The Red Dress in Follies: The Mystery Revealed

Thank you again, 1971FolliesFan.

Ah, yes. One of the great mysteries of the theatre. Finally solved!

Thought this was going to be about why Bernadatte's Sally oddly wore a sexy red dress in DC. Thank god that was fixed for Broadway.

(I saw it in DC and was in the minority: I liked Sally in the red dress.)

^I expected that post, and remember the debate after the Kennedy Center. No point in belaboring it, the production team ditched it before B'way. Most people loathed it*. I am reminded that the great Dorothy Collins wore the definitive Sally frock, which managed to capture the years between the Follies and the reunion with precision, suggesting that this was Sally's idea of elegance in 1971, even though it poignantly reflected the 1950s suburban cocktail party sensibility. The contrast between that demure formality and the Smith jumpsuit was striking. But Prince and Klotz landed on a brilliant schematic approach to nailing each of the women. The latest revival was 70s specific, but didn't have the same eye in differentiating the women.

*For what it's worth, not much at this point -- a failed design -- it seemed to track with the Peters approach to Sally, a very specific, even bald attempt to engage Ben at the reunion by standing out in an uncharacteristic dress; it confused the audience mightily. So my point is not exactly well taken.

Updated On: 6/20/15 at 11:10 AM