The Official Kennedy Center FOLLIES Thread- Page 20

[morosco]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 6:41pm

Behind the Curtain Warren Carlyle

[morosco]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 6:42pm

Behind the Curtain Eric Schaeffer

[morosco]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 6:43pm

Behind the Curtain Ron Raines

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 7:20pm

PalJoey, or someone who knows the show well, do they use all the original keys for the show or do they transpose stuff??


How does Elaine Paige compare with Ann Miller? Better? Worse? Same? Different, I am sure!

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 7:21pm

I don't get why Schaeffer is saying this is the most expensive and lavish production of the show since the original? The clips that I have seen from the Papermill production look more lavish than this production.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 7:57pm

TonyVincent, I have been to the Eisenhower many, many times. If I were you, I'd take the last row in Orchestra.

[myshikobit]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 10:06pm

Went to the talk back today.

It was so nice to hear all of the actors voices live! I was going to comment to Bernadette about how her voice is such a fixture in my house, and because of La Strada my little sisters refer to her as Gelsomina (teehee), but it seemed unruly.

Which leads me to the actual questions- I asked the cast PalJoey's "FolliesDirectorLitmusTest" (Can people see their ghosts?), to which Elaine Page replied with an unbridled "No. Or so we have been instructed". I guess you knew that, Pal, but I was curious. Any rate, all of them were very sweet and really fascinating. I took notes- I'll post more in depth later.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 12:39am

This is what Peters had to say about Sally's red dress...

**Peters on Sally's red party dress
-"She's come to find Ben, get noticed, [and] hopes he notices her, so she wears red. He can't miss red. Anywhere she's standing ... he's going to see this red flash. ... She has to be noticed, that's her thing."

Pretty much what we had postulated.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1977122

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 7:44am

And that, Ms. Peters, with all due respect, is precisely why actors should NEVER be allowed to design costumes.

They tend to design in solid, primary colors.

[moljul]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 10:44am

No where is that response did she state SHE chose the color.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 12:13pm

I too was at the talk back yesterday and it was very enjoyable. There was a decent crowd there and the actors were very open when discussing their roles. I am a huge fan of Bernadette so obviously it was thrilling to be in the same room with her, but I actually found Jan Maxwell's comments to be the most interesting. The process of finding and developing a character is something that one feels and is often difficult to describe in words, but Jan was so articulate in discussing Phyllis. She spoke of her inside-out approach to creating the character and described the back-story she'd created for Phyllis. I found her to be so incredibly humble and she seemed truly grateful just to have been given the opportunity to play the role. I have not seen the show yet (I'm going next week) but Jan spoke specifically to how much her Phyllis loves Sally as a friend and how she is mostly angry at Ben, not because he has failed her as a husband, but because he is leading Sally on and will break her heart in the end. I can't wait to see how that aspect of Phyllis' character plays out on stage after hearing about Jan's motivations first-hand.

[pwb]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 12:33pm

I see others have already shared some tidbits about attending yesterday's Kennedy Centers 'Theatre Look-In'. Many Thanks.

Here's my 2 cents:
It was one of the Center's best look-in events: ALL the main leads were there: Bernadette (very open & talkative), Jan (a great speaker with thoughtful answers), Danny (super prepared and generous), Ron (thoughtful & effasive) and Elaine (very nimble and a quick wit). It was a Q&A format held in the Terrace Theatre: 1st with the moderator, (the theatre curator from the Smithsonian American History Musuem), asking questions of the panel; then with questions from the audience. The cast was eager to engage and glad to be there (and clearly happy that the show has opened and well recieved).

Check out the Kennedy Center web site under the Education Department's {Explore the Arts}. The moderator noted they were recording this event and they usually post them online (eventually). Check out:
http://kennedy-center.org/programs/plus/home11.cfm

Topics: All had very interesting things to say about how they came to the production and thoughts about the challenge of keeping their in character between their scenes.

I hadn't realized Jan Maxwell wasn't always musical focused in her work (since she performs at such a high level). It's clear she does in depth background research and it really pays-off in her performances. She also offered interesting & thoughtful comments on the economic realities for actors working in live theatre. Her ideas on the thoughts & motivations of her character were wonderful.

Danny Burstein noted he worked on his own ~two months preparing for his character & performance before rehersals started. It shows - he is super prepared for this wonderful performance. Danny was also very complimentary of the other performers.

Ron Raines noted he did this exact part before and he auditioned for this production. He clearly knows this part and is actually great in this session at articulating his character.

Elaine Page is very quick - esp. when (I believe) the moderator confused Joan Crawford and Gloria Swanson in her famous photo standing in a NYC theatre tear-down.

Bernadette offered many insights into her character's motivations that were very empathetic. All these thoughts clearly come thru in her performance. Her ideas on how she approaches songs performed out of a show's context were very insightful (esp. regarding 'Send in the Clowns').

All the performers had interesting insights on how the show works for different age groups and being open & curious about individual responses. All clearly love Sondhiem's work - esp the challenge of performing it well.

Cheers,

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 4:00pm

Gloria Swanson in the rubble of the Roxy, photograph by Eliot Elisofon for Life magazine. The photo was Hal Prince's vision for Follies:



Swanson had starred in a silent movie called The Love of Sunya, which had opened the Roxy in 1927. There is also another shot from the same day, in which Swanson has her arms upraised and the boa flying back off her shoulders. (I have seen this photo only in black and white):



The Roxy stood on 50th Street mid-block between 7th and 6th avenues and, directly behind the Hotel Taft (now the Michelangelo), to which it was connected. (This is the view along 50th Street, showing the hotel on the left, stretching up 7th Avenue toward 51st Street, and the theater front stretching along 50th Street toward the Time-Life Building:



It was the most elaborate movie palace ever built.







