JV92 Sees Follies- Saturday Afternoon- Page 3

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:04pm

Yeah, it was clearly and event with a capital E. People clearly wanted to be there and love every second.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:38pm

Did anyone hear at the very beginning someone shout 'You have no right to abuse me!!' It was simply bizarre!

And ditto to everything Kringas said.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 10:28pm

i just came from tonights show!
i would drag myself over burning coals & broken glass for Victoria Clark.
blown away by Donna Murphy.
liked the men better than i thought i would.
loved Jo Anne Worley & think she deserves to work more!
Mimi Hines is ***ADORABLE***, hilarious & a pint-sized dynamo!
i thought Christine Baranski was a drag queen when she first came out. i wasnt as taken with her as i thought i would be, but i dont think she was as bad as some people have posted.

the staging, choregraphy & costumes were ****GORGEOUS**** & ****BREATHTAKING**** & i feel so fortunate to have been there!!!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 10:51pm

has Margo weighed in on this production yet?

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 10:59pm

Not yet I believe but I am excited to hear the Margo-ness of it all.

One of the reasons I can honestly say I'd like this production to make a full length run would be to have you draw them. I'd love to see what you can do with drawing Vicki's Sally Durant.

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 10:59 PM

[WithoutATrace]

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

Donna Murphy = brilliance. just had to say that. thanks.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:37pm

I was there too tonight! I loved every minute of it! I was expecting the rumble of the opening chords to be more powerful. So that was a bit dissapointing. I also thought the orchestra was going to be more powerful, but I was in the gallery, so the sound wasn't the greatest up there. But still I was expecting Philharmonic power.

I loved how the ghosts were staged in the prologue. Sally's monologue was suprisingly shortened a lot, even shorter than the Roundabout version. And then Phyllis and Ben's dialogue seemed more in depth than Roundabout, and seemed closer to the original. So I don't believe the book followed one certain version. There was some stuff in not in the Roundabout version, and some not from the original, so it seemed like a compilation of different revisions.

I really loved Victoria. I was afraid she wasn't going to hit the child-like aspect of Sally. And I was very happy to see she did. Though no other actress will play Sally as "young" as Dorothy Collins. Vicki did an amazing job with her songs. Her highlight being IN BUDDY'S EYES, which received thunderous long lasting applause and cheers. Donna was simply fantastic, and she looked so beautiful. I was REALLY impressed with McGrath's Buddy, his dancing was great. I was happy to hear Victor Garber sing in tune the whole time, I was nervous judging by what people said.

Baranski was interesting. She used her book quite a few times, missed a couple notes in I'M STILL HERE, but overall was very good. Mimi, Joanne, and the other ladies were also a joy up there.

One other minor problem I had was that I didn't find the confrontation before LOVELAND as powerful and intense as it could be.

Otherwise, I was blown away. I'm so glad I caught this.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:42pm

honey, im scannin my sketches now!

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:47pm

So I don't believe the book followed one certain version.

You're correct. It seemed to be an amalgamation of the original and Roundabout version.

Updated On: 2/11/07 at 11:47 PM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:49pm

You're an angel! I'm waiting in anticipation to see them.

And ljay, I just remembered how great Victoria was when she was yelling at her younger self "You could have had him but you played it wrong!" Gosh, I feel sorry for those people. Probably some of my fascination with the material lies in how much I hope never to make the types of mistakes they made that would lead to the unhappy lives they exist in

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/11/07 at 11:58pm

I, too, found myself wishing the transition to "Loveland" had a little more ... I don't know, edge, maybe to it, but I'm not bitching at all. In fact, I think the fact that I keep thinking of nitpicky details means that the entire thing was so well-staged that at times it really felt like an actual fully realized production. I felt that way about Gypsy at Ravinia, because of some terrific performances. It's the same here.

I still can't get over how much I enjoyed Donna Murphy. I'd never been much of a fan and I was blown away by her. I loved her complicated bun thing, too.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:05am

Aside from Baranski's Hairspray-esque 'do, I thought the leading women had great hair and the costumes were just so much more realized than I thought they would be. From far away, correct me if I'm wrong, only black and white was worn by the cast at the party which I thought was great.

From my view they got obscured at times, but I was unaware how whenever the older crew performed their numbers, their ghosts were displayed on the platform in the back. I only noticed at the conclusion of the 3-song montage that the Whitman couple (who I thought were great, the audience loved them), Solange, and Hattie had their counterparts stationed in the back of the orchestra.

Updated On: 2/12/07 at 12:05 AM

[Unknown User]

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

initial pencil sketches

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:10am

Wow n69n! Looks great so far! I'm looking forward to the finished product!

PS I'm a little jealous of your artistic talent... Updated On: 2/12/07 at 12:10 AM

[Kringas]

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

I can't wait to see your finished work for this, n69n!

[C is for Company]

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

Sally is going to look cute and its going to be a race of people to see who can ask you first for permission to use Phyllis as their avatar.

[PalJoey]

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

In the pencil sketch, Mimi Hines looks a little like Chucky.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:13am

I am so sad I missed this, but love reading everyone's reviews...and seeing the "artist's renderings"!

(To paraphrase Big Edie, "Everything is good that I didn't do!")

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:14am

I hope you don't mind, but the Phyllis sketch is now my desktop background...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:15am

i havent posted the mimi hines sketch yet...(but you are right, she *does* look like chucky!)

& i say that affectionatley!!!
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 12:15 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:23am

wait--so is that Sally?

[courtnyj]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:33am

Yes, and she's so glad she came!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:34am

ive just posted SALLY and PHYLLIS

...but here is HATTIE, just for you!!!

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:42am

Adorable.

If I can go back to Murphy for a minute, what I find fascinating is that she really reinvented the role of Phyllis for me. I always thought of Phyllis as the most tragic of the four, because it was she who had changed the most in thirty years, but the contrast wasn't nearly as stark between the Older and Younger Phyllis in this production. I'm sure other people have had this thought, so don't think I'm passing it of as original.

Her Phyllis was less cold and arch and more wounded and passionate and it was truly a revelation to watch.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:43am

(Love the sketches!)

I don't have anything to add which hasn't already been written by others far more eloquent than I.

I simply LOVED it.

And was SO lucky to have been able to see it both last night and tonight.

I was moved to tears both nights, but for different songs each night.

How I WISH there was going to be a recording of this!