The Official Kennedy Center FOLLIES Thread — Page 19

bway fan, what do you mean by Ron Raines's reputation?

He said reception not reputation.

But WAR HORSE isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so if LCT were to bring in FOLLIES it would have to go to a standard Broadway house - and part of the problem, regardless of who produced it, is that there aren't a lot of theatres currently available (or available in the forseeable future) that could actually house 28 musicians in the pit.

New Photos are available. So does the Kennedy Center do souvenir programs or is it hard with such a short run? I would certainly love to get all these photos in a program.
More Photos

And... If FOLLIES were to be picked up by Lincoln Center Theater at Lincoln Center, the whole production would have be restaged and somewhat re-designed in order to fit into The Beaumont. -And if LCT wanted to reclaim The Belasco - where WOMEN ON THE VERGE was - well... Even with the renovations they've done to the theatre, it would be quite a tight fit. -And, besides, that's where the Roundabout revival was housed. Too many ghosts.

The "Buddy's Blues" photo gave me a case of deja vu. In the original production, Dorothy Collins gave Sally a habit of leaning back and balancing on her heels; and that's what one of the dancers in the numbers is doing. There's no indication of whether Kiira Schmidt is playing Sally or Margie in the number. I'm seeing the show next week, and I'll be a little freaked out if she's Sally!

As for the red dress, I think it's a poor choice. Young Sally was a sweet young thing seduced by a man who only wanted her until he got her. She's seen her whole life as a disappointment since then and thinks that the last 30 years will be magically erased when she and Ben see each other. She would be a middle aged woman trying to look like the sweet young ingenue she used to be. In the original staging of "Too Many Mornings," she thinks her fantasy has come true, while he's just briefly reliving a pleasant memory. That's why he embraced young Sally during the song while older Sally reacts as if he's embracing her. She's a delusional woman trying to turn back the clock, not a hot seductress fighting to win an old flame away from his wife. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see this production, but I doubt it.

I read that Leslie Caron was superb in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. I would pay big bucks to see Leslie Caron in anything. (I seriously considered flying to Paris to see ALNM.)

CPD, when are you seeing FOLLIES at the KC?

Scripps, it's funny. One review found Elaine Paige's performance excellent; another was grossly disappointed. I guess she has that effect on people. (I actually liked her in THE KING AND I, but thought she was awful in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE!)

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I saw the show in DC on Saturday night. Hard to say which number elected the biggest response om the audience... Linda Lavin's "Broadway Baby", Jan Maxwell's "Could I Leave You?", Bernadette Peters' "Losing My Mind" or (My choice) Terri White & the girls in "Who's That Woman?" - Curiously, Regine lost her way in "Ahh Paris and the conductor had to shout a lyric to her - In a way setting up what happens with Ben in "Live Laugh Love."

As someone who did not get to see the original FOLLIES in 1971 (I was only 11 then) and who has seen some decent but far from perfect community productions, it was a thrilling event for me.

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Updated On: 5/24/11 at 07:14 PM

@beaemma: Kiira Schmidt plays Margie, on the right of Danny Burstein.

The two women who do Margie and Sally with Danny Burstein are both terrific. That number was a real treat for me.

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I saw this last Thursday. A lot of memories for me - for all the wrong reasons. I did a dreadful production of this in college! That said, we used every possible line and song (including, Country House) so somewhat familiar with the available material.

Watching the show brought back a lot of memories for me re: my younger days and it was very touching. However, the more I read some of your assessments the more I have to agree how this production felt short in several areas. Specifically, I miss seeing the contrast of the younger selves' JOY at doing these numbers when compared to tired, reflective older characters. This is why "One Last Kiss" was so well received in this production. I particularly liked the part where old Heidi looks back, acknowledges the ghost, and then the ghost sings, " . . . never look back". So haunting. I also appreciated that Bernadette was not afraid to be a little crazy/ugly in "Losing My Mind."

I was surprised they made Phyllis look like such an awful dancer, and that being the last meaningful sight of her in the show, where she had been so effective. I also did not think Ben's breakdown had the impact it needed; I could barely hear his lines over the chorus in "Live, Laugh, Love" and when he screams "PHYLIS!!!!" there were some chuckles in the audience.

If they do transfer to Broadway, I hope they invest in better use of the younger selves, bring back Victor/Vanessa and make the change to Loveland/breakdown back to reality more effective.

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I had the same options, and I got last row of the balcony on the side per the recommendation of some here for June. If you look a bit earlier on the thread, there's a picture posted from the last row to give you an idea.

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I had the same options, and I got last row of the balcony on the side per the recommendation of some here for June. If you look a bit earlier on the thread, there's a picture posted from the last row to give you an idea.

I did see the pic, though I thought I also saw a recommendation that lower is better in this theater. Interesting... Thanks. Others feel free to chime in as well, please.