Sondheim revival renaissance

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:13am

With the flood of Sondheim revivals on broadway in the last 18 months and coming 9(Company, Into The Woods, Assassins, merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd, Here We Are). I’m curious if we think this trend will continue through his work and what we are still hoping to see. 
 

Personally I’d love to still see the Julie Andrews and cate Blanchett rumoured revival of a Little Night Music.  And a full scale production of Follies with a swath of Broadway legends. 
We also haven’t had a revival of Gypsy in almost 15 years. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:29am

I do think we’ll see a major Follies revival in the next 5 years. There will be so many leading ladies ready for Sally and Phyllis. I would love to see it done at the Beaumont. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:32am

Maybe Encores! can pull off a concert production of Passion or The Frogs someday.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 12:49am

I highly doubt you are going to ever get Andrews back onstage. She has more or less said this in interviews that she might consider directing onstage but not acting.

I highly doubt you are going to ever get Blanchett for a long enough run to be profitable in a musical.

I know this ALNM was a Rudin rumor, but there is a big difference between pipedream and reality –– and what he could convince people to do, vs. what any other producer could convince actors of their stature to do. (The reality is also that either one of those ladies would sell more than sufficiently enough that the other would be a waste of money, but SR didn't really live in reality.)

Updated On: 3/17/23 at 12:49 AM

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:08pm

My #1 dream is Lincoln Center Follies! It would be incredible!

It's definitely time for a new Rose and for a new Night Music. 

Would definitely kill for some concerts of the lesser-produced stuff. I need to see The Frogs live at some point!

Is Forum unproducable now? I really would love to see it some time...

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:14pm

I said in the other thread, but I wish someone would give Road Show another shot. I really enjoy the music and story. 

Also, does LCT not produce much Sondheim outside of concerts? Or is Sher against directing Sondheim? I know they did The Frogs forever ago, but I'm surprised none of these large scale revivals have been Sondheim. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:45pm

I was told not long ago by a reputable source that Andre Bishop has no interest in ever producing FOLLIES, and was never inclined to bring over the National Theatre production or mount his own. He had a relationship with Sondheim dating back to the original SUNDAY and ASSASSINS (he produced & developed both when he ran Playwrights Horizons), developed & co-produced PASSION, and produced THE FROGS among other projects.

Updated On: 3/17/23 at 01:45 PM

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:48pm

I still hope and pray that we get a Gypsy revival in the future with Stephanie J Block as Mama Rose! 

Also, we might get a transfer of Old Friends from London so that's also a possibility!

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:52pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I was told not long ago by a reputable source that Andre Bishop has no interest in ever producing FOLLIES, and was never inclined to bring over the National Theatre production or mount his own. He had a relationship with Sondheim dating back to the original SUNDAY and ASSASSINS (he produced & developed both when he ran Playwrights Horizons), developed & co-produced PASSION, and produced THE FROGS among other projects."

 

Well FOLLIES will certainly outlast Andre.  It's time for new blood at LCT anyway.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:56pm

Block as Rose. Sold. Do we think Keli O'hara would be a strong Rose? I love her voice and acting but she's never played a ferocious character. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 1:59pm

RippedMan said: "Block as Rose. Sold. Do we think Keli O'hara would be a strong Rose? I love her voice and acting but she's never played a ferocious character."

I can maybe see O'Hara in Follies but not Gypsy. Block NEEDS to be the next Mama Rose! I can already imagine her singing Rose's Turn!

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:02pm

Lincoln Center would be about the only place Follies could be done I'm afraid since it's just not a profitable show. The last revival didn't recoup, the Roundabout one barely ran 3 months--while there's always die-hard interest in it from the theatre community, there's just never been enough interest since the original to really make it profitable. So I can't imagine too many for-profit producers investing in a big cast with big names and a big orchestra for a show with that track record over the last 50 years.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:14pm

Dylan Smith4 said: "RippedMan said: "Block as Rose. Sold. Do we think Keli O'hara would be a strong Rose? I love her voice and acting but she's never played a ferocious character."

I can maybe see O'Hara in Follies but not Gypsy. Block NEEDS to be the next Mama Rose! I can already imagine her singing Rose's Turn!"

 

Block would be perfectly competent in the role -- but also unexciting.  I feel like I've seen her performance already.  The next Broadway production should be with someone "outside the box" -- like the Weisslers did with Tyne Daly.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:20pm

RippedMan said: "I said in the other thread, but I wish someone would give Road Show another shot. I really enjoy the music and story.

Also, does LCT not produce much Sondheim outside of concerts? Or is Sher against directing Sondheim? I know they did The Frogs forever ago, but I'm surprised none of these large scale revivals have been Sondheim."

Other than Follies, what would benefit from playing the Beaumont?

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:22pm

One of my fantasy productions that I'd love to see someday is Follies at the Beaumont, directed by Bart Sher, with Kelli O'Hara as Sally and Laura Benanti as Phyllis.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:30pm

Jarethan said: "Other than Follies, what would benefit from playing the Beaumont?"

I think a lush production of Night Music would be incredible in the Beaumont, especially since LCT doesn’t tend to skimp out on the size of the orchestra. 

[Observation]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:42pm

JSquared2 said: "Dylan Smith4 said: "RippedMan said: "Block as Rose. Sold. Do we think Keli O'hara would be a strong Rose? I love her voice and acting but she's never played a ferocious character."

I can maybe see O'Hara in Follies but not Gypsy. Block NEEDS to be the next Mama Rose! I can already imagine her singing Rose's Turn!"



Block would be perfectly competent in the role -- but also unexciting. I feel like I've seen her performance already. The next Broadway production should be with someone "outside the box" -- like the Weisslers did with Tyne Daly."

I'm hoping our next Mama Rose is a woman of color. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:57pm

Would love to see FOLLIES with a Black cast (at least the ladies). That’s something that was bandied about for the KenCen revival.

[TheOnlyOne2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 3:42pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Would love to see FOLLIES with a Black cast (at least the ladies). That’s something that was bandied about for the KenCen revival."

That doesn't really make sense to have an all black cast. The songs written in Follies doesn't really lend itself to the experience of black women, nor does the dialogue.

I'd love to see someone write a Follies-like piece that shows off black women though. That's something that has been overdue for years! So many women we don't get to see on Broadway who could show off. Film actresses, gospel singers, r&b, rap,jazz artists. 

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 03:42 PM

[Ke3]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 5:22pm

This is complete pipe dream casting, but I'd pay anything for a Night Music revival with Diana Ross playing Madame Armfeldt and a theatre name as Desiree. Perhaps Heather Headley or Anika Noni Rose.

[Kelley10]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 11:04pm

Jayne Houdyshell as Mama Rose.

Nathan Lane as Herbie

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 1:43am

I've heard that the Andrews/Blanchett Night Music will happen VERY soon.

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 3:21am

I think it is more likely you will see a full revival of Forum on Broadway before you see Julie Andrew on Broadway in A Little Night Music (unless its a one night only type deal) 

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 5:28am

It would be truly amazing to see Blanchett and Andrews in ALNM and Andrews finally winning her Tony. 

[BJR]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:51am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I was told not long ago by a reputable source that Andre Bishop has no interest in ever producing FOLLIES, and was never inclined to bring over the National Theatre production or mount his own. He had a relationship with Sondheim dating back to the original SUNDAY and ASSASSINS (he produced & developed both when he ran Playwrights Horizons), developed & co-produced PASSION, and produced THE FROGS among other projects."

I wonder why. Maybe he just doesn't care for it.