Wow - Encores is doing FOLLIES- Page 3

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:24am

FOLLIES without the production values is pointless and NYC has already had its FOLLIES IN CONCERT. Frankly, a moratorium should be declared on Sondheim, period. All of his shows are continually staged in productions or concerts and a show like MERRILY doesn't need to be exhumed yet again. Considering the wealth of Broadway musicals that haven't seen the light of day in decades and remain unproduced by Encores (LOVE LIFE, for example), Encores needs to stop thinking like the Roundabout and start thinking outside the box.




Winthrop Paroo
River City, Iowa
Updated On: 6/30/06 at 11:24 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:30am

I thought Yvonne de Carlo was dead...

Nope.

She's still HEEEERRRRRRREEE!!!!!!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:32am

Isnt she the undead?

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:59am

Even though I agree with PJ and EH on every point (LOVE LIFE really cries to be done, and I'd love to see PANAMA HATTIE, FLAHOOLEY and Ken Mandlebaum's fave THE GOLDEN APPLE) for some reason, I am not displeased with the admittedly wishy-washy choice, because for all its flaws, FOLLIES is one of my favorite scores ever.

I love the other choices, and wonder if the "Revue Selection" has been done because many of the elements of so many Broadway revues have been lost. Just a supposition.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:00pm

AH!!!!! Could the timing be any damn worse!? Not a single school holiday!!!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:22pm

As far as FOLLIES goes, no one said it better than John Simon in his review of the original production:

"In a just and wiser world, it is not LES MIZ, PHANTOM, and CATS that would be forever; instead, there would be one sold-out theater playing FOLLIES always. ALWAYS."

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:24pm

I doubt they would go to the expense, but they should bring in Patricia Routledge to play Heidi.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 3:19pm

"In a just and wiser world, it is not LES MIZ, PHANTOM, and CATS that would be forever; instead, there would be one sold-out theater playing FOLLIES always. ALWAYS."

John Simon actually wrote that about the Paper Mill revival. He was one of the critics who dismissed the original production, but he's done a turnaround on quite a few Sondheim musicals.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 3:58pm

I think that the Weill Foundation is not allowing any productions or concerts of Love Life until Stephen Banfield finishes the critical edition of the score that he's working on. Over the years the orchestral parts have become a shambles.

Having said that, when it was available Encores didn't seem to have much interest.

Personally, I think it's a great if flawed show and has Weill's best American score.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 4:20pm

I, like Munkstrap, have never seen it in any live form and am looking forward to this one.

Though I wish that ENCORES would take Ethan Mordden's suggestion and do a season of shows that never made it to Broadway. Like Alan Jay Lerner's "Lolita, My Love", Schmidt and Jones'"Colette" or "Grover's Corners"...

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 4:27pm

I just love the Armageddon-baiting idea of LuPone and Buckley in a show together.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 5:34pm

Supposedly Sondheim really dislikes Buckley, so I doubt you will see her involved with this production (for the record I think she'd make a much more interesting Sally than Phyllis).

Actually, the cast for the Roundabout production was largely Sondheim's doing. He picked most of the cast with Polly Bergin and Judith Ivey, who most people didn't really care for, being his absolute first choices for those roles.

So in a way, hopefully Sondheim won't be casting director for this staging.

Supposedly Sandy Duncan gave a fantastic audition for Sally for the Roundabout. I wonder if she'll be considered for Encores. I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of Maria Friedman...

[Flahooley]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 5:43pm

I know many people on this board hate the idea of color blind casting..but I'm not one of them.

I would love to see Dihann Carroll as Phyllis. She has a hard glamour to her that matches the character.

She may be a little too old for the role now.. but then again, I would complain if played Carlotta.

[Flahooley]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 5:43pm

I know many people on this board hate the idea of color blind casting..but I'm not one of them.

I would love to see Dihann Carroll as Phyllis. She has a hard glamour to her that matches the character.

She may be a little too old for the role now.. but then again, I wouldn't complain if played Carlotta.
Updated On: 7/2/06 at 05:43 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 6:55pm

I think Diahann Carroll would be a good Carlotta. How about Sigourney Weaver as Phyllis? She was offered the role at the Roundabout...

[ChanceWayne]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 9:13pm

I saw Judy Kaye playing Sally to Constance Towers' Phyllis a number of years ago. Kaye, who I've enjoyed in everything I've seen her in from "On the 20th Century","Phantom" and "Ragtime", did absolutely nothing for me in the role. She was a BLAND and matronly Sally that was more butch than fragile. Her singing was fine but she was simply miscast. However the highlight of the show was Karen Morrow's "I'm Still Here". She sounded amazing recently singing "I Had a Ball" at Onna White's memorium so her pipes are still in great shape. My vote for Morrow at "Encores".

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 12:01am

Bette Midler's been looking to come back to the stage. I'd LOVE to see her as Sally!

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 12:07am

I can;t wait- what a dream it would be to see this on stage at least.

Posted: 7/2/06 at 12:13am

One more dreamgirl: Beverly Sills as Heidi Schiller.

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 12:28am

Wow, I'm really surprised at all the venom for Follies...geez...if you don't want to go, there's plenty of folks who'll take your seat, me being one of them. I'd also be happy to see another Sweeney revival as well...Encores has to fill the seats and titles like Flahooey, Panama Hattie, and Love Life don't exactly scream box office. It's show BIZ folks, they got bills to pay.

I agree that the Roundabout revival was lackluster at best, but ALOT of people didn't see Papermill's production and even fewer saw the original Broadway version.

I also agree with Flahooley that we could use a little color in the cast:

Chita as Solange
Eartha as Carlotta
Priscilla Lopez and Thommie Walsh as the Whitmans
Stritchie as Hattie
this is kinda wacky, but Chris Walken as Buddy
let's go with Meryl as Phyllis and Glenn as Sally
Spacey for Ben
and I love the idea of Sills as Heidi!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 12:36am

Chita will be touring with her show at this time next year.

It would be nice to have her in this though.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 1:02am

Chita Rivera's rendition of "Ah, Paris!" would be devine and fierce, she would do wonders with this number.
I'd love to see Donna Murphy as Phyllis, Megan Mullally or Joanna Gleason as Sally, Carole Bishop as Hattie, Bernadette Peters as Stella, and Bea Arthur as Carlotta.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 1:57am

Fosca - you are going to have to explain that casting to me...I could maybe see Joanna Gleason as Phyllis, but Sally? Really?

And Carole Bishop is going to be playing the second oldest characterin the show, while Bea Arthur is going to be playing Megan Mullaly's contemporary?

You lost me on this one...

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 2:08am

I've heard some pretty odd casting ideas over the years (and some have been in this thread), but Bette Midler as Sally has got to rank pretty high.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 2:20am

Michael Bennett, since it is a concert I honestly was going more for whom I'd like to see singing each song rather than who's right for each character, my bad. Your questioning of my choices is entirely valid; however, I do believe Joanna Gleason would make a good Sally, a completely different interpretation of the role, yet I think it could work, and I also stand by Donna Murphy as Phyllis. Like I said, I know my choices of Hattie, Stella, and Carlotta would never work in terms of an actual production but given this is a concert I just mentioned the actresses I'd like to see performing each song.