My Follies at Encores! Opening Night Review

Ill add to this, rather then starting a new thread. I have many of the same views as Elvis, I loved Victoria Clark, In thought Garber wasn't what he used to be, and Baranski underwhelmed me. The highlight for me was Donna Murphy. I have never seen her perform and she blew me away. I may have another reason to see LoveMusik now!

I also thought Mimi Hine's "Broadwaya Baby" was fantastic. "Who's That Woman?" was a knockout, as was "Rain on the Roof." "Ah' Paris!" was very forgettable, but that was the only number that was in this fantastic production.

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I was there tonight. It was a fantastic experience.
For those who say Victor Garber's voice is not what it used to be, he told us at the stagedoor that he had lost his voice. He did seem to be upstaged by other performers when he was singing in duet. I was expecting his "The Road You Didn't Take" to be a bit more desperate, but he seemed like he just wanted to sing the song instead of performing it. However, once he reached "Too Many Mornings" he was very touching and his "Live, Laugh, and Love" was magnificent. He fared a lot better in the book scenes though, specifically in his scenes with Donna Murphy, both seeemed to have great chemistry.
Speaking of Donna Murphy, she had the audience eating at the palm of her hand. She was the queen of one-liners tonight. She just nailed every single one of her scenes. I didn't get the chance to see Alexis Smith but Murphy performed the role as if it had been written for her. Her "Could I Leave You?" was better than I ever thought the number could be. She managed to be funny, poignant, elegant, desperate, frustrated, and sad all in one. She started slow, delighting everyone with her acidic remarks but by the end of the song she was out of control, her voice was breaking, and you could see all the desperation inside Phyllis. Her "Could I leave you? Yes" was not funny or sarcastic, it was heart-breaking. Everyone loved it when she appeared wearing the red dress for "Story of Lucy and Jessie," she flubbed a couple of lyrics but gave a solid rendition of the song. I was hoping for some high kicks though.
Michael McGrath was brilliant. At first he seemed just OK, however, in Act II he made the most out of his two solos. I had never liked "The Right Girl" until tonight, he truly seemed to get the song, and well, his "Buddy's Blues" was magnificent. Kudos to Kristen Beth Williams and Emily Fletcher who were hilarous as Margie and Sally.
Victoria Clark was great. At the beginning I thought she was playing a variation of Margaret, but as the show progressed she was more comfortable with the material. She looked STUNNING during "Losing My Mind," and gave an astonishing rendition of the song. Her final "you said you loved me" shocked me, it was so emotionally raw and touching. She was also very kind and humble at the stagedoor.
Christine Baranski was very much relying on the script for the book scenes and I didn't think she was all that much. Except for the scene with Ben in which she says "Men are so sweet" and leaves, I did not think much of her performance. Her "I'm Still Here" was alright, if it had been the first time I had heard the song I would not have considered it an anthem to survival or a celebration of a woman's life; she did nail some lines, but Elaine Stritch, Nancy Walker, Yvonne De Carlo, and Dorothy Loudon nailed the whole song when they performed it.
The rest of the cast was excellent. Anne Rogers and Robert E. Fitch were one of the best part of the show. As Emily and Thodore Whitman they made such a beautiful couple. The sharp contrast between them and the main two couples somehow showed some hope, it showed that there is a chance for success, a chance to connect with someone else. Their "Bolero d'Amour" was one of the most beautiful moments of the night.
The "Rain on the Roof," "Ah,Paris!" and "Broadway Baby" sequence got the second-longest ovation of the night (that I can remember). Yvonne Constant got an incredible number of laughs with "Ah,Paris!" and Mimi Hines was way too good as Hattie.
The biggest showstopper of the night was "Who's That Woman?" Casey Nicholaw, JoAnne Worley and the rest of the ladies outdid themselves with this number. The choreography was devine, Ms.Worley sang the number with such elegance and sharpness, and well, all the older women dancing with their younger selves were spectacular. It was so great to see this pros showing that they could very much handle the number but it was also nice to see how they were ok leaving the legacy to the younger dancers. The only problem was with the sound design, just like in the 1985 performance, Stella's last portion of the song is drowned by the chorus. Just a minor glitch. This number stopped the show, it was just fascinating.
The "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through" folly was great. I was impressed at Nicholaw's focus on detail; at the end, of the number Sally and Ben looked at each other for a second before going to their couples. It was so easy to miss but it was there. Again, his direction and choreography was seamless and on the spot. I have to mention the fact that Katie Klaus was great during her numbers and book scenes, it was impressive to hear her sing because she was channeling Clark's voice. Quite a great performance that stood out among the young actors (though they were all good in general).
Overall, it was a great experience, one of those that you hope to re-live the rest of your life.kudos to everyone involved.

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Updated On: 2/9/07 at 03:01 AM

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/02_09_07.html

Murray basically panned it. But am I suprised?

When do we get Brantley's review?

Saturday, I believe.

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dang!
i really really want to see this...
stupid geographical differences!

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I'm on the same boat, LJay...
I remember the excitement of flying into the city that Thursday, waiting impatiently for the show to start, applauding so hard that my hands were about to fall off when Donna Murphy stepped on the little platform during "Beautiful Girls," being literally on the edge of my seat during "Who's That Woman?", the curtain rising revealing Victoria Clark in a gorgeous white dress, Donna stopping the show after "Lucy and Jessie," and being unable to get it out of my head for the past what? Five months? Yeah...good times.

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Wish I could've been there. I loved reading all the reviews here though.

Thank the theatre gods for City Center.

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Kringas, why are you so great?
By the way, I loved "Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs" at the concert, McGrath was a fantastic Buddy, wasn't he?

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Double Post. I LOVE FOLLIES!

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Updated On: 7/20/07 at 01:38 AM

I think he was perfect for the role upon further inspection. He seemed to have the ordinary qualities that Buddy would have, average looks, a kind of an everyman. His voice was adequate and he made for a good fit.

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He was everything Buddy needed to be, IMO. Kinda there, nothing too special, a sort of good guy that you wouldn't notice even if he talked to you. I thought his "Buddy's Blues" was pretty great (with the help of the funny girls who played "Margie" and "Sally") and his book scenes with Clark and Murphy in particular were quite impressive.
And reading the playbill.com interview with JoAnne Worley I was reminded how great this woman was the two times I saw her. I couldn't get enough of her as Stella Deems.
Am I the only who thought Anne Rogers and Robert E. Fitch? After Worley I believe they were my favorite of the supporting cast.

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Yeah. Garber made no impression on me. McGrath did for me though.
I was enjoying Baranski quite a bit until her final notes of I'M STILL HERE...oy! Otherwise.. her book scenes were fine with me.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 01:51 AM