Tickets always were tough to come by. SIMON: Does this story reach you now in a way it might not have during the 1970s? Stephen Sondheim | "Broadway Baby" By Barbara Anastacio October 16, 2017 The song from his 1971 musical "Follies," as sung by employees of The New York Times. "/", "Bolero d'Amour" Danced by Vincent and Vanessa , "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" / "Love Will See Us Through" Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy, "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" Buddy, "Margie", "Sally", "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" Phyllis and backup male dancers . Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, often accompanied by the ghosts of their younger selves. Copyright 2011 NPR. This production has taken on the glint of crystalline sharpness. Sondheim, Stephen and Goldman, James (2001). Hal Prince said: "Follies examines obsessive behavior, neurosis and self-indulgence more microscopically than anything I know of. STELLA DEEMS - Another veteran of the final Follies. [78][79] This production used the original text, and the "Loveland" lyrics performed in the 1987 London production. Afterward, Phyllis and Ben angrily discuss their lives and relationship, which has become numb and emotionless. At its very start, ghosts of Follies showgirls stalk the stage, mythic giants in winged, feathered, black and white opulence. Before she has a chance to really let loose, they are both called on to participate in another performance Stella Deems gets Sally, Phyllis, Emily, Hattie, and some others to perform an old number ("Who's That Woman? These plans also did not work out,[3] and finally Harold Prince, who had worked previously with Sondheim, became the producer and director. Kirkeby, Marc (released April 1971). Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben), Dorothy Collins (Sally) and but cold Jessie could only combine then I could tell you someone [49], Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) was the first major American opera company to present Follies as part of their main stage repertoire, running from October 21, 1988, through November 6. Whose Baby? According to Variety, the production was a "total financial failure, with a cumulative loss of $792,000. She accuses him of having affairs while he is on the road, and he admits he has a steady girlfriend, Margie, in another town, but always returns home. [53] "Ah, but Underneath" was substituted for "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" in order to accommodate non-dancer Hoty. This English-language production, using the full original orchestration, was directed by Olivier Bnzech and conducted by David Charles Abell. Julia McKenzie and David Healy. Cast. Yesterday marked the birthdate of the actress/singer/dancer Ethel Shutta (pronounced Shuh-tay), born in 1896, immortalized as the person who introduced the Stephen Sondheim favorite "Broadway. [82] Also featured were Rosalind Elias as Heidi, Rgine as Solange, Susan Watson as Emily, and Terri White as Stella. Variations are discussed in Versions. On the drab stage It starred Toni Lamond (Sally),[60] Jill Perryman(Carlotta), Judi Connelli (Phyllis), Terence Donovan (Ben), Nancye Hayes (Hattie), Glenn Butcher (Buddy), Ron Haddrick (Dimitri), Susan Johnston (Heidi),[61] and Leonie Page, Maree Johnson, Mitchell Butel, Maureen Howard. That new jukebox musical is the new Broadway smash & Juliet. Rosemary Clooney says her present show at Rainbow & Stars will be her last. their dressing rooms - but for Ben these memories awake old regrets SIMON: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Broadway Baby" in the early 1970s for "Follies," the award-winning musical he created with James Goldman. Variety singer and performer Joan Savage sang "Broadway Baby". The producer was Cameron Mackintosh, the direction was by Mike Ockrent, with choreography by Bob Avian and design by Maria Bjrnson. "Follies' Restaged In London". And then the rest of the cast is fantastic, Jan Maxwell and Ron Raines and Danny Burstein. [56], The Dublin Concert was held in May 1996 at the National Concert Hall. Clines, Francis X. In a shabby yet sparkling atmosphere of bittersweet nostalgia, a wide variety of faded glamour girls -- the famous Follies beauties of years gone by -- laugh, reminisce, brag, boast, express regret, and perform the musical numbers which made them famous, trailed by the ghostly memories of their younger selves. that he no longer loves her, that for him "all of it was over The youthful ghosts of the four leads are winning portrayed by Erin Dilly, Richard Roland, Joey Sorge and Lauren Ward. This Roundabout Theatre limited engagement had been expected to close on September 30, 2001. Ms. PETERS: But he is like an actor, but with notes and words. Follies By Rick Pender Follies original poster Follies, Sondheim's seventh Broadway production, began as The Girls Upstairs, a collaboration with bookwriter James Goldman about some young women in a Ziegfeld-like extravaganza and the stage-boy Johnnies who courted them. [86] A two-disc cast album of this production was recorded by PS Classics and was released on November 29, 2011. With the endless variety of Stephen Sondheims score, a loving and brilliant pastiche of show music from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and the time-travel trickery of James Goldmans book, Follies is a glamorous and fascinating peek into a bygone era, and a clear-eyed look at the transformation of relationships over time. With Andrew Lincoln, Sophie Okonedo, Esther Coles, Darren Tighe. "Could I Leave You?" - Phyllis. out his wife's name and we return sharply to reality. The AP quoted Michael Coveney of the Financial Times, who wrote: "Follies is a great deal more than a camp love-in for old burlesque buffs and Sondheim aficionados. 