-

I believe that the only time that the performers do not have to hold their scripts is during the musical numbers. During book scenes, the actors are supposed to be holding their scripts, although I don't think they absolutely have to be open. Like you said, though, some performers simply just don't follow this decree; when I saw THE APPLE TREE, I can't recall Kristin Chenoweth with a book in hand at all.