The Official Kennedy Center FOLLIES Thread- Page 13

[bk]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 2:31am

I had to laugh when I read on the other board that the Loveland transformation was a "coup de theatre" - right, sure. Anyone who saw the original knows what a true coup de theatre that moment was and from what I'm hearing, tissue paper doesn't cut it.

While I haven't seen this production, I've heard Miss Peters' three big songs and there is just so much "acting" going on the songs themselves don't have any room to breathe. That was the joy of Dorothy Collins - that glorious voice and her complete understanding of Sally Durant Plummer - but simple, not cluttered with all those "moments." There was one note in Losing My Mind where she sounded like Dame Edna, and believe me I know from Dame Edna doing Losing My Mind :)

[binau]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 4:22am

Was that when she sings at the end "Losing *low*myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy mind"?

[elmore3003]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 9:08am

lizabombs wrote:
In "I'm Still Here," obviously, the lyrics about being called a pinko and commie tool can't be from Carlotta's original Follies number, right?

Carlotta is not singing a Follies number, as she was with "Can That Boy Foxtrot"; she's singing the story of her life.

[elmore3003]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 9:28am

Jordan Catalano posted:
Sadly, I don't think there can never be a perfect FOLLIES. The book or the direction or something will always keep it from being the perfect musical people want it to be and idealize it as. But how can that happen when it was never perfect to begin with?

I'm sorry, Jordan, but the original FOLLIES was about as perfect as you can get. There are few times something that extraordinary happens, but it did in 1970. Much as I think Ethan Mordden is a joke, I agree with him that the two towering achievements in American musical theatre were the 1927 SHOW BOAT and the 1970 FOLLIES. Many aim that high, but few reach their goal.

[Simon4]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 9:40am

###lizabombs wrote:
In "I'm Still Here," obviously, the lyrics about being called a pinko and commie tool can't be from Carlotta's original Follies number, right?

Carlotta is not singing a Follies number, as she was with "Can That Boy Foxtrot"; she's singing the story of her life.###

According to Ted Chapin, those lyrics were cribbed from some cut dialogue: "Used to be I played the vamp. Now I play somebody's hot-pantsed mother, stinko by my swimming pool and all my kids are acid heads."

[AlwaysTheAssistantMD]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 11:31am

I saw the first performance/preview of this production two weeks ago. So... A few comments, and a few questions:

RE: Seating and sight-lines in the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater. I was first row, center in the balcony. A truly perfect seat for the visuals. Alas, at that performance the balance between the orchestra and stage was still being worked out, so some of the voices were overpowered at times. But at least they were overpowered by a full, live orchestra.

Unless you want the "HD effect" - seeing everyone's wrinkles and lip quivers - sitting further back in the orchestra section in the Eisenhower is always better than up close and to the sides. And, with this set, almost any seat in the balcony is a "good seat".

RE: The size of the Eisenhower stage: Yes, the Eisenhower is the smallest hall in the Kennedy Center - except for the Terrace upstairs, of course - but it is by no means tiny. Yes, it can get crowded up on that stage, but whether the party/reunion in FOLLIES is literal or abstract, there were many times when I wished there were more than just 4-6 people on that stage - and the one or two ghosts on the top tier

RE: Transportation to DC: If you book far enough in advance, flying between NYC and DC can be a lot cheaper than Amtrak. And, as has been mentioned before, Bolt Bus is cheap and relatively dependable - just hope for no major traffic tie-ups on 95.

RE: Bernadette's dresses: The red one looks like something from one of her CD covers. Her "Losing My Mind" gown reminds me of her Carnegie Hall concert.

I will be seeing the show again during the closing week, but as for my initial thoughts on the production...

-It's good. Not great. Too many missed opportunities.

-In general, I believe it is better choreographed than directed.

-I got the sense that the show was cast and directed as a series of "Star turns", rather than "character moments". Yes, the names on the marquee and in the program do sell tickets and generate buzz, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee a great production. And what's with the special "boxing" of Elaine Paige's credit?

-The first entrance of the Follies Girls into the party really diminished the impact of the re-presentation of them during "Beautiful Girls". There was no surprise, no sense of Occasion.

-As for Bernadette Peters - I guess I have all of the previous Sally's in my head - including a knockout one from a community theatre production a couple years ago - but she's just not vocally right for the role. Her near operatic turn in "Too Many Mornings" was handled well from a technique stand point, but, alas, I could sense the technique, the effort. "In Buddy's Eye" suffered from the same issues to my ears and eyes - she also flubbed the rhythm of the 5/4 and 6/4 bars. Granted, from what I've read and "heard", the songs are starting to settle in her voice, but the inherent kewpie-doll squeak - which seems to have gotten more pronounced over the past couple of years - just really takes me out of the moment.

