The Official Kennedy Center FOLLIES Thread- Page 23

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 2:43pm

I will probably be crucified for this suggestion, but I would like to see Idina play Sally. I could hear her belting out "Losing My Mind"

[binau]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:51pm

. Clearly the song has had an affect on you.

Updated On: 6/2/11 at 05:51 PM

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:56pm

I don't think Idina as Phyllis years down the road would be a horrible idea...

[chatter]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 6:00pm

I can't imagine anyone less Sally-like than Idina. Totally wrong.

[moljul]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 6:20pm

Wall Street Journal just weighed in. A rave.


Review

[Mamie]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 7:26pm

This has been playing on my mind all afternoon:
"Love, love, LOVE the idea of Angela singing "Broadway Baby"!

If they would put together a cast that includes Bernadette, Jan and Danny (Bernie might not be a perfect Sally but she's close and her "Losing My Mind" IS perfect - while Jan and Danny are simply incredible and deserve to stay with the show.) THEN -
get some no-names like Angela for Hattie and Kevin Kline for Ben - THEN give Carlotta to Linda L. (who would knock it out of the park) and I'll end up being a weekly commuter to New York. AMTRAK here I come!

[pwb]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 7:47pm

Thanks Morosco & EricMontreal22 for your supurb quote/excerpt about 'Buddy's Eyes' from Sondheim's book + your comments. They hit the spot.

All of those things discussed (I think) come thru in this performance of 'Buddy's Eyes'. ...It's sort of an 'ink blot' isn't it?; each time you experience it, a new glimmer reveals itself (maybe depending upon the individial's POV at that moment + the singer + conductor + musicians + director...) ...That's what makes theatre great & great theatre, no?


and 2 more cents on Tommy Tune:
Did he direct, choreograph & star in 'My One and Only'? Or did he only star? (It was great - and Twiggy came off well too.)

As noted in the BWW 'Lupone Hello Dolly Revival Cancelled' thread, Tune would be a great person to get a crack at this show (esp. since he starred in the movie version himself).

Cheers,

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 8:29pm

My One and Only's original director was Peter Sellars, best known for opera direction. But he was let go before the premiere and I believe Tommy Tune became the de facto director. That was also the point Tony Walton (a Tune cohort) came in to revise the set that Adrienne Lobel had first designed. Apparently quite a troubled tryout on that one. Amazing that when they were finished it resulted in such an enjoyable evening onstage.

Posted: 6/2/11 at 10:11pm

And of course the late, great Thommie Walsh co-directed and co-choreographed it with Tune (he also is credited with all of the choreography for Nine). Updated On: 6/2/11 at 10:11 PM

[BellatrixxLestrangee]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 11:23pm

I saw the matinee yesterday and absolutely loved it. As soon as I raise enough money I'm going to see it again. I'm hoping it will be as magical from the back row of the mezzanine as it was from the second row!

[PaTheatreFan]

Posted: 6/3/11 at 5:17pm

I've only seen the 2001 revival and this production, and I enjoyed a great deal about both, but I wasn't wowed like I wanted to be. I have to admit ... as big of a Sondheim fan as I am in general and as much as I love this score, the production (or is it the show in general?) ultimately left me caring less about Buddy, Sally, Ben and Phyllis the more their stories relentlessly unfolded and wanting to know more about the rest of the partygoers unfortunately relegated to the dark recesses of the Weissman Theatre who ended up with less time onstage than the peripheral spectral showgirls (although those I did like a lot).

Overall, the staging wasn't particularly inspired. The primary direction for this production seemed to be "drag your partner towards centerstage, say your lines, freeze or pause sometimes for another couple to do the same thing you're doing, then finish your scene or sing your song and drag him or her back offstage to the party ..." Still it remains a very valid production of a seldom-produced show with some absolutely terrific performance and, therefore, is worth seeing.

One thing I have enjoyed a great deal, however, are the exchanges here about the merits and abominations of the various productions over the years from those of you fortunate to see them ... will there ever be an ultimate FOLLIES ? Who knows. Perhaps I'll stage it someday -- the entire show a figment of Sally's mind, who's come to the crumbling Weismann theatre for one last look because she's heard it's going to be razed and conjures up an imaginary reunion that might reunite her with her only true love Ben. But when things go awry in her obsessive mind, she banishes everyone into LOVELAND to perform for her as she awaits the final moments of the show, centerstage with the walls of the Weismann starting to crumble down around her, having chosen her visit to coincide with the demolition so she can say goodbye to the world in the the only place which ever offered even fleeting moments of happiness!

[choitoy]

Posted: 6/3/11 at 7:24pm

Just to forewarn you all who are going to see the show, I saw it this last Tuesday night, May 31, and again for the Wednesday Matinee on June 1. They switched out the covers of the Playbill now. The May programs has the "Follies" poster design, and the June programs now have a ballet cover (for I think the upcoming Denmark Ballet?). So if you want a Playbill with the "Follies" logo, then you may have to start lurking on eBay or somewhere (I saw a couple of Playbills on eBay go for about $2, and now the only listing I see is asking for $12 for the "Follies" cover).

I'll post my full impressions of the show later when I'm off of work.

And PalJoey, I did get a straight on picture of the ad for the pillow with our quotes on it (and I also happened to buy the last pillow they had in stock on Tuesday night). I'll post that up later too.

[Tony2600]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 12:24am

Saw the show last Saturday and while I thought Jan Maxwell was the best Phyllis I’ve ever seen, I’d also have to say that Bernadette Peters nearly sunk the show for me.
In recent years I’ve seen her in Gypsy and Little Night Music and I can’t help but feel that she’s doing her Bernadette “schtick” instead of inhabiting a character.
If you’re a big fan of Helen Kane you’ll just love her “In Buddy’s Eyes” and “Losing My Mind”.

[LoveDemBroadwayShows2]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 3:44am

Please tell me they are ordering more pillows or they can be ordered for shipment later. I don't see the show until June 18th. Arrgh! PO'd about the Playbill also. They should know how many Playbills to order by the ticket sales, no?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 7:58am

You mean, Miss Holly's advertisement was responsible for the Kennedy Center selling their ENTIRE stock of Follies pillows?

She really ought to get a cut.

[Simon4]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 9:25am

There were pillows on sale at the gift stand last night.

[AlwaysTheAssistantMD]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 2:46pm

RE: The Playbills - The Playbills for The Kennedy Center are for The Kennedy Center, in general, and not for any specific show, concert or organization in The Kennedy Center at the time. The number they print is not based on ticket sales. Even touring productions will have Playbills with the current "cover" and not one with their show logo. It's like the ones at The Metropolitan Opera - they have an issue/cover each month, but different "insides" for each performance.

*The same thing happened during the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration: the closing weeks had the NSO "Carmen Jones" cover.

[choitoy]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 3:45pm

Oh good, they did get more pillows in. I should have said that I bought the last pillow, but I had a lovely little chat with the manager of the Gift Shops (after she found out I was choitoy), and said she was sorry that there was just one pillow left, but she said that they were getting more in (I saw the website just put them up for sale again).

Get them while they're hot!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 3:49pm

I didn't get one while I was there, but I think I'm going to order one today!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 3:52pm

I want a Follies pillow too and I also want my own Miss Holly so she could curl up with it. Maybe they should think about selling replica Miss Hollys and sell them as a set.

[FrauleinKost]

Posted: 6/4/11 at 9:07pm

I love Bernadette's Sally. It's different from other takes on the role, and I really like what she does with it. I appreciate what she's doing with it. I think the red dress works--Sally likes glamour and to her, the dress IS glamorous. She's dressed differently than all of the other women there. I think she's also the most far removed from show businsess compared to the other women...just my theory. I think she misses it and wants to feel glamorous for the first time in awhile, hence, the red dress. Does it work for EVERY Sally? No, but it works for Bernadette's Sally.

I think Sally would make an interesting case study--she's clearly mentally ill. I'd love to see a follow up musical about Sally!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 12:07am

I wonder if Bernadette is giving wildly fluctuating performances. I didn't think she was a travesty but the show was really about Danny Burstein and Jan Maxwell to me. And the more I ponder Regine's performance, the more the more aggressively bizarre it seems.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 12:13am

Bernadette was EXCELLENT tonight!

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 12:30am

Looking back, I really love Bernadette's Sally. It's different, but it's still Sally. And I am so thrilled that was have a production that focuses more on Sally. She absolutely NAILS her entrance and exit. They will continue to live in my memory.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 12:51am

Random thought: I love how in this production's Too Many Mornings, Ben actually passionately kisses Sally when she says "If you don't kiss me, Ben, I think I'm gonna die." I had not seen that before, though I am not sure what they did in the original production.