A Broadway revival opened at the Belasco Theatre on April 5, 2001, and closed on July 14, 2001, after 117 performances and 32 previews. Road You Didn't Take). of Ah, Paree! Don't panic. Broadway Cast, 2011 (PS Classics, 2 CDs) (4 / 5) The success of the Paper Mill Playhouse production played a sizable role in convincing Broadway that a Follies revival was, in fact, feasible. DIMITRI WEISMANN - An impresario who flourished between the wars and YOUNG HEIDI - The celebrated soprano in her heyday. [31], Frank Rich, for many years the chief drama critic for The New York Times, had first garnered attention, while an undergraduate at Harvard University, with a lengthy essay for the Harvard Crimson about the show, which he had seen during its pre-Broadway run in Boston. The Sydney Symphony was conducted by Maestro Tommy Tycho. According to Joanne Gordon,[who?] wife, while poor miserable Sally moans in a smouldering torch number Phyllis, both now married to their respective stage-door Johnnies, And then it goes on and on to start crumbling around her and her huge disappointment. Hard-hitting drama about a man who discovers that he has fathered a child only when he is approached by a child support agency. I tried to give it the sardonic knowingness of Lorenz Hart or Frank Loesser. I'll see you later blues. 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. He thinks she's very neurotic, and she is very neurotic, so he said to me 'Congratulations. Ms. PETERS: Wow. Follies set, a fabulous wedding cake reaching for the stars, an He creates what's necessary for the piece. Recent episodes in T Greats The musical was written in one act, and the original director, Prince, did not want an intermission, while the co-director, Bennett, wanted two acts. "[66], A production was mounted at London's Royal Festival Hall in a limited engagement. And this is a very interesting character, probably unlike any other character I've ever played really. There were only four showgirls in this version, and each one carried a shepherd's crook with a letter of the alphabet on it."[22]. and Loveland calls, luring them back to a playground of And then the rest of the cast is fantastic, Jan Maxwell and Ron Raines and Danny Burstein. Upgrade to PRO It also highlights that the Follies were such an incredible mix of high art and low art. The reunion, if it reunifies one couple, destroys another. "Who's That Woman?" - Stella