'A truly fantastic evening,' The Financial Times concluded, while the London Daily News stated 'The musical is inspired,' and The Times described the evening as 'a wonderful idea for a show which has failed to grow into a story. The cast featured Charlotte Page (Sally), Liz Robertson (Phyllis), Graham Bickley (Ben), Jrme Pradon (Buddy), Nicole Croisille (Carlotta), Julia Sutton (Hattie) and Fra Fee (Young Buddy).[96]. Sondheim "did not think the London script was as good as the original." [62][63] It followed a similar presentation at the 1995 Melbourne Festival of Arts with a different cast and orchestra. SIMON: Bernadette Peters stars in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. through June 19th. Buddy then appears, dressed in "plaid baggy pants, garish jacket, and a shiny derby hat", and performs a high-energy vaudeville routine depicting how he is caught between his love for Sally and Margie's love for him[4] ("The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues"). Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Book by James Goldman. The song was "One More Kiss", and the compromise was that if there was time, it would be recorded, even if Jones couldn't promise it would end up on the album. Ms. Peters plays Sally Durant Plummer, a one-time showgirl who attends a bittersweet reunion with her fellow performers, in a cast that includes Elaine Paige, Linda Lavin, and Regine. Follies set, a fabulous wedding cake reaching for the stars, an wife, kids - and a mistress. [80], The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts production at the Eisenhower Theater started previews on May 7, 2011, with an official opening on May 21, and closed on June 19, 2011. The production starred Bob Gunton (Ben), Warren Berlinger (Dimitri Weismann), Patty Duke (Phyllis), Vikki Carr (Sally), Harry Groener (Buddy), Carole Cook (Hattie), Carol Lawrence (Vanessa), Ken Page (Roscoe), Liz Torres (Stella), Amanda McBroom (Solange), Grover Dale (Vincent), Donna McKechnie (Carlotta), Carole Swarbrick (Christine), Stella Stevens (Dee Dee), Mary Jo Catlett (Emily), Justine Johnston (Heidi), Jean Louisa Kelly (Young Sally), Austin Miller (Young Buddy), Tia Riebling (Young Phyllis), Kevin Earley (Young Ben), Abby Feldman (Young Stella), Barbara Chiofalo (Young Heidi), Trevor Brackney (Young Vincent), Melissa Driscoll (Young Vanessa), Stephen Reed (Kevin), and Billy Barnes (Theodore). [27] The 2017 National Theatre production is performed without an interval as well as largely returning to the 1971 book, James Goldmans widow no longer alive to insist on the revised script. A rich, new production of Follies has opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with the original orchestrations. The two younger couples sing in a counterpoint of their hopes for the future ("You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through"). Even the songs we love are dangerous. a musical in one act. When Sally sees Ben, her former lover, she greets him self-consciously ("Don't Look at Me"). The cast included Anne Rogers, Jo Anne Worley and Philip Bosco. This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 21:33. Don't Look At Me, Sally babbles Di Botcher sits at her former dressing room table and sings Broadway Baby. ", "Who Could Be Blue? "[30] Prince planned to present the musical on the West Coast and then on a national tour. Sally), telling us that if only juicy but drab Lucy and dressy [19][81] The production played to 95% capacity. Follies - New Broadway Cast Recording Produced by Tommy Krasker and Philip Chaffin Executive Producers: Michael M. Kaiser, Sean Patrick Flahaven Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York City on October 3-4, 2011 Recorded and Mixed by Bart Migal Assistand Engineer: Bob Mallory, Tim Marchiafava, Tyler Hartman & Mike Bauer Music Coordinator: John Miller CARLOTTA CAMPION - A resilient motion picture star, once a vamp, then The cast starred Julia McKenzie (Sally), Donna McKechnie (Phyllis), Denis Quilley (Ben) and Ron Moody (Buddy). The musical numbers "Ah, but Underneath" (replacing "The Story of Lucy and Jessie"), "Country House", "Make the Most of Your Music" (replacing "Live, Laugh, Love"), "Social Dancing" and a new version of "Loveland" have been incorporated into various productions. It is 1971, and the iconic Weismann Theater, now a crumbling shell of its former glory, is about to be demolished to provide precious New York City parking space. Whose Baby? glad they came. Peter Marks of The Washington Post wrote that the revival "takes an audience halfway to paradise." Broadway impresario Dimitri Weismann arranges a reunion of the actors, singers, dancers, and personalities who peopled his famous Follies in the years between the World Wars, as a farewell tribute to the doomed building.
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