Wow - Encores is doing FOLLIES

And everyone moaned that after the small scale Roundabout revival, we'd never see a big mounting in NYC again. This will surely feature some very lush orchestrations - but will they be able to come up with the perfect dream cast that has always alluded these concert productions of FOLLIES?

Let the speculation begin!
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=10663

This is a dream come true. After the dissapointing '01 run I thought it would be at least another 15 years before it was attempted again in New York.

I'm now curious if this has transfer possibilities if it's anywhere near as good as the '98 Papermill revival...

I hereby nominate Elaine Stritch for the role of Hattie Walker

I cannot wait to see who gets cast. They lined up brilliant actors for their shows last season, I expect big stars for this concert. I wonder if they'd care to record it.

I've always thought Streep would be brilliant in this if they ever made a film version, as well as Shirley Maclaine.

Also, I thought the article said it was going to be a "full-scale" presentation of FOLLIES. It's just going to be a concert?

Ah. I guess I misread that.

Oh, well. I'll still be there each night of the show... :)

I missed getting tickets to the 1980's concert version with Barbara Cook and Lee Remick by mere minutes!

I'm gonna be at this one if I have to sell a kidney!!!!!

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It's really not a show that works well in concert.

You ARE joking? Or have you not heard of a 1985 2-night staging FOLLIES In Concert? RCA Victor released it as a 2 CD set, PBS filmed some of it (as well as rehersals) for a fascinating Making of...documentary. The concert that more or less started the vogue for reviving classic shows in concert.

I do wonder if they will be able to come up with a cast to compete with both the originals and the 1985 concert cast. And will they use the original script? THe revised script from teh cncert? The 2001 script? A hybrid of all versions?

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I think the score is incredible in any context.

((And Meryl Streep is a great idea!)))

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Yes, I was there and I didn't enjoy it much.

Most of the roles were miscast, even if they were miscast with very talented people (although I can generally live without Hearn and Patinkin under any circumstances). There was virtually no book in the concert, and for me those songs really don't work that well without the book. (MInority opinion, I know.) And what little book there was was mostly not even the original lines but horrible new stuff that Goldman wrote.

There were a few parts I enjoyed but mostly it was not a fun evening for me, watching material I love being eviscerated. And even the playing of the orchestra was not taken full advantage of. I thought when I went that even if I didn't love the cast, I'd get to hear all that great dance music played really well. I was wrong.

In my experience it was one of the first of those Broadway-related events of which we've now had so many, where the audience reaction is insanely out of proportion to the quality of the performance.

Updated On: 6/30/06 at 02:55 AM

I did see the original production. But I know other people who were at the concert who hadn't seen the original and were just as underwhelmed as I was. I think that a lot of what went on at the concert had more to do with appreciation of the material (and a chance to show that appreciation to Sondheim) than with the performances.

And now that we have distance from the hysteria attendant upon the event, I think that not all that many people regard the recording as being all that great.

Even if no other production is likely to equal the original, I do think that a very good production is quite possible. Some of the regional productions over the years have had good performances in at least some roles.

I suppose, even if I question the appropriateness of Encores doing Follies, that I should hope for the best rather than expecting the worst. If we get the original book and the right people (and I think they're out there for most of the roles), it might be pretty good. Though a week and a half of rehearsal really doesn't seem enough.

Y'know, the weird thing is that isn't ENCORES supposed to be staging musicals that HAVEN'T had a revival in years?

And if they are really serious about doing Follies, let's hope they get someone to recreate Michael Bennett's choreography.

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Updated On: 6/30/06 at 08:06 AM

Wouldn't it be great if Encores! could get the four actors who played the youngsters in the original production to play their older counterparts this time around?

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