JV92 Sees Follies- Saturday Afternoon

[jv92]

Posted: 2/10/07 at 10:38pm

I'm not in the mood to go into a long review, but I will say that Encores' production of Follies was nothing short of spectacular with a few misses, one being a major one. Christine Baranski is an actress I've always been a fan of, but her "I'm Still Here" was not a particularly appearling performance. She souned as if she was trying to be drunk and funny, which ruined the song. Her Patinkin-esque screams in the song were scary. In her dialouge scenes, she was quite good though. Ah Paris was not sung correctly. It sounded like a strange talk-singing orgasm. I would have prefered Lilliane any day.
Onto the good- Victoria Clark. My God. This performance proves she is the best actress working in musical theater today. She was heartbreaking, stunning and beautiful as Sally. Victor Garber was a fine Ben. His breakdown was haunting. Donna Murphy brought warmth to the ice queen named Phyllis and she is thanked for that. I went out for the first time in my life really liking that character. She sang and acted very well. Michael McGrath played my least favorite character Buddy well. I enjoyed him.
Mimi Himes, Joanne Worley and Arthur Rubin were soild and the team of Brown and Fitch were charming in Rain on the Roof. Phillip Bosco was stellar.
The design was effective and the orchestra, beautiful. Eric Stern did a fabulous job.
I was in the cheap seats, so I decided not to sit another 40 minutes for the talkback and suffer vertigo, but when I peeked my head in to see Sondheim there, I almost slapped myself. I didn't expect him.
Would I transfer this production if I had millions of dollars and a theatre? Probably. It was brilliantly staged by Casey Nicholaw and brilliantly performed with Clark as the standout. I would replace Ms. Baranski, or send her to someone to teach her to sing "I'm Still Here" as it is supposed to be sung.
And now as I finish my so called "brief" review, I realize it isn't at all. Sorry.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 12:35am

I was there this afternoon as well and if I were to make a review of the show, I'd just copy and paste yours. I agree that if there was anything weak about this production it is Christine singing "I'm Still Here" and "Ah, Paree" because I was not feeling either of the performances. Other than that, a dream come true, Clark was more than I'd ever hope for, her "In Buddys Eyes" got about the longest applause for any of the solo songs.

And three words if I needed to pass any review off:

WHO'S THAT WOMAN

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 12:35 AM

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 1:21am

Wow, you guys took the words out of my mouth. I was there tonight. I loved the production minus Baranski and Constant. Although their acting was fine the singing (or in Constant's case, lack of signing was disappointing.

Victoria Clark = Wow! Absolutely fantastic!

PS I loved Casey Nicholas' choreography! Dang it I pretty much loved the whole show (except for the above mentioned)
The cast is huge, which could make a Broadway transfer difficult, but if they kept the paired-down costumes and set (which totally worked by the way) it might be a possibility. Hey, a girl can dream! Updated On: 2/11/07 at 01:21 AM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 1:52am

I was at this performance as well and just pretty much need to say "ditto." I honestly did not know much about this show--I knew some of the songs, the basic story about old follies girl coming back to the theatre and then there's older and younger versions of characters...and that's pretty much what I knew

But what a great show and production. Donna Murphy was fantastic--I went back to read some of the professional reviews, and they mentioned that Donna is the first to make the character likable--I'm pretty shocked to realize she never was. Donna played her so convincingly with the zingers but a true hurtfulness underneath, and I did really like her character. Victoria, what can I say? She is still in great voice, and seemed like a natural choice for the part. Her Losing My Mind was haunting and beautiful.

Michael McGrath seemed like a natural fit for Buddy. His whole speech about Marjorie but then the way he says I love you was just so cute and adorable and sad. And as others have said, he was great in his folly.

Victor was...Victor, had a pretty great dramatic breakdown at the end.

Some of the singing from the supporting actors were great--I loved Broadway Baby and Who's That in the Mirror, the beatiful tenors nad sopranos, etc.

The staging considering the huge orchestra and lack of grand sets was pretty fantastic--the way they integrated the young with the old, and the way lots of dancing was accomplished.

And of course, I loved the show--the themes explored, the past vs. the present and i guess more things I don't have to go into because most of you are well aware of this

I didn't realize there was a talkback after, but thank god I went back in after leaving and saw soemthing was going on in the theater, peaked in and saw Mr. Sondheim talking on the stage. So I ran back to a seat (now in like the 5th row hehe) and that was awesome that they had this. I hope I didn't miss much of it, but Stephen of course did a lot of speaking, but the actors chimed in, and the audience was given the chance to ask questions.

It was a nice little surprise for me, you know, oh wow look it's Sondheim on stage talking right in front of me...cool.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to see this production, and now will dwelve into some more Follies research and analysis. So glad I was finally able to discover this wonderful show!

