National Theatre: Follies- Page 7

[jewishboy]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 12:48pm

Oh yeah, lots of ghosts seeing. All those lines are in ljay. Every single word. I was riveted by them. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 1:08pm

Wow! You just gave me chills. I have longed to hear those lines return. Thanks for the info.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:15pm

jewishboy, I have been watching FOLLIES since its inception in Boston in 1971, and have seen virtually every production since then (including the Ann Arbor one with the original young leads now playing their older selves) and am over the moon to hear what you have to say. Omfg!

Could not get to London to see this production, at least not until next year, just bought two of the remaining seats for NYU Skirball in November. Will be in Los Angeles most of the winter, but nearest theatre is in Irvine, 45 miles away, in January. This is crazy, why isn't this being shown more extensively?Is there any news about it being shown elsewhere, or on other dates?

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 3:14pm

I just got a ticket - I'm making it work, I don't care how. Somehow, someway, I will be at the National on September 9th. 

[Scripps2]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 3:41pm

Thanks for sharing jewishboy - I read all your review and I'm grateful for every word.

The fact that Bolero d'Amour is there also provides encouragement - doesn't this get cut from the later rewrites? It certainly wasn't in the 1987 London production.

 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 4:08pm

jayinchelsea said: "Could not get to London to see this production, at least not until next year, just bought two of the remaining seats for NYU Skirball in November. Will be in Los Angeles most of the winter, but nearest theatre is in Irvine, 45 miles away, in January. This is crazy, why isn't this being shown more extensively?Is there any news about it being shown elsewhere, or on other dates?"

 

Same ^. I didn't even know the tickets were on sale already and there's literally no theaters in Madison WI showing this. Angels In America had 3 theaters within my 50 mile radius what's going on with this one!

 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 4:23pm

I'd keep checking the NT Live website. They add screenings and update constantly. I'd even call your closest theatre that's shown other screenings and request it. 

I'm seeing the screening in NYC that Monday then flying to London on Tuesday to see it in person that Friday and I. Can. Not. Wait. 

[Hest882]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 8:18pm

Thanks Jewishboy, for the wonderful review! Now I'm even more excited to see it via NT Live. In my local theater it's scheduled for late Nov and early Dec. 

[Harriet Craig]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 8:39pm

nasty_khakis said: "I'd keep checking the NT Live website. They add screenings and update constantly. I'd even call your closest theatre that's shown other screenings and request it."

Both good suggestions, because I'm not sure how up-to-date the listings on the NT Live website currently are. The website currently doesn't show any screenings at Symphony Space in NYC, but Symphony Space's website shows screenings on December 12 at 1 pm and January 13 at 3 pm. I just booked a ticket for the one in December.

 

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 8:44pm

ljay889 said: "I agree, it almost sounds too good to be true!

Now I just hope they kept her "I should've died the first time, I should've been dead all these years" line in the finale. No other major production has had the guts to use that since the original."

I could be wrong but I remember these being in Paul Kerryson's production at The Leicester Haymarket with the late (and very much missed) Mary Millar. Her Sally was very much bi-polar and the pain at the end of Buddy's Eyes and into Loveland heartbreaking to witness.

I've heard great things from the rehearsal room of the NT production about the four leads (and the cast in general) so eagerly await seeing the show in 2 weeks time. That said I must be in a minority of members here to have loved the Roundabout revival at the Belasco. Was beautiful how the stage blended into the whole house and i'll never get over the talent on that stage (and getting to see and hear Marni Nixon live).

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 8/23/17 at 11:33pm

Thank you very much for a wonderful insightful review. I will go to the National Theatre on 24 November and see this production. Yesterday, I bought a 34£ ticket, going over on the 15th. Remarkable how you used your phone to post the long review. Enjoy your stay Jewish Boy.

