#651
Posted: 6/15/11 at 2:35pm
FINALLY we're back from our long weekend on the east coast, 6 shows in DC /NYC, and all atwitter with opinions...
We saw Follies last Thursday-- I'm a veteran having seen the '85 concert, the '88 West End rewrite, and '01 Roundabout attempt, and my husband's a Follies virgin. What's the verdict? I'd call it a must-see that still thrilled us for whole chunks of Act I but left us decidedly disappointed by the final curtain. So many opportunities that fell short...
IS FOLLIES A SHOW FOREVER TO BE HAUNTED BY IT'S OWN GHOSTLY PAST? Like Ben, Sally and the rest, is any new production going to always be measured against the shining memory of it's sparkly youthful form back in 1971? The ghosts of Aronson and Klotz, Prince and Bennet seemed to wander the Kennedy Center stage all night, constantly mocking their 2011 counterparts, and boy did the current team fall short there. It isn't a question of lack of money, it's a lack of imagination that leaves you staring at the same brick walls all night-- no movement, no metaphor, no BECOMING somewhere else all evening long. Where is the party? Where are the band members, the waiters, the surge and pull of groups gathering and separating throughout the space? In short, where's the STAGING that can match the score? Four or five beautifully-gowned showgirls alone won't cut it. Why on earth would you seguee into Loveland with the curtain down while you fly in the set upstage? What IS this, 1953? Frankly the staging owed more to Herb Ross's '85 concert version where soloists faced forward, sold their numbers straight out to the audience, took their bows and out would come the next soloist center stage to do the same. Great for a concert, bad for a play.
WHY ON EARTH IS SALLY THE STAR OF THE SHOW? Yes, she's the first named character onstage, that's true. But look at the structure of the Loveland Follies numbers: Buddy, then Sally, then Phyllis, then Ben. And isn't it Ben who actually breaks down onstage at what should be the crowning moment of the evening? That red dress that got so much press here does exactly what Bernadette said it would do-- it forces you to watch her anytime she's onstage, whether or not it makes dramatic sense. And how was Bernadette last Thursday night? Honestly her first act was dynamite! Gorgeous clear voice for In Buddy's Eyes and very moving in Too Many Mornings. But Lordy, her Losing My Mind was just so damn full of ACTING-- hoarse and slow and overloaded with sturm und drang till the end when she makes that ungainly exit slooooowly upstage, waits a beat, not going left, not going right, then moves sloooooowly off right. Oy!
SO BEN AND PHYLLIS ARE THE STARS, RIGHT? Well, we adored Jan Maxwell all night-- she absolutely nailed Phyllis to the wall and sold Could I Leave You like no-one I've ever seen-- right up until the misguided Lucy and Jesse dance break (in a tacky flame dress that matches Sutton Foster's flame dress in Anything Goes.) Poor Jan. Had they given the girl a staircase and some simple Hello Dolly choreography, this number would have killed! Still, Phyllis was the character you really cared about at the end of the night, not Sally and not Ben.
THE ROAD HE DIDN'T TAKE: Ron Raines? Great singing voice from beginning to end, but when they shrank the script they must have really butchered his dialogue because his was a part that got NO love all night. Never felt his breakdown after Live Laugh Love was more than a hiccup in the rush to the final curtain. And it just seemed perverse for Ben and Phyllis to never exchange another word with Buddy and Sally after the Follies numbers are over. Was the script always that miserly in those final beats?
Danny Burstein was the real surprise star of the night for us. So heartfelt, so real, so interesting and funny from the moment he stepped onstage right through the glory that was his rendition of Buddy's Blues. He even made the silly choreography waltzing with himself in The Right Girl plausible. Burstein was one of the true heroes of this production.
HATS OFF, HERE THEY COME THOSE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS! Absolutely loved Linda Lavin's vocal rendition of Broadway Baby but boy, was that some major miscasting (or mis-costuming). Girl should come out like Susan Boyle in her orthopedics, then shock the crowd with what comes out of her mouth. Missed a great opportunity here. Regine actually was letter perfect on Ah Paris, and she sort of made you believe that she really WAS a dotty and slightly senile Solange-- which isn't so wrong. Elaine Paige never once felt like the magnificent ruin that Carlotta should be, until she finally stepped away from the silly grouping of waiters staged decorously around her and marched down to the footlights to deliver the knockout final choruses of I'm Still Here. Then she let loose with some vocal fireworks that brought Carlotta to life like she hadn't been all evening till then.
SO WHO'S THAT WOMAN?! Those other girls should all be taking notes from Terri White! That lady lived the part of Stella Deems in the spotlight, out of the spotlight, dancing up a storm, singing her heart out. Nothing all evening matched the sheer excitement of the buildup and payoff of Who's That Woman. Yeah, yeah, they shouldn't have had the ghost mirrorgirls just tap their way on from the wings, but still this was the 10 minutes of glory that had us all getting goosebumps up and down our spines, and when the number ended my husband looked at me, his face all aglow, finally understanding what the fuss with Follies was really all about.
STILL WAITING FOR THE GIRLS UPSTAIRS: After how many almost-successful productions of Follies that leave us wanting more, is it possible that Follies is a show that defies getting it right? Could it be that those genius songs aren't able to fit into a play that works from overture to curtain call? If the costumes are fabulous (as most of Gregg Barnes work here is), will the sets always come up short? And if the choreographer won't imitate Bennet's original staging, will we always ask why not? Can the stars really ever align on this beloved show so that each of the lead parts can shine without upsetting the balance of the whole?
