FOLLIES - MOVIE CAST - Age-appropriate, please!- Page 2

[chewy5000]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:01am

I don't think I want to see untalented Hollywood hacks destroying something as wonderful as Follies. Despite the idea of having 'the faded stars of yesteryear' in it,I honestly believe it should be done with an unknown cast that actually has talent.

[Marquise]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:13am

I love the score to FOLLIES and I know it's plot but I have never had the opportunity to see this show performed so I won't even try to make any casting suggestions. I have learned a lot about it through this board and it's many fans who have actually had the good fortune to see it. So I trust the vets on this board (Pal Joey and Phyllis Rogers Stone among them) when they have something to contribute in regards to the show.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:15am

"And upon my death it is bequeathed in equal shares to husk-charmer, ljay889 and Phyllis Rogers Stone. "

- Love it. <3

[AnythingGoes2]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 7:39am

pgenre all your casting thoughts are way tooo young!!

The mains should be 50, and actually look it!! Even those some of them are early 40's ... they certainly don't look it.

I think you'd need your Barbra Steisands, Goldie Horns, Meryl Streeps, Bette Midlers for this show...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 8:23am

All those people are in their 60s.

Goldie Horn. Hee.

[madbrian]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 9:25am

I plan on contesting PJ's will. Anyway, my choices:

Donny Osmond as Buddy
Hugh Jackman as Ben
Vanessa Williams as Phyllis
Emma Thompson as Sally
Shirley McLaine as Carlotta
Debbie Reynolds as Hattie
Susan Sarandon as Solange
Kathy Bates as Stella
Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gourme as The Whitmans

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 9:29am

Barbra Streisand as Phyllis.

Bette Midler as Sally.

It would be the ultimate train wreck, but we'd all watch it compulsively, over and over and over and over and over...

Bette Midler's "Losing My Mind" would make Dorothy Loudon's version seem subtle.

Barbra's "Could I Leave You" would be scary. REALLY scary. As in horror-movie scary.

And if Barbra and Bette were the two leads, all the other female parts would have to be played by single-named divas ONLY.

Liza would sing "I'm Still Here"--up-tempo, with four boys.

Diana would sing "Ah, Paris," but with no French accent...

If a Follies feature film is going to be an inevitable bomb, it might as well be the biggest bomb ever.

[AnythingGoes2]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 10:41am

I think it would be fab to see...

But Emma Thompson as Sally sounds delightful...

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 10:42am

PJ, you left out Cher.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 10:51am

And you really should squeeze in Madonna somewhere. She's good at accents, so how about her for Solange?

That Mitzi clip is priceless. Good to hear she still doesn't bother keys. I LOVE Pleshette's baritone!!!

Posted: 2/4/10 at 11:59am

The issue is getting "names" to be in a Follies movie, but having people who can actually sing. As much as I thin Nicole Kidman is a decent actress, she can not-and should not-be allowed to sing ever again. But who will get Mr. and Mrs. Non-Theatre fans into the movies to see this? That is the trouble the casting directors will have.

Hollywood will cast the leads too young, and the real starring moments will come from the other ladies in the cast.

I've said it before and will fight to the death anyone who can not agree that Kathy Bates (who can sing VERY well and is of course an outstanding actress) is the only choice for Stella. I seem to remember a rumor that she was supposed to play Mama in the Chicago film, and I for one would have loved to have seen her do that.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:08pm

I had Diana as Solange.

Cher would have to be Hattie, so when they do the "Broadway Baby"/"Ah, Paris" counterpoint, it would be Cher and Diana battling for attention.

Steve and Eydie can be the Whitmans because they're known by their first names. And, besides, it's just the Whitmans, so, really, who cares?

But that leaves the single-named Madonna with nothing to sing, except for "One Last Kiss," which she would have to do as a solo, not a duet, which would mean she would be playing the oldest diva of all.

The poster and billing would then be:

Barbra

Bette

Liza

Diana

Cher

Madonna

F O L L I E S

also starring
Steve and Eydie
and some guys

One Last Chance...Catch These Gals Before They Croak!
Updated On: 2/4/10 at 12:08 PM

[AnythingGoes2]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:21pm

They would all fight to be top of the billing...

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:41pm

PJ, I love what you've done with this thread. Grand but faded yet still a little sparkly!

Doodle, NO MADONNA! No. I agree she's good with accents since when she's being interviewed she does many of them in the same conversation. The problem is, they don't seem to be from specific places. It was Lea Delaria who asked where the hell that accent was from, Europia?

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:51pm

PJ, your list is quite impressive, but I don't think "Diana" is truly recognizable as a single-name star.

Most people associate "Diana" with Princess Di (who will not be able to play the role, I know). And Diana Rigg, as much as I adore her, isn't a household name in the good ol' USA. So we need someone else.

Who is a really big star, easily recognizable by one name?

Whoopi?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:57pm

miss pennywise-
I think he means Diana Ross.

If it were me, I'd put Charo in somewhere. She could do "Ah, Paris!"

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 12:59pm

Whoopi singing "Ah, Paris!"?

That's so bad it's REALLY good.

Namo--you can let Madonna in the movie because I have her playing the part of an aging opera star.

It will be her worst performance ever and she'll look really old.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:03pm

Worse than Swept Away, which I haven't seen, but then I don't have to to know?

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:21pm

I think the way to go is an all-male cast. Steve Martin as Phyllis. Siegfried and Roy as the Whitmans. Buddy Hackett as Carlotta.

[D2]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:26pm

Buddy Hackett is dead.

Then again, does it matter?

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:37pm

I was going to have Madonna as Heidi, but I dont think they can lower the key enough...though Autotune will come in very handy for many of these players. Heidi is operatic, and they are always britishy sounding...and Madge is kind of Britishy too...besides, she really does look the oldest of the rest of the cast.

[madbrian]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 1:38pm

If we're going with a one-name cast, we should include their younger counterparts: Beyonce, GaGa, Christina, Britney, etc.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 2:09pm

Single-named ghosts too!

As the younger counterparts of Steve and Eydie, we'll have Donnie and Marie!

Jewel can be Young Sally, and Bjork can be Young Phyllis.

Prince can be Young Ben, and Usher can be Young Buddy.

And, as Dmitri Weissman...STING!

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 2:17pm

Lypsinka, anyone?

[tazber]

Posted: 2/4/10 at 2:17pm

"I think the way to go is an all-male cast."

La Cage Aux Follies!