Updated On: 8/23/17 at 11:33 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/24/17 at 9:16pm

The NT bookshop is selling a version of the libretto branded for this revival. It sounds like it could be the script used for this particular production. Does anyone know?

https://shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk/follies.html

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/24/17 at 9:50pm

I ordered it and will let you know.  Amazon UK has it listed and says it is released tomorrow.  It also says it is 96 pages, which just so happens to be the same # of pages as the 2001/2011 re-release versions that were previously published by TCG.  I won't be surprised if it is the exact same thing, but I would hope it is the script as seen on the NT stage.

[non-stop26]

Posted: 8/24/17 at 10:44pm

Well, the closest theater near me is 400+ miles away, so does anyone know if pbs will pick this up?

[jewishboy]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 3:42am

Went to the national's store yesterday and they were selling two different scripts. One was the copy with the poster from the last Bway revival and the other was published by the National. I would assume that is the script the current production is working with. 

Very random original Broadway production question... How was the "onstage" band utilized in the original production? Did they just play the incidental music and perhaps some of Beautiful Girls? Was there a point in the show they disappeared from stage to never return? Thanks! 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 12:45pm

non-stop26 said: "Well, the closest theater near me is 400+ miles away, so does anyone know if pbs will pick this up?"

My experience is that the NTLive site shows only a small number of venues initially, but as the date approaches, new theatres are added.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 1:06pm

nasty_khakis said: "I'd keep checking the NT Live website. They add screenings and update constantly. I'd even call your closest theatre that's shown other screenings and request it. "

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Well, I did just this and got this response from my usual theater - 

"We will not know if we are showing this until Fathom releases the information on which they are offering it or not.  Sorry we couldn’t give you a better answer.  We hope that Fathom does decide to show it at our locations."

Any idea how to get hold of Fathom? :P

[WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 2:19pm

It is being recorded and showing in NYC on Nov 20 check National HD link on there site for dates in your area.

[Skip23]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 5:31pm

Strange....in NYC, Follies is showing in at least 2 other theatres not listed on the NT Live website.  Beekman Theatre and Symphony Space.

 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 6:38pm

Saw the production tonight and am snockered so will post more tomorrow. I have some quibbles but they were far outnumbered by goosebumps. This is as large and first rate a production as we will probably ever see of Follies these days. It's leagues better than the last two Broadway productions. The four leads are perfect and if I questioned a few directorial choices- much of it was stunning.

 

The script is virtually the original Broadway script with a couple of minor change. The show has no intermission (though the show was stopped briefly for a tech issue during Loveland tonight). The bolero is NOT in the production.

The script they are selling is the Text of the published Roundsbout script with the RNT logo on the cover. It doesn't reflect the script they are using for the production.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/25/17 at 7:34pm

QueenAlice said: "
 
The script they are selling is the Text of the published Roundsbout script with the RNT logo on the cover. It doesn't reflect the script they are using for the production."

 

Damn! Thanks for clearing that up. The Roundabout version is one of the weakest. The 2011 script was closer to the original than Roundabout's. 

Updated On: 8/25/17 at 07:34 PM

[binau]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 8:48am

Well I'm going to London to see this. Never would I have dreamt after the last revival that we would have another great production so soon. This better live up to the hype!

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 7:22pm

Saw this tonight and it is excellent.

Michael Riedel touched on this, that it won't be coming to Broadway, due to the scale of the economics, with such a large cast and pit. Also the last revival at the Marqis was a hard sell, despite being a limited run, high profile cast and great reviews. 

So why don't they bring this over then? I mean the staging is simple, ship it over, with the costumes and put it into Carnegie Hall, as a Encore Special for a 2 week limited run?

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 8:11pm

Not only will it not be going to Broadway but I hear a West End transfer is out of the question for the same reasons - schedules and economics. It's unfortunate that it's going into rep at the NT and is only playing a small number of shows as it is. This is truely one of the occasions we can be grateful for still having subsidised theatre in this country - a lavish design, fully staged with a stellar cast and musicans in a limited run for half the price of a Broadway ticket.

Catch it while you can on the South Bank.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/27/17 at 10:25am

Well, the new key of "Too Many Mornings" is.....interesting.