-As for "Losing My Mind" - The key to making "Losing My Mind" work is when it's presented as a number from the original "Follies". Make it the torch song that Sally sang all those years ago. Make it a bit more innocent, I guess, is what I'm saying. All the "stuff" that comes before that number in the show shouldn't necessarily "result" in "Losing My Mind", rather, it should be shown in relief, in contrast to it. The heartbreak comes from seeing how Sally was basically singing a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. -And it makes the return to reality after "Live, Laugh, Love" all the more heartbreaking and, well, real. *In fact(?), all four of those "Follies" should be a heightened presentation of their "original". Loveland is basically a fantasy sequence after all.

-Going back to my "Star turn" comment - FOLLIES is an ensemble show. I felt so much attention had been paid to Bernadette Peters' Sally - and to Bernadette Peters, herself - that it threw everything off balance. Ben is the one who actually has the physical breakdown on stage during "Live, Laugh, Love". In this production, the breakdown came out of the blue since there were no signs of his character possibly cracking before that. But that could also be due to the streamlined Encores! book being used.

Finally, some questions for all of us - just change these to the past tense if you've already seen this production:

-Are you going to see this FOLLIES because you want to see the show? Or because you want see Bernadette Peters, Elaine Paige, Linda Lavin, etc.?

-Would you still make an effort to see this physical production of the show if it was cast with relative no-names?

-Just how many other productions have you really seen? *I only ask this because there was a young woman truly gushing with excitement at intermission. "This is the best production I've ever seen." -She then went on to say that she had only known the show from the various recordings - but she "listens to them every day" so she "really knows the show". As I suspected, it was her first time seeing the show on stage. Pick your words and your perspective carefully.

Oh, and, finally...

There have been no Broadway contracts offered nor signed. Trust me. If you heard something, it was just something you heard, not a fact.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 12:16pm

I'm seeing the show Sunday, but there is so much to disagree with in your pronouncements about the show in general that I hardly know where to begin.

The first entrance of the Follies Girls into the party really diminished the impact of the re-presentation of them during "Beautiful Girls"

It didn't in the original Prince/Bennett/Prince staging. But perhaps that's a problem with the lack of imagination in the direction.

The Bennett/Prince staging of the Prologue, Overture and "Beautiful Girls" was one of the most spectacular openings of a show I will ever see. As the 7-foot-tall gray showgirls (with their black-and-white-and-gray headdresses) strode across the stage, each of the guests arrived. And as they did, their ghosts appeared, with the haunting music of Sondheim's "All Things Bright and Beautiful" weaving in and out of the Prologue. As the music changed to the jaunty 1920s sound, everyone in the audience began to realize that there were two worlds onstage (at least!), the people at the party, plus their counterparts from the past.

Which is what any high-school/college reunion seems like: you see all the people who used to be young like you, now fat and out-of-shape. But you still see them (and yourself) as they and you used to be--simultaneously. Bennett and Prince figured out how to make that real-life dichotomy theatrical.

So when Weismann had Roscoe sing the song, and the now-older women came down the stairs, it was a little painful, yes, but those gray ghosts also made it beautiful.

This is the essential point that every subsequent production of Follies I have seen fails to understand. The point is NOT that old people are pathetic. The point is that we are still here. The point is survival. The point is NOT that old women can't tap-dance or look beautiful walking down a staircase.

The point is that, despite the ravages of life, we are as beautiful and talented now as we were then, and we always will be, until the day we die.

FOLLIES is an ensemble show.

No. It is not. It is definitely NOT.

It is many things to many people but the one thing it is NOT is an ensemble show.

Pick your words and your perspective carefully.

Exactly.

Updated On: 5/16/11 at 12:16 PM

[AlwaysTheAssistantMD]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 1:27pm

PalJoey -

Those were not my pronouncements. Just my opinions and thoughts. And you will have your own opinions and thoughts about this production after you see it on Sunday.

As for my comment about the double-entrance of the Follies Girls, I guess I should have stated more clearly that it was a directorial quibble rather than a "show problem". -And since it was the first preview, the actresses - not the characters - were visibly concerned about not falling off that staircase.

You wrote:

"This is the essential point that every subsequent production of Follies I have seen fails to understand. The point is NOT that old people are pathetic. The point is that we are still here. The point is survival. The point is NOT that old women can't tap-dance or look beautiful walking down a staircase.

The point is that, despite the ravages of life, we are as beautiful and talented now as we were then, and we always will be, until the day we die."

