Anyone know if any other casting has been announced? Last I heard Victoria Clark signed on to play Sally. Who the hell is gonna play Phyllis? I would love to see Ebersole play Phyllis! Think she would do a great job.
I'm dying more to know who is going to play Carlotta! Though it most likely won't happen, because she will be touring. I can see/hear Chita as Carlotta, or even Solange. I can REALLY hear her singing "Ah, Paris!"
I'm not sure if it is because Chita played Liliane LaFleur in Nine (a role originated and built around Liliane Montevecchi who played Solange twice) but I think she would be wonderful singing "Ah, Paris!" I'd love to see Carole Bishop or Bernadette Peters play Stella (I am not sure they're appropriate for the role, I'd just like to hear their rendition of "Who's That Woman?"), and Donna Murphy *must* play Phylis.
Oooh, I'd love Ebersole as Phyllis. And though I'm not a huge Bernie Peters fan, I can still hear her "Who's that Woman?" in my head, I can totally see it.
Theatre is a safe place to do the unsafe things that need to be done.
-John Patrick Shanley
Carol Woods played Stella in the 2001 revival (I thought her rendition of "Who's That Woman?" was awful, but still), so color-blind casting has been done before in the show.
"It's a crying shame but how many black Follies stars were there? Vanessa is certainly an interesting choice. But doesn't look quite old enough yet."
Well, Bert Williams was a Ziegfeld Follies star, one of the biggest, in a number of editions.
And Josephine Baker was one of the stars of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, after Ziegfeld's death.
One thing to remember, also, is that the show is about the Weissman Follies, which in the show went on till 1941. The last Ziegfeld-produced Follies was in 1931. Ethel Waters starred in a couple of big, otherwise nonintegrated revues in the 1930s. It's not such a stretch to think that if Ziegfeld had lived and had continued to regularly produce Follies till 1941, people like Baker and Waters might well have been in some of them. After all, Bert Williams had been in earlier editions.
But there pretty definitely would not have been black showgirls or chorus girls, so it wouldn't make much sense, if you're concerned about verisimilitude in such matters, for Phyllis to be played by Vanessa Williams.
Btw, in the Roundabout Follies, there was not only Carol Woods as Stella, but also Jane White as Solange.
In regard to Karen Morrow, though she did a very good job as Carlotta in some past productions of the show, she was never quite right for the role and is now past the ideal age for it. (Not that that mattered to those who cast Ann Miller and Polly Bergen in the role.)
But she would be a great Stella or perhaps Hattie (though I'd be more interested in Charlotte Rae or Eileen Brennan as Hattie).
Though I like the idea of Donna Murphy as Phyllis, I was hoping for Patti LuPone (the current Sondheim leading lady) as Phyllis. she would be perfect for all those biting songs. Hopefully, Nonesuch, PSClassics or Sh-K-Boom will capture the concert on disc. I kind of hope they'd catch it LIVE vs. putting it in the studio.
A new Follies recording is highly improbable and an unnecessary expense. While I personally do not think you can have too many recordings of Follies, there are four major recordings of the show boasting stars like Donna McKechnie, Julia McKenzie, Elaine Stritch, Mandy Patinkin, George Hearn, Barbara Cook, Liliane Montevecchi, et al. I do believe they should film the concert for commercial release.
I could not think of a worse idea than having Lupone play Phyllis. Phyllis oozes class and dignity, or so we think (aaah but underneath). Lupone is always playing Lupone. She would NOT be a good Phyllis. I shudder to think of it. Alexis Smith would roll in her grave.
haha Oh come on. You can't just write off Phyllis like that! She is one of the greatest parts in any of Sondheims shows. She also has the best exit line in all of musical theater (IMO).
LuPone's Vera in Encores PAL JOEY was dry and sophisto. She's not my first choice for Phyliss, but not doubt she could do it. I like Murphy better. (for this role)