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 2:08am

If I could afford it I'd see it again on Monday night...just because I may not be able to see such a good production of Follies again.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 2:19am

I saw the show opening night and then again this afternoon and Constant was better the first time, I still thought she was pretty funny today though. The audience loved her on opening night.
Christine Baranski was actually much better today in the singing department and not as funny (yet hilarous) in the acting department. Her "I'm Still Here" has improved but she's still the weakest link of the production.
Donna Murphy is probably the best thing of the concert, IMO, what she does with Phyllis is well...nothing short of fascinating and a wonder to watch. Her "Could I Leave You?" does not fail to make me a bit teary-eyed (her "Could I leave you...yes" is heart-wrenching), her one-liners are killers, and she has a brilliant chemistry with Mr.Garber.

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 2:23am

nevermind.
Updated On: 2/11/07 at 02:23 AM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 3:10am

To chime in again, I would very much disagree that Alexis Smith portrayed an "unlikeable" Phyllis. Her sarcasm stung and her elegance radiated, but that nowhere places her as disliked. She reminds me slightly of Sheila in A Chorus Line to an extent.

And I had no idea there was a talk back, I'm going to pretend there wasn't because I definitely would have wanted to ask questions.

edit; also another thing that might partially have tipped the scale in Murphy's Phillis was the eliminating of the more bitchier lines such as with Christine Crane (or Sandra, I never really knew what the deal was with that name change)

Christine: "I thought you were just marvelous. You're Phillis aren't you? I'm Christine, I used to have the dressing table next to you....Don't you remember me at all?"
Phillis: "You never liked me."
Christine: "What a thing to say!"
Phillis: "I never liked you either."

Best delivery.

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 03:10 AM

[Horton]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:33am

I was there in the last row of the entire theatre. SO i moved down for the talk, and I am glad i did. I agree with what you said about this show. Vicki was great and all, but Donna Murphy is a god. Litterly, at curtian call I consittered bowing down to her. Also, did V. G. actually forget his lyrics, or was that a character thing. I hated Christine, I thought she was very unplesant. However it was very enjoyable.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:55am

"Donna Murphy is a god. Litterly [sic], at curtian [sic] call I consittered [sic] bowing down to her. Also, did V. G. actually forget his lyrics, or was that a character thing."

It was not only a character thing; it was the point of the show.

We were at a French restaurant across the street after the show, and Donna came in with a large group of family members. When she saw the four of us with Follies programs on the table and big smiles, she nodded to us. I raised my glass to her and said, "Thank you for that wonderful performance," and she was very gracious. Her mother was beaming.

Raising a glass to a diva is always appropriate; bowing never is.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 10:31am

Donna was indeed very gracious and humble when I met her after the show. And yes, she is a goddess.
PalJoey, not even a short review?

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 10:31 AM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 10:45am

Can anyone who stayed for the talk back help me remember something Sondheim said? He was talking about his intent to make particular songs an homage to the song writers of the 20's and 30's. He said, if I recall, that Lucy and Jessie was Cole Porter, Losing My Mind was Gershwin and then he said that "X" was for Harold Arlen. Which was the Arlen homage song?

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:18am

Just a guess... "I'm Still Here?"

[jv92]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:21am

Speaking of I'm Still Here, am I the only one who thinks Liza could have pulled off the song? Hell, Mandy Patinkin could have sung it better than a Patinkin-esque Baranski.

[D2]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:27am

I was at the evening performance last night and it blew me away. I never saw the original production, but I did see the 1985 Philharmonic Concert, the London production and that production that shall not be named. I've always been moved by the show, but never as much as what I saw last night. For me, this was the most beautifully realized FOLLIES I've ever had the pleasure to witness.

Baranski - she had me all the way up to that final note in I'M STILL HERE, but then, well... but her overall performance was stellar nonetheless. The rest of the cast was brilliant, (loved Mimi Hines and Joanne Worley) and then there were Donna Murphy and Victoria Clark. Two powerhouse women giving, IMHO, the definitive performances of
these roles.

It really is a pity it wont/can't be extended, transferred, preserved. But at least "I was there" (as were most of us) and I will always be thrilled by the memory of this beautiful, haunting production.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:31am

D2, I can't say Clark surpassed Dorothy Collins (though she was the standout of the production, next to Murphy), Ms. Murphy surpassed Alexis Smith completely. As I've said several times, she reinvented Phyllis. If someone could do that to Buddy one day, I would finally like all of the characters of the show.

By the way, who edited the script? There's no credit in the program that I can see. Was the whole script done? Updated On: 2/11/07 at 11:31 AM

[D2]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:38am

JV92: I didn't see Dorothy Collins, unfortunately. I was 10 years old and living in Florida. I remember seeing the poster for the original FOLLIES at Miami Airport and being fascinated by it. On one of our trips up to NY (I was born here) I begged my mother to get tickets, but typically, she wasn't interested.

Of all the Sally's I've seen, Clark's was by far the most beautifully realized.

