FOLLIES at Paper Mill — Page 2

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#26

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/15/05 at 10:00pm

Of course Sondheim is a perfectionist. No one achieves the consistent quality and high gloss of his output without an abundance of blood, sweat, tears, elbow grease and revision, revision, revision. And considering the substantial body of work in the Sondheim canon, one has to take the man's self-critical charge of "laziness" as one more example of the terribly high standard he sets for himself.

Yes, Jim Coleman, I much preferred the PMP production to the less-than-enthralling Roundabout production, even though I took exceptions to some of the typically indulgent Johanson "touches" and occasional lapses of taste (Did we really need the MGM treatment on I'M STILL HERE, Ann Miller's presence notwithstanding? Or the shirtless tableau in TOO MANY MORNINGS?)
That said, PMP also had the resources to present FOLLIES with the glamour of design necessary to recreate the ambience of the original Ziegfeld productions. The cheap-looking Loveland sequence of the Roundabout mounting resembled nothing so much as an arbor of bisected hula hoops. In the end, I think the biggest problem with the Roundabout production was its director, Matthew Warchus, who, due to his youth and British (?)heritage, seemed to have little understanding, feel or love for this particular era of Anerican musical theater. And it showed.

Updated On: 2/15/05 at 10:00 PM

#27

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:51am

Having done a lot of shows with Robert Johanson, I have to say that FOLLIES was his best work. Interesting what you have to say about "I'm Still Here". That was not totally Robert's idea--it was sort of a group decision--Robert, Jerry Mitchell, and Stephen Sondheim. It also had a lot to do with making Ann Miller feel comfortable. In rehearsal we found that she even knew Brenda Frazier! She said that the song was really her life, except for the "rest cures, religion and pills". Mr. Sondheim was really moved by her rendition of the number. In fact, the first time Ann did it for the company in the rehearsal room, it was amazing. The whole room was in tears at the end. It was like seeing the genuine article living through her life in front of you with her heart on her sleeve. It was quite an experience. A great lady with a great sense of humor about life and herself. I feel priviledged to have known her.

BatonMan

#28

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 1:02am

And what better place than here to start telling the Ann Miller stories! My favourite being the fundraiser celebrating the tenth anniversary of Oscar Hammerstein II's death. Ann arrived looking fabulous as always and brightly asked "So where's Oscar?" There was a shocked hush before someone ventured to say, "Annie...Oscar is dead." Ann quickly recovered, saying, "Well, you see, I wouldn't know. I've been out on the coast playing Mame."

#29

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 1:17am

Wildcat - that is hilarious! I love those REAL stars who just played with their public.

One of my most fond theatrical memories is seeing Sugar Babies with her and Mickey. What a hoot! There was the moment where she ripped the wig off his head during a sketch and got all cracked up that will remain in my fondest memories forever

#30

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 1:41am

Here is another great Ann Miller tale: She was filling out insurance forms and one of the questions was: "What is your occupation?" and she wrote "Star". She was very funny. In FOLLIES she had 3 wigs and she named each one of them: Miss Twat, Miss Poon-tang, and Miss Carlotta, the last being named for her character in the show. She was an original, that's for sure, and it was great hearing all the stories about the golden years in Hollywood. A real joy!

BatonMan

#31

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 1:55am

And of course her near death experience during a regional ANYTHING GOES when a heavy curtain fell on her and she was only saved from having a large nail embedded in her head by the solid lacquered stiffness of her wig. Leading to someone's famous gag "Did you hear the news? Ann Miller fell and broke her hair!"

#32

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 2:32am

Yes, jimcoleman, along with CANDIDE, FOLLIES was among Johanson's better efforts. It's a shame it didn't come to New York. Re: I'M STILL HERE---I still say it was a misstep, Miller's comfort aside, as it took the song right out of its realistic setting and transformed it into a showstopper of Loveland proportions, which, at that point in the show, was premature and inconsistent with the show's premise.

#33

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 2:33pm

Thank you for your opinion, MusicMan. Take care.

BatonMan

#34

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 5:08pm

Have seen both Paper Mill and the Roudabout production.The Paper Mill production was so much better than the
revival in New York. I saw the original Hal Prince production when I was in college. Loved it. The Paper Mill was the closest in scope to that original production. My only complaint-- I wish "Lucy and Jessie" had been used instead of the replacement number.
But the Paper Mill cast recording is brilliant. It's a shame Paper Mill's version was not seen in NY!

#35

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 5:45pm

Can I ask what is meant by saying that 'I'm Still Here' was MGM-ified, etc & putting Ms Miller in a comfort zone? I"m assuming that it's not meaning that the song was turned into a tap number....

