FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#1
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:29pm
Follies, featuring an all-star cast of Tony Award winners and nominees, will be the tenth presentation in the Transport Group's Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series—for one night only—on Thursday, June 20, at 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. Follies will be directed by Transport Group Artistic Director and five-time Drama Desk nominee and two-time Obie Award winner Jack Cummings III with musical direction by Joey Chancey. Hannah Oren serves as creative producer and Merri Sugarman, CSA serves as casting director.
The cast of Follies includes Broadway stars Julie Benko (Funny Girl), Mikaela Bennett (Renascence, BBC Proms West Side Story), Michael Berresse (Tony nominee, Kiss Me Kate), Alexandra Billings (Wicked), Klea Blackhurst (Everything the Traffic Will Allow), Harolyn Blackwell (Candide, Porgy and Bess), Stephen Bogardus (Tony nominee, Love! Valour! Compassion!; Falsettos), Norbert Leo Butz (two-time Tony winner, Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Len Cariou (Tony winner, Sweeney Todd), Carolee Carmello (three-time Tony nominee, Parade; Falsettos), Jim Caruso (Liza’s At The Palace), Nikki Renée Daniels (Company, The Book of Mormon), Christine Ebersole (two-time Tony winner, Grey Gardens, 42nd Street), Katie Finneran (two-time Tony winner, Noises Off, Promises, Promises), Santino Fontana (Tony winner, Tootsie), Alexander Gemignani (Tony nominee, Carousel; Sweeney Todd), Miguel Gil (Kimberly Akimbo), Olivia Elease Hardy (Kimberly Akimbo), Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls), Grey Henson (Tony nominee, Mean Girls, Shucked), Fernell Hogan (Kimberly Akimbo), Jennifer Holliday (Tony winner, Dreamgirls), Rachel Bay Jones (Tony winner, Dear Evan Hansen; Here We Are), Isabel Keating (Tony nominee, The Boy from Oz), Adriane Lenox (Tony winner, Doubt), Norm Lewis (Tony nominee, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), Ryan McCartan (Heathers), Donna Murphy (two-time Tony winner, Passion, The King and I), Thom Sesma (Pacific Overtures, Man of La Mancha), Barbara Walsh (Tony nominee, Falsettos; Company), Nina White (Kimberly Akimbo), Jacob Keith Watson (Merrily We Roll Along, Carousel), and Karen Ziemba (Tony winner, Contact).
The evening will feature the original Jonathan Tunick orchestrations played by a thirty-piece orchestra, and will also feature a selection of Michael Bennett’s original choreography restaged by original cast member Mary Jane Houdina.
This unique concert series features a different lineup of performers for each song, rather than a role portrayed by one actor for the entire evening. Additionally, in lieu of the musical’s book scenes, backstage stories and anecdotes from the creation of the original production are woven between songs.
The evening will be hosted by Kurt Peterson, who originated the role of Young Ben in the 1971 Broadway production, as well as licensing executive and theatre historian Ted Chapin, whose memoir Everything Was Possible is taken from his daily diaries during the pre-Broadway run of Follies, on which he served as intern during his senior year of college.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/18
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#3
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:34pm
This puts that LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC concert to shame! What a lineup, and I like the conceit of different performers doing different songs, not one person per role.
I won't begin to guess who's singing what, but I hope Rachel Bay Jones will be doing "Buddy's Eyes" or "Losing My Mind." Her work in HERE WE ARE felt very Sally-adjacent.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#4
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:34pm
That is quite a lineup of performers! Harolyn Blackwell! I wonder if she's doing "One More Kiss"?
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#5
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:35pm
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "This puts that LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC concert to shame!"
Tbh, I already forgot that was happening.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/18
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#7
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:41pm
Very reasonable prices too, compared to some other shows. $144 top price, but most of the orch is $94 to $108.
I only read about half the cast list before buying. Maybe I'll get around to reading the other half eventually. 😆
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#8
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:42pm
I've never clicked a "Purchase" button faster in my life.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#10
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:43pm
Jesus, each time I look at that cast list there's someone else listed I didn't notice.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#11
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:47pm
Yeah, it's an incredible breadth of talent from the last fifty years.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#12
Posted: 4/19/24 at 12:55pm
This cast, 30 piece orchestra, original choreography!!
I LOVE that the Kimberly Akimbo kids are in this.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#13
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:06pm
BCfitasafiddle said: "This cast, 30 piece orchestra, original choreography!!
I LOVE that the Kimberly Akimbo kids are in this."
"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through"? It's what the people would deserve.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/14/20
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#14
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:11pm
Looks like I have to educate myself on Follies before June 20th!
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#15
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:13pm
I can think of few things more thrilling than the start of this overture. Gonna be amazing to hear that at Carnegie Hall.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#16
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:15pm
If I were placing bets -- a few guesses on who sings what...
Buddy's Blues - Norbert Leo Butz
I'm Still Here - Christine Ebersole
Who's That Woman - Jennifer Holiday
Could I Leave You -- Donna Murphy (or maybe she'll do Lucy and Jessie?)
Broadway Baby - Klea Blackhurst
Carolee will do a Phyllis song and Rachel Bay Jones will do a Sally song.
Len Cariou as Dmitri Weissman
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#17
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:17pm
So Jennifer won’t be singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Still Here”?
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/14/20
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#18
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:21pm
Jordan Catalano said: "So Jennifer won’t be singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Still Here”?"
Jordan, I know we've had our differences in the past, but I'm really starting to appreciate your comments on here :)
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#19
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:35pm
Happy 50th to ME! See ya'll there.
The idea (hope?) of Harolyn Blackwell singing One More Kiss is just too too. And can I also hope that Mikaela Bennett be young Heidi for that? I just saw her as Rose of Sharon in the Grapes of Wrath concert this week and she was utterly magnificent.
Oh...and Alexandra Billings. Jesus. This is just so marvelous.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#20
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:44pm
This seems too good to be true but I have ordered my tickets. :)
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#21
Posted: 4/19/24 at 1:58pm
UGH...I'm actually in the city UNTIL the morning of the 20th. Have to figure out if I can alter that. Waaaah.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#23
Posted: 4/19/24 at 2:12pm
Any chance at all of this being recorded somehow?
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#24
Posted: 4/19/24 at 2:19pm
barcelona20 said: "Any chance at all of this being recorded somehow?"
Not likely but never say never, I suppose.
FOLLIES at Carnegie Hall#25
Posted: 4/19/24 at 3:07pm
Now I can't unsee Rachel Bay Jones as Sally, and pray for a full-flegged revival with her
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