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 11:38 AM

[jv92]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 12:15pm

By the way, did anyone stay for the talk after? I heard about two minutes from the door by the orchestra section, but the bitchy usher kicked me out. (Yeah, she was doing her job, but what was the big deal anyway?) I heard Ted Chapin quoting lyrics from "Uptown Downtown" and that's about it. What was discussed?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 12:15pm

The Arlen homage is "Losing My Mind," a great Arlen-like torcher in the tradition of "The Man That Got Away" and "Stormy Weather."

I too was disappointed in Baranski, but what are you gonna do? She's perfect in everything else. LOVED Mimi Hines and Joanne Worley. LOVED the young Buddy/Sally/Phyllis/Ben.

Loved the choreography. Missed Michael Bennett's touches and missed Michael and Hal's ghosts. My friends at drinks afterward made a drinking game: Each time I referred to the original production, they took a sip. They got plastered.

But I loved what Donna Murphy did--for the first time, you could see how much Older Phyllis still loves Ben. Every Phyllis previously has allowed Young Phyllis to show the loving part. That's a extraordinary achievement on Murphy's part, and she rose in my estimation because of it.

What Victoria Clark did with Sally was kind of the opposite--and even more brilliant: She was NOT the willowy victim Sally wants everyone to think she is. Clark took her cues from Buddy's lines that she "fights with everyone" and that her two sons in San Francisco hate her.

Clark played Sally as a manipulative bitch who had slept with her best friend's fiance, married a man she didn't love and made him miserable, drank like a fish instead of tending the flowers and painting for "umpteen" hours, laid around a messy house for days without getting out of bed--and then left the dishes in the sink and flew to New York with the bat-**** crazy idea of stealing Ben back from Phyllis.

In this production, Carlotta and Phyllis were not the bitches: Sally was. And it was brilliant.

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 12:15 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 12:21pm

Yet, I still went out liking Sally more than anyone.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 12:57pm

Well, like I said, I missed some of the talkback, and I'll remember bits and pieces...maybe someone can expand on what I do remember, so here's the best I can do:

When I walked in, I think Sondheim was finishing up discussing the different songs that someone previously mentioned. He was saying something about Dorothy in the original, I think some song was written specifically for her, or her voice, or something.

Umm, he talked about the original production--how some people went, thinking they were actually seeing like Ziegfeld Follies and were disappointed/upset.

They discussed Barnes' review of this production and Sondheim pointed out he's pretty consistent, he didn't like the show originally either.

Someone asked why they changed the Lucy and Jessie song in a London production, and Sondheim said the chick coudln't dance.

Someone asked about loveland, he said in certain places they needed more time to change sets and costumes during the number, so it just had to be longer

Someone asked if this would be recorded, and Sondheim replied only illegally. Then he later explained that it's really expensive to record shows, and there's not too many companies who record cast albums anymore. He said if someone approached them about it offering money, then they'd be happy to record it, and who knows maybe it will happen after the run.

Let's see...the actors spoke. Victoria talked about how nice it was to create a character in such a short period, in contrast to the character that she had been working on for 3 1/2 years. She said in her rendition of Losing My Mind, her main character motivation was fear.

Christine talked about how a piece like Follies is so revered that sometimes the fun is taken out of it, so in approaching I'm Still Here, she saw it as a comic piece, approaching each part as another funny part.

Donna spoke quite a bit though--I'm not sure I can really remember what she said. I know she said she really loved doing this, and loved the cast, everyone raved about the cast, especially the "kids."

They also highly praised Casey Nicholaw for what he was able to create in this small space.

Oh, Sondheim also spoke about the original production with Hal--how they had compromised that they'd do Company first...I think he also talked about Hal and Michael co-directing or something?

Alright, that's all i can remember. Anyone else who was there feel free to add or elaborate on what I remembered--I would have known a bit more if I was a little more familiar with the show. I apologize. Still, what a wonderful surprise to sit down and see this talkback, especially Sondheim speaking right in front of me. A treasured experience.

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 1:18pm

Vis-a-vis "Losing My Mind":

Sondheim said that he originally conceived the song as a duet between Sally and Phyllis, with the entire ensemble coming out dressed as Ben. The two women were going to wade through the sea of Bens in an attempt to find the real one, and go crazy in the process. However, Alexis Smith (the original Phyllis) said she didn't think it was fair to have them both sing the song, since Dorothy Collins (original Sally) was a singer and she wasn't. So, "Losing My Mind" became Sally's folly and Sondheim wrote "Lucy and Jessie" to show off Smith's killer legs.

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 1:27pm

PalJoey, that story made my eyes tear up. That was beautiful.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 2:01pm

Pal -- that is fascinating. And I have always felt that Sally, not Phyllis is the cold, cruel, manipulative heart in FOLLIES, and it's exciting to read that Victoria Clark is bringing that essence to the part!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 2:29pm

The clues are right there in the script. But she's always played as apple-pie sweetness and woe-is-me girl-done-wrong. I've always thought Buddy was making those things up and complaining--after all, he's the once cheating--but they're right there in the script: she drinks too much, she stays in bed all day, the house is a mess, she fights with everyone and her children hate her.

And Vicki Clark confronted all that.