Follies Movie Dream Cast — Page 3

^ Which is what I was referring to. In other words, does PJ view this as the stage plot, or that proposed plot, in his head?

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Well, if Judy had lived a few more years, it could have been filmed the year after Follies opened on Broadway in 1971, and the movie would have been about a reunion 30 years after the final (sort of) Ziegfeld Follies of 1943.

It could have been a revival as well for the Freed Unit of MGM.

Judy would have outshown Dolores Gray for the Oscar that year, and Gene Kelly would have bested Donald O'Connor.

Bette Davis's "Broadway Baby" would have inspired a generation of drag queens, and everyone would have absolutely hated Joan Crawford's croaking of "I'm Still Here"...everyone except Steve Sondheim, of course, who would have pronounced it "definitive."

Liz Taylor's surprisingly flawless French accent and even more surprisingly tuneful rendition of "Ah, Paris!" would have resulted in a comeback of sorts.

But the big shocker of the film would have been the dazzling performance of Vivian Vance in the role of Stella, doing the original Michael Bennett choreography for "Who's That Woman," and winning her her only Oscar nomination and award, for best supporting actress. The award would have been presented to her by...Lucille Ball.

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Pal Joey that sounds like a fever dream of Follies. And I LOVE it!!!

Word on the street is that Barbra Streisand bought the rights and she will play a combined character of Sally and Phyllis. She will take Buddy as her husband and Ben will show up as a widower trying to woo Sally-Phyll.

"Broadway Baby" will be performed by Barbra as a flashback of Sally-Phyll performing the song in vaudeville.

Carlotta will begin the first notes of "I'm Still Here" at the piano and Sally-Phyll will take the song over and bring it to a rousing conclusion.

"Who's That Woman" will be a song for Sally-Phyll done in front of a mirror in the dressing room. Streisand wants to use clips from the movie "Funny Girl" during the "Who's That Woman" montage.

"Losing My Mind" will be reconceived as a song Barbra sings to the "ghost" audience.

"Ah, But Underneath" will replace all the other incarnations and will fit in the show after Sally-Phyll rejects Ben's advances.

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Did anybody SEE the Oscars? CZJ's voice was shot and sung "Jazz" down about half an octave. And that was only a 30 second cut.

And after that "performance" (is that what they call it nowadays?) of "Send In the Clowns", I'll wager anything I have that I made the right choice in waiting until Bernadette and Stritch took over to see it. CZJ can take a break from musicals - forever.

Follies needs to be done as a grand, lavish, old-school MGM Musical. None of that gritty "realistic" approach that is so popular nowadays. Open up the entire theatre and get some scenes in the lobby, or the wings, or even backstage. The ghosts need to be people - not CGI, not any film tricks, just people. For the follies sequence - I want lavish costumes with obviously painted backdrops - in the vein of the recorded Ziegfeld Follies.
In a perfect world, all of the roles would be played by stage veterans - and the ghosts by unknowns.

My dream cast:

Sally - Bernadette Peters
Phyllis - Toni Colette
Ben - Ron Raines
Buddy - Danny Burnstein
Carlotta - Patti LuPone
Stella - Tonya Pinkins
Heidi - Barbara Cook
Hattie - Barbara Harris
Solange - Leslie Uggams

I think Heidi should be older, like Mrs. Cook, but Harris and Uggams may be too old. Wherever, it's my dream!

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Updated On: 8/7/14 at 04:22 PM

tbh I don't think CZJ's performance of Clowns in the show itself was as bad as the Tony performance (but obviously Bernadette's performance was leagues better).

Sally - Bernadette Peters

Of the choices listed so far Bernadette is actually one of the few people who will be able to sing the role. A studio will only help her this time round, and it would be great to see a musical that casts genuine singers. It would be great to introduce her to the public once more so that she can truly demonstrate what it is like to act a song. With a more heavy-handed director, she could adapt her performance slightly for film (e.g., get rid of "I. don't. have. to. fight etc." line). She isn't a film star anymore but she is still a little bit of a name.

Phyllis - Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is cast in everything and might not be a perfect 'fit' for the role, but she is a great actress, Bernadette's age and a box-office powerweight.

Carlotta - Patti LuPone

Again back to the "genuine singers" idea Patti will belt the **** out of this song.

Hattie - Angela Lansbury

Yes!! Sure a little bit too old but I can just imagine her eyes in "Broadway Baby".


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WIth the right cast this film will be so exciting, Rob Marshall's schtick could make this work (I'm imaging cut scenes to ghosts, almost like flashbacks rather than they always being there).

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Updated On: 8/7/14 at 05:00 PM

That's quite a fever dream where Bette Davis sang better than Joan Crawford (neither were singers, but Crawford had the more pleasant tone). I would love to have seen Dolores Gray's Lucy and Jessie in her "The Body" prime, though.

My 10 year old self. I knew every note of the OBC when I was 9.

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There was talk of taping the 2011 revival for PBS but that c word Mrs. Goldman put an end to THAT!

I think it's the best idea. I think Follies belongs on stage.

Goldie Hawn is 68. At the close of the show, Sally announces that she is 49.

Updated On: 8/7/14 at 08:32 PM

Laura Osnes would be a perfect young Sally.

I have heard Meryl sing live and she used her upper register. She has it, or had it (this was at least 7 years ago). What about Calista Flockhart? She sung on Ally McBeal, but was definitely playing it as if Ally couldn't sing. Can Marisa Tomei sing? Or Holly Hunter maybe? Still, those three are not big enough to star in this probably.

How about:

Brooke Shields as Phyllis and Juliette Lewis as Sally?