-I totally agree with that.

As for the Ensemble nature of the show, then again, I probably should have been clearer, or just not used the word "Ensemble". To me the "Ensemble" in the show is the quartet of characters: "Sally", "Ben", "Phyllis" and "Buddy". As I stated, I just felt that the focus was thrust so much on Sally/Bernadette Peters, that it threw the conflicts off balance.

However, I also never got the sense that "Sally" and "Phyllis" had any real connection to the other "Follies girls" on stage. Again, a directorial quibble.
Updated On: 5/16/11 at 01:27 PM

[AlwaysTheAssistantMD]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 1:41pm

PalJoey -

First of all, that's a great "coaching" of "I'm Still Here".

Secondly, and I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this yet, but...

Instead of "Brenda Frazier", Carlotta sings "Shirley Temple". -At least Elaine Paige did during the first preview.

But, who knows, maybe they're trying both options?
Updated On: 5/16/11 at 01:41 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 2:11pm

She sang Shirley Temple at the matinee on Saturday.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 2:26pm

Sondheim changed "Brenda Frazier" to "Shirley Temple" in 1976 for the first production of Side by Side by Sondheim in London.

Here, for anyone interested, is a photograph of Beebe sitting on his bathysphere:

Posted: 5/16/11 at 2:39pm

A rock critic friend of mine used to say that the more obscure a band is, the more a critic will love it. Hence the perfect band only rehearsed once, never played a gig or recorded song- too bad you weren't in that garage that day. You really missed it.

I have now seen the Broadway equivalent in the community-theater Sally who put Bernadette Peters to shame.

[theeatah]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:25pm

"Make it the torch song that Sally sang all those years ago... Sally was basically singing a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts."

Wasn't Sally only ever in the chorus?

I've seen it written several times that the actor playing Phyllis needs to be a dancer to pull off Lucy and Jessie. I don't quite understand the reasoning behind that assertion. Is it essential that she dances all out with the chorus in the dance break at the end of the song? Or can the number still work if staged in the "lift me up and show me off" style?

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:29pm

The latter is how Alexis Smith did it. No dancer was she, but cracking legs.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:40pm

Actually I found the choreography in Lucy and Jessie to be a bit cumbersome and distracting.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:49pm

I agree that "Lucy and Jessie" could have been better...but I still enjoyed the number nonetheless. The only number I really didn't care for was "Ah, Paris."

[Scripps2]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:57pm

Mr Sondheim is in the UK on Friday to give a talk at Cambridge University. Apparently he is then flying straight back to Washington for further work on Follies.

For someone of his age, the man's energy and commitment are astonishing!!

http://www.cus.org/termcard/29
Updated On: 5/16/11 at 03:57 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 4:00pm

I imagine he's just flying to DC for the opening which is Saturday evening. I don't think he's been terribly involved with the production itself.

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 4:07pm

I'm seeing Sondheim at the Cambridge Union on Friday (SO EXCITED) and I'm unsure if I should ask him about Follies or Arthur Laurents...

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 4:12pm

Regin was the only one I was afraid would fall down the stairs.

Updated On: 5/16/11 at 04:12 PM

[elmore3003]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 5:14pm

HistoryBoy2, I wouldn't worry about asking him about this production. It's my experience with Steve that, even if he loathes this production of FOLLiES, he will say nothing against it publicly.I have friends in the production and he's been very supportive to them. Only his closest friends will know his true opinion.

Now, Arthur Laurents is a whole different bag of worms.
Updated On: 5/16/11 at 05:14 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 5:29pm

Now, Arthur Laurents is a whole different bag of worms.

I think you meant "can of worms."



As Bette Davis said when Joan Crawford died--and this is best appreciated read aloud in an extravagant Bette Davis imitation:

"My mother told me never to speak ill of the dead. Only good. Joan Crawford is dead. GOOD."

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 5:46pm

What a great quote, PJ.

In any case, curiosity has gotten the better of me here and I am just about to get tickets for this for closing weekend. Should be interesting. Hope I don't regret it, but any Sondheim is better than no Sondheim at all, right...?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 8:10pm

I just rewatched the Papermill version and I definitely see things in that I preferred to the current version. But none of it even occured to me while I was in the theater last week. I think there's something about seeing a full production of it that just sucks you in and you don't realize flaws until way later. At least that's true for me...

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 9:43pm

I can tell you that each of the six times I saw the original I was completely entranced, even when my friends and family disliked it.

I would go back each time, enthralled anew, and find some other magical aspect I hadn't noticed before.

It wasn't until years later that I actually began to see any of the flaws as flaws.