"I'll eat some breakfast then change the world." "I hate you, and I hate your ass face!"

#36

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 6:59pm

Hello Willparker--"I'm Still Here" was not made into a tap number. It was done as if she were performing for the guests at the reunion rather that making it part of a scene. It was totally presentational to the audience. I thought it worked well, and it really gave the audience a star turn!! Thanks for asking. Take care.

BatonMan

#37

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 7:14pm

"I'm Still Here" started within the party, but with Miller performing out to us. At about mid-point (I think around "I've been through Reno..."), she came downstage, and some curtains came in behind her that separated her from the party proper. She performed the rest of the song in front of the curtains. No, she didn't tap (she couldn't at that point of her life), but she kinda trucked around the stage, looking like she was having a great time. The tempo of the song in performance at Paper Mill, was brighter than as it is heard on the recording. (Sondheim permitted the faster tempo in performance, but wanted it brought down in speed to the usual tempo.) I think what MusicMan is referring to, is that at a certain point, Miller just took off and whipped the number into a showstopper, a la the performance numbers like "Broadway Baby," "Rain on the Roof," "Ah, Paris!", instead of keeping it reared in as the book number it is. I was happy to go along with all of it, and just found her electrifying.

"Gif me the cobra jool!"

#38

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 7:44pm

Bravo, Jim Coleman.

PMP did a superb job with FOLLIES in my opinion. I did not see the original production but have seen numerous others over the years.

The PMP production was by far the best of the ones I've seen.

Jose'

#39

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/16/05 at 9:50pm

You're description is correct, Magruder, and it's the curtains I objected to. Did I find Miller's performance both nostalgic and thrilling? Of course. But not at the expense of the show's larger intentions (this is from a writer's perspective).

#40

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 12:45am

The brighter tempo, Magruder, also had to do with Annie being able to sustain notes. After all, she had her 78th birthday while doing FOLLIES. I must say that Sondheim was so taken with her and he admired her so much, that he was happy to oblige her. She was in awe of him, too. They loved each other.

BatonMan

#41

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 7:08am

I preferred it faster, actually. It really got to swing at the end.

"Gif me the cobra jool!"

#42

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 7:45am

I've long been intrigued by FOLLIES. My mothers OBC record album was always placed in the front of the stack. The picture on the cover is an image I just can't get out of my head since I saw it every day as a little boy.

After reading this thread I really wish I had seen the Paper Mill production. I've only seen London and Roundabout. Even with Julia McKenzie and Diana Rigg I did not come away satisfied by the London production. I thought the Roundabout production was everything FOLLIES should be but now I can only wonder what FOLLIES really should be.

" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."

#43

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 9:43am

Don't get me wrong, there were some good things about the Roundabout production. It was very cold, with not much heart, and I think at Paper Mill, we found more heart and that made it more accesible to the audience. I also think that our cast was hard to beat. I have done many shows in my career (96 different ones), and some are very good and some are awful, and believe me you do it long enough, you know the difference. FOLLIES remains on my top 5 list of my career. I will never forget it. Thank s for all the input.

BatonMan

#44

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:20am

Follies does need a certain grandeur, and the Roundabout production was already at a disadvantage with an orchestra of 12, huffing and puffing to sound twice as big. Roundabout's production had a creepy atmospheric quality, and I was enjoying it, for the most part (despite some erzatz performances), until "Loveland" lumbered on. Somewhere, the set for Roundabout's "Loveland" was described as popsicle sticks dipped in Pepto-Bismol, and that's a pretty fair description. My feeling is that the audience at Follies has gone through so much suffering with the characters bickering and complaining, when it's time for the glitz and the irony to come in, it had better be BIG and LAVISH. And that's where the Roundabout production really fell apart. Dmitri Weissman would have laughed that "Follies" off the stage.

Although the speed, delicacy and sheer astonishment factor of Boris Aronson's "Loveland" transformation is still unmatched, Paper Mill, with the decayed proscenium coming alive, also had a few stunning tricks up its sleeve.

"Gif me the cobra jool!"

#45

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:58am

You must work in the business, Magruder, you are right on with your comments. WOW! Someone who know what they are talking about! LOVELAND is the audience's payoff for staying with these unhappy people all evening. Brilliant show--do you think it will ever be really appreciated for what it really is? I have my doubts.

BatonMan

#46

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 12:50pm

I totally agree with MAGRUDER re Loveland being some sort of payoff for the audience. At this point we want a heightened reality with a "Follies" show even better than any could have been. The characters then need to become STARS who can sing and dance well. Remember that BUDDY and BEN weren't ever really performers and so their numbers are pure fantasy. Also it would seem that SALLY and PHYLIS were only ever ensemble players yet they get "star turns" at the end. PURE FANTASY and I for one wanted to see STAR PERFORMANCES. I saw Donna McK in London for one performance at DRURY LANE and when she did LUCY and JESSIE she stopped the show. FOLLIES is the most wonderfully flawed show EVER!

