The Official Kennedy Center FOLLIES Thread- Page 8

[Mamie]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 6:00am

Gads - I hear that music and I'm almost crawling up the walls waiting to see this!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 8:09am

Miss Holly's Folly




The pillow is bigger than she is. It's kind of fab.

Updated On: 5/11/11 at 08:09 AM

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 9:41am

Question: and I apologize because I'm sure it's been discussed, but is Bennett's choreography tied to this show a'la Robbins with West Side, Gypsy, et. al? I just watched some of that rehearsal footage, and wanna know If I'll be seeing the original master's choreography when I see the show in a few weeks.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 9:55am

No, it is not.

Bob Avian is probably the only one who could reconstruct it, as he did (somewhat) for the London production, but I don't think that's likely to happen.

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 10:19am

Crap. Thanks PJ.

This will be my first time seeing a physical production of Follies and I'm very excited, even without Bennett's choreography.

any reason as to why the choreo is not tied to this production as it is "A Chorus Line" and other Bennett shows?

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 10:32am

A couple of questions:

Has anyone who has seen this also seen the Papermill production back in 1998? If so, how do they compare?

In South Pacific, Danny Burstein seemed to be inadvertantly channeling Bert Lahr. Any hint of that in this performance?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 11:00am

To answer your question Pippin - or perhaps more a general observation - there really are only a handful of Jerome Robbins and Michael Bennet musicals that have seen subsequent productions faithfully recreate original choreography -- and frankly all of those shows, WEST SIDE STORY, FIDDLER, A CHORUS LINE, THE KING AND I etc. were enormous hits. In those specific cases, Robbins and Bennett sought to protect the total package of their vision on those shows as they were rolled out as very popular choices in touring and regional markets.

With FOLLIES - the show itself closed quickly on its first national tour and subsequent regional productions were done with much smaller casts and production elements than the original so it wouldn't have been practical to do try to 'insist' on any future production recreating any aspect of the original.

Updated On: 5/11/11 at 11:00 AM

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 11:43am

Thanks for the info, MB. It makes perfect sense. I am so upset I wasn't alive to see the original fabled production, and it's a shame that it's so expensive to reproduce the original and will probable never be done again.

[moljul]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 12:40pm

Picture of the older foursome from the Kennedy Center Program. Do love the contrast in mood from the picture released of the younger set.
Follies Four

[choitoy]

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

OMG! I must order that pillow now that PalJoey has posted the picture of it! I love odd/kitschy souvenirs ("Jesus Christ Superstar" mints, anyone?), and this will go with the collection perfectly!

Anyway, anyone have an answer to my earlier question? Is it better to sit at the front extreme sides, or along the back of the theater? Or in the balcony?

[Simon4]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 3:36pm

choitoy, I hesitated to answer your questions because your choices aren't great, and thought someone else would chime in.

As a point of reference, I saw Follies from J6, and have seen several other shows at the Eisenhower, though none from the precise locations you mentioned upthread.

I would rule out A-C at the very sides -- it will be a partial view. I thought J6 was almost too far to the side because of the staircase stage left.

Row R in the side orchestra may not be bad, depending on how far to the side the seats are -- but I would avoid the extreme sides.

From standing in the back of the house, I think Row X center orchestra may be ok. In general, i think rear orchestra in the Eisenhower is better than side balcony.

But someone else who's seen the show from these other locations, please chime in.

Updated On: 5/11/11 at 03:36 PM

[choitoy]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 3:54pm

Thanks for the input Simon. I figured those front seats would be a little extreme (though I would love to see Bernadette up close).

I guess if I go, I might try out the row R sides.

Is the orchestra level raked fairly well? My sister is pretty short, so we usually get seats in the front of the balcony (or loge/box seating if they have them for a fair price) at theaters around Seattle, just because it's hard for her to see on the orchestra level if it's not raked fairly well.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 4:10pm

The orchestra is raked quite well, it's also not extremely deep- I always pick sitting there over the upper levels when I see a show at the Eisenhower. I do agree that the row R sides are probably your best bet from the options you have.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 4:19pm

Oh my God. Im in awe of what I just saw.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 4:22pm

Share thoughts now!

[SondheimFan5]

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

JORDAN do elaborate, por favore!!??

[SondheimFan5]

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

JORDAN do elaborate, por favore!!??

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 8:57pm

Please help! Does anybody know of an organization like Broadway Cares that sells premium tickets ("CARE TIX") to shows but in DC? I'd like to buy center orchestra seats for Follies- I realize I can get great seats through a scalper but I'd rather pay $300 and have the proceeds go to a non-profit organization rather than a scalper. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 9:01pm

Oh sorry guys lol. I'm on the bus back to the city and will elaborate when I get home. I will say that I never thought I could love Jan Maxwell more than I already did. The woman is nothing short of astounding.

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 9:02pm

How is orchestra row N seat 1? I was given a ticket in that location as a gift.

[sondheimfan2]

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

Can anyone give me feedback on seating at KC? How are the balcony seats?

[Finch]

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

N1 is an excellent seat -- on the aisle.

[Finch]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 10:52pm

About 40 years ago, this coming July, my wife and I spent a day in NY, seeing "Lenny" at a matinee, following up with a night in the balcony of the Winter Garden seeing FOLLIES. What a night. I had been doing Broadway for a number of years [one of my firsts was WSS, also at the Winter Garden] But FOLLIES was one of the best I had seen up till that time. The performances, the music, the tech were above perfect. FOLLIES has always been one of the top shows I have ever seen. So, when I learned of the Kennedy Center production, I was very excited. Not only what was coming up, but who was coming with it. We talked, and tried to make plans to see it. But personal events happened, and there was only one to see it this afternoon.

Revivals are hard to create. Everyone thinks of this and that and something else from the original, and looks for it in the revival. Well, let me tell you, Boris Aronson's Loveland isn't here, but what I and the audience did see [5th row center -- I lucked out] was fabulous. As did that moment when the lace flew in in 1971, the audience seemed awed with what they saw this afternoon.

I first saw Bernadette Peters when she opened for Peter Allen many many years ago. I've followed through with a number of other shows and concerts from Mack & Mabel to Annie Get Your Gun to Gypsy, but none of them could come close to her Sally Durant. When she stood center in her purple gown I watched a lonely, sad, loving, unsure woman trying to open and understand herself. She stood and sang and told one hell of a story -- just standing. It was beautiful. I remember Dorothy Collins in this number 40 years ago, and it has been implanted in my mind ever since that night. Now I'll always see and remember both versions.

Yes, the current Buddy is not Gene Nelson. But the role does not call for a dancer. It needs an actor; Danny Burstein does just what is needed, and more in his performance.

Elaine Paige was one of the main reasons we wanted to see this production. She was one of my wife's favorites [mine. too]. "I'm Still Here" has multiple meanings to me. Yes, she dropped/repeated a couple of lines at the end, but you could see why she [Carlotta or Elaine or whoever] is still here. And, may she stay!

There is so much more I could say about why I loved FOLLIES, but enough for now.

If you can get in, can get tickets and can find time -- SEE IT!!

JPF

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 11:05pm

I'm so excited to see this I might puke a little.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/11/11 at 11:08pm

Nice, Finch. As a fellow graduate of the 1971 Broadway Follies Audience Members, I am excited by your excitement. I am seeing it Sunday the 22nd, and each day I look forward to it more.

But I diagree with you (and everyone else in the world) about Buddy. It was created to give acting moments to a dancer/hoofer who could act. Any thing else is diminishing one of the thrills and joys of the show.