The marquee was roughly where TGI Friday is now.



The entrance led to the lobby, a large rotunda, and the theater was in the middle of the block between 7th and 6th.



It was razed in 1961, the first of many beautiful theaters to go like that.



And of course, there were those famous tight pants Cole Porter made famous:



You’re romance,
You’re the steppes of Russia,
You’re the pants, on a Roxy usher...

Updated On: 5/27/11 at 04:00 PM

[moljul]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 4:14pm

Wow. Thanks. Those are stunning pictures.

[myshikobit]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 5:15pm

I just looked over the ATC post, where someone (superbly) summarized most of the important points, so I'll just add tiny notes.

Ron Raines, on the difference between the last time he played Ben and now, was talking about how characters live with you as you grow older, and how you grow to understand them more- I was so happy he made that note. So true. Especially with Sondheim- it's very true.

The moderator, mistakenly, asked Jan if she had any plans for Sally, and with such great wit, she cut in with "Yes, I did have a plan for Sally... *mugs*" - very, very funny.

Danny brought out the Chekhov paralell- war of ideals, etc., which I'm really glad he noted.

I was really glad they addressed the Sally dress. I sort of agree with them- it works.

Any rate, it was great to have the opportunity to finally go to one of these things. Lots of fun- can't wait to see the show (6/15!!!)

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 10:35pm

I was also at the talk back, I don't really have much to add though. I found the cast incredibly enjoyable and really appreciated all they offered.

Did anyone else notice Elaine Paige making funny faces about halfway in? I couldn't stop laughing.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 11:39pm

Just got back.

"Who's That Woman?" nearly brought the house down. So great.

I really thought Jan Maxwell was the standout and won the audience.

Danny Burstein really got more comfortable as the night went on and he did "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues".

Ron Raines definitely showed he was a capable voice and presence on stage. Bernadette was Bernadette.

Lavin and Paige each gave their firecracker number well enough to be memorable, of course, the songs themselves are staples.

"One More Kiss" was gorgeous.

I know there were people sniping about the book when it was over but I really did not care. I was too enchanted by all of the performances and star power on stage that held command of its audience.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 1:03pm

I attended the LookIn on Tuesday and Follies last night. It was a great one-two punch, with just enough time after the LookIn to think about the answers and watch the performance through those filters.

The Crawford/Swanson confusion was because the moderator's question to Elaine Page was about "I'm Still Here" being based on Joan Crawford's life while her answer was about Follies itself being inspired by the iconic Gloria Swanson Roxy rubble picture. Elaine Page brought a lot of energy and humor to both Carlotta and the LookIn.

Jan Maxwell's answers at the LookIn added so much to my appreciation of her Phyllis. Phyllis has always been my favorite Follies character and I enjoyed Maxwell's performance very much.

My appreciation of Who's That Woman was enhanced so, so much by having seen the clip from the original production. I smiled to the point of outright grinning through the whole number. Thank you so very much anonymous person who took that video and saved it and thank you PalJoey for sharing it and the stories behind Follies in Miniature.

My main problem with Follies (other than that horrendous West End reinterpretation) has always been Ben. Ben doesn't love himself and I don't love him. I never get why Phyllis chooses to stay with him at the end other than pity. I thought Ron Raines did fine with the role, but if I were Jan Maxwell's Phyllis I would have just put him in a cab outside the theatre and taken off for that terrace in Spain.

Danny Burstein's Buddy showed the conflict between anger and love and betrayal and not being able to let go very well.

The ghosts were so beautiful and haunting. I spent most of the intermission watching a few of them drift across the set.

Bernadette's Sally was yet another of her iconic Sondheim portrayals. So much more fragile than Dot or Desiree or The Witch, much less Rose. I'd go to see her in anything Sondheim.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 11:17pm

http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=A73857

Posted: 5/27/11 at 2:29am

Great review! Amalia you said:

"
My main problem with Follies (other than that horrendous West End reinterpretation) has always been Ben. Ben doesn't love himself and I don't love him. I never get why Phyllis chooses to stay with him at the end other than pity."

This is me being admittedly snarky--but isn't it kinda interesting that that was the most (arguably) major change made to the London Follies (and one reason Country House replaced Road You Didn't Take, as well as Make the Most of Your Music replacing Live, Love, Laugh).

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 5/27/11 at 5:46am

Updated On: 5/27/11 at 05:46 AM

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 5/27/11 at 9:40am

True Ben was less self-pitying in the West End production, but I found him more arrogant and liked him even less than I had before. I felt like the revisions propped up Ben at Phyllis's expense. So while I understood that "Ah, But Underneath" fit Diana Riggs' talents better than The Story of Lucy and Jessie did, I really disliked the underlying message of that song.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/27/11 at 10:20am

What needs to be fixed about Follies has never been the songs.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/27/11 at 10:23am

My Follies virginity will be popped this Sunday at 1:30!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/27/11 at 12:09pm

You should wear a shirt saying "Bernadette Popped My Follies Cherry" and wear it at the stage door.