"Your eyes..... they shine like the pants on my blue serge suit"

#47

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 1:56pm

'jim' earlier in the thread mentioned the substitution of "Ah, But Underneath" for "Lucy & Jessie" in the Paper Mill production. I've often maintained that if you are a Follies aficionado, "Lucy & Jessie," with all of its dazzling wordplay and hot-cha John Berkman dance arrangements is of course, the better song. In performance, however, one has to consider the audience and how much information you are asking them to process.

"Buddy's Blues" presents Buddy's love triangle in grotesque baggy-pants burlesque style. Sally's "Losing My Mind" is the character's frayed emotional state, performed as the ultimate torch song. And "Live Laugh Love" has Ben suffer a mental breakdown as he - significantly - forgets the words to his lie of a laissez faire top hat and tails song-and-dance routine.

"Lucy and Jessie," though, has a rapid fire verse, with all of those "Lucy wants to be dressy, Jessie wants to be juicy..." twisting lyrics. It then has that brief "Now if you see Lucy X" chant, followed by five minutes of dance music, and then it ends. As choreographed by Michael Bennett, the number was a showstopper, but I wonder how many first time viewers of Follies knew what was going on. Can't you imagine the old blue-haired ladies asking, "Who's Lucy? Who's Jessie? I thought her name was Phyllis." And the dance builds builds builds, and then ends, without the dance serving a specific dramatic purpose.

So the song asks the audience to process a lot of information, and then really has no dramatic payoff, unlike the other "folly" numbers. It kinda becomes "Le Jazz Hot" with much better lyrics. Of course, WE all know that Phyllis is singing about somehow melding her younger and older selves into one fully alive human being, but I wonder how many first-time viewers of Follies really get it.

"Ah, But Underneath" was staged at Paper Mill in the style of a Jack Cole Hollywood production number - glamorous female star and her adoring chorus boys. (Given Phyllis' earlier flirtation with Kevin, the handsome young waiter at the party, it's not a bad through-line to have had all boys in Phyllis' production number). The lyric no longer sings about 'two' people, but the outer and inner appearance of the one woman in the song. Dee Hoty performed an elaborate, lengthy striptease throughout the song, until in the final moment, with "Sometimes when the wrappings fall, there's nothing underneath at all," she disappeared. Now that's a song with a point of view and a payoff. Strip Phyllis of her outer shell, and there's nothing there - literally.

So, while I'd say "Lucy & Jessie" is the more dazzling piece of writing, "Ah, But Underneath" is more dramatically satisfying and a better fit with the ironic presentations for the other "Folly" numbers in that sequence.

"Gif me the cobra jool!"

Updated On: 2/17/05 at 01:56 PM

#48

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 3:28pm

well, i loved EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE, and i wish that there was a book about the PMP version. Coleman? Magruder? get on that.

Will: They don't give out awards for helping people be gay... unless you count the Tonys. "I guarantee that we'll have tough times. I guarantee that at some point one or both of us will want to get out. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life..."

#49

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 3:35pm

I seem only to exist to agree with MAGRUDER!!

I saw DIANA RIGG and later (not so good)Millicent Martin do AH BUT UNDERNEATH in London and must admit I "got it" much better than when I had seen a production of the original show at the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL (UCLA actually). The strip was so sexy and in complete contrast to the cold exterior which was Phylis throughout the show. The number was also a superb production and compensated for Rigg's inability to dance and again the final "reveal" revealed nothing (or everything).

COUNTRY HOUSE is also a brilliant addition to the score and can in my view should be included in every production from now on.

I loved the LONDON show though I can understand reservations about the changes made. The production values were incredible and the transformation into LOVELAND was truly amazing. I often wish I could go back and see it again!

"Your eyes..... they shine like the pants on my blue serge suit"

#50

re: FOLLIES at Paper Mill

Posted: 2/17/05 at 3:39pm

Hello Magruder: Interesting about the Phllis number in the Loveland sequence. I personally like "Ah, but Underneath" better. I think it makes more sense for a through-line for her character. The choice was made before we started rehearsals to use that song instead of Lucy and Jessie. I, personally, like the song better. I think that is more interesting musically, and when performed, the audiences reacted very positively to it. I also think that is more of a pastiche which is what all the numbers in the Loveland section were supposed to be. Dee Hoty was wonderful in the number, I thought. I love her voice and everything about her. What a great gal she is!!

BatonMan

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