Hold that thought while I get on the phone to book our flights to Chicago when the show opens there this fall!
We saw Follies last Thursday-- I'm a veteran having seen the '85 concert, the '88 West End rewrite, and '01 Roundabout attempt, and my husband's a Follies virgin. What's the verdict? I'd call it a must-see that still thrilled us for whole chunks of Act I but left us decidedly disappointed by the final curtain. So many opportunities that fell short...
IS FOLLIES A SHOW FOREVER TO BE HAUNTED BY IT'S OWN GHOSTLY PAST? Like Ben, Sally and the rest, is any new production going to always be measured against the shining memory of it's sparkly youthful form back in 1971? The ghosts of Aronson and Klotz, Prince and Bennet seemed to wander the Kennedy Center stage all night, constantly mocking their 2011 counterparts, and boy did the current team fall short there. It isn't a question of lack of money, it's a lack of imagination that leaves you staring at the same brick walls all night-- no movement, no metaphor, no BECOMING somewhere else all evening long. Where is the party? Where are the band members, the waiters, the surge and pull of groups gathering and separating throughout the space? In short, where's the STAGING that can match the score? Four or five beautifully-gowned showgirls alone won't cut it. Why on earth would you seguee into Loveland with the curtain down while you fly in the set upstage? What IS this, 1953? Frankly the staging owed more to Herb Ross's '85 concert version where soloists faced forward, sold their numbers straight out to the audience, took their bows and out would come the next soloist center stage to do the same. Great for a concert, bad for a play.
WHY ON EARTH IS SALLY THE STAR OF THE SHOW? Yes, she's the first named character onstage, that's true. But look at the structure of the Loveland Follies numbers: Buddy, then Sally, then Phyllis, then Ben. And isn't it Ben who actually breaks down onstage at what should be the crowning moment of the evening? That red dress that got so much press here does exactly what Bernadette said it would do-- it forces you to watch her anytime she's onstage, whether or not it makes dramatic sense. And how was Bernadette last Thursday night? Honestly her first act was dynamite! Gorgeous clear voice for In Buddy's Eyes and very moving in Too Many Mornings. But Lordy, her Losing My Mind was just so damn full of ACTING-- hoarse and slow and overloaded with sturm und drang till the end when she makes that ungainly exit slooooowly upstage, waits a beat, not going left, not going right, then moves sloooooowly off right. Oy!
SO BEN AND PHYLLIS ARE THE STARS, RIGHT? Well, we adored Jan Maxwell all night-- she absolutely nailed Phyllis to the wall and sold Could I Leave You like no-one I've ever seen-- right up until the misguided Lucy and Jesse dance break (in a tacky flame dress that matches Sutton Foster's flame dress in Anything Goes.) Poor Jan. Had they given the girl a staircase and some simple Hello Dolly choreography, this number would have killed! Still, Phyllis was the character you really cared about at the end of the night, not Sally and not Ben.
THE ROAD HE DIDN'T TAKE: Ron Raines? Great singing voice from beginning to end, but when they shrank the script they must have really butchered his dialogue because his was a part that got NO love all night. Never felt his breakdown after Live Laugh Love was more than a hiccup in the rush to the final curtain. And it just seemed perverse for Ben and Phyllis to never exchange another word with Buddy and Sally after the Follies numbers are over. Was the script always that miserly in those final beats?
Danny Burstein was the real surprise star of the night for us. So heartfelt, so real, so interesting and funny from the moment he stepped onstage right through the glory that was his rendition of Buddy's Blues. He even made the silly choreography waltzing with himself in The Right Girl plausible. Burstein was one of the true heroes of this production.
HATS OFF, HERE THEY COME THOSE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS! Absolutely loved Linda Lavin's vocal rendition of Broadway Baby but boy, was that some major miscasting (or mis-costuming). Girl should come out like Susan Boyle in her orthopedics, then shock the crowd with what comes out of her mouth. Missed a great opportunity here. Regine actually was letter perfect on Ah Paris, and she sort of made you believe that she really WAS a dotty and slightly senile Solange-- which isn't so wrong. Elaine Paige never once felt like the magnificent ruin that Carlotta should be, until she finally stepped away from the silly grouping of waiters staged decorously around her and marched down to the footlights to deliver the knockout final choruses of I'm Still Here. Then she let loose with some vocal fireworks that brought Carlotta to life like she hadn't been all evening till then.
SO WHO'S THAT WOMAN?! Those other girls should all be taking notes from Terri White! That lady lived the part of Stella Deems in the spotlight, out of the spotlight, dancing up a storm, singing her heart out. Nothing all evening matched the sheer excitement of the buildup and payoff of Who's That Woman. Yeah, yeah, they shouldn't have had the ghost mirrorgirls just tap their way on from the wings, but still this was the 10 minutes of glory that had us all getting goosebumps up and down our spines, and when the number ended my husband looked at me, his face all aglow, finally understanding what the fuss with Follies was really all about.
STILL WAITING FOR THE GIRLS UPSTAIRS: After how many almost-successful productions of Follies that leave us wanting more, is it possible that Follies is a show that defies getting it right? Could it be that those genius songs aren't able to fit into a play that works from overture to curtain call? If the costumes are fabulous (as most of Gregg Barnes work here is), will the sets always come up short? And if the choreographer won't imitate Bennet's original staging, will we always ask why not? Can the stars really ever align on this beloved show so that each of the lead parts can shine without upsetting the balance of the whole?
Hold that thought while I get on the phone to book our flights to Chicago when the show opens there this fall!
