Happy 40th Birthday FOLLIES

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 1:41pm

Today, 40 years ago, Follies opened on Broadway. Today is going to be a good day.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 2:37pm

Has it been 40 years? I remember that I hadn't started teaching yet, and I taught for 36 years (7 of them were happy). How time flies!

[mamaleh]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 3:24pm

That was the first show I saw multiple times; I couldn't get enough of it. Too bad they didn't have student rush back in those days. The only "student" tickets were the not-quite "twofer" slips distributed to area schools and colleges for use by staff and students. To this day it remains my all-time favorite show and production.

I've said it before in other places, but it bears repeating: John McMartin was amazing in the original FOLLIES. What a travesty that he did not receive a Tony for his searing portrayal of Ben. And it's equally appalling and mind-boggling that he has never won the award. He's delightful in a supporting role in the current ANYTHING GOES revival; maybe this will finally be his year?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 5:27pm

They has better than student rush, mamaleh! Hal Prince and Ruth Mitchell prided themselves on selling the last two rows in the balcony for $2.00. They did it for Company and Follies and A Little Night Music. (By the time Pacific Overtures came around, they could no longer justify such cheap tickets.)

I played hooky from school the morning after the opening and took the #1 train down to the Winter Garden to get online for my two-dollar tickets. I had seen it in previews and was already obsessed.

The line for tickets stretched all the way around the block to the stage door. Hal and Ruthie had a coffee-and-doughnut wagon there for all of us--for free!

I've never enjoyed a doughnut as much. Or a show.

[Jim3]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 6:08pm

Five music students from Bowling Green State University staying at the Taft Hotel across the street from the back entrance of the Winter Garden Theater, seeing our first Broadway show, Follies. It couldn't have been that long ago.
It couldn't have been better. Updated On: 4/4/11 at 06:08 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 6:35pm

Happy 40th Follies!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 6:56pm

I cannot believe I was actually one of those who saw the original.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 7:25pm

John McMartin's performance of "The Road You Didn't Take" at the recent Sondheim birthday celebration was unforgettable. In a night full of incredible work, it really stood out and maybe even got better with age. He deserves major recognition for his career.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 8:54pm

In case there's anyone still in BroadwayWorld who has not yet seen these...

From the silent footage of the original company, dubbed with the soundboard, performing the original Michael Bennett choreography:


Alexis Smith and company perform "The Ballad of Lucy and Jessie":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TxLGIdv85I


Mary McCarty, Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, Yvonne DeCarlo and company perform "Who's That Woman?":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhQeVQ6677A


Gene Nelson performs "The Right Girl":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFxygAHcNGM


And from the one-hour David Frost show with the cast and creators of Follies:

Kurt Peterson, Virginia Sandifur, Harvey Evans and Marti Rolph perform "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow"/"Love Will See Us Through":

http://www.megavideo.com/?d=7D5P4ZZQ

Updated On: 4/4/11 at 08:54 PM

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 9:19pm

A very happy birthday to Follies, which somewhat-recently became my favorite musical. I really can't understand those who don't like the show. I've been reading Everything Was Possible for a while (it's so good that I can't stand the thought of being done with it, so I've been reading it so slowly). I'm currently at the part of the previews in Boston. Such a great book documenting such a great show. All of you who saw the original production have no idea how jealous I am. My voice teacher said that his partner was on a vacation in New York once in 1971 and decided to see Follies. He was so amazed by it that he said "well I have nothing planned for tomorrow night" and bought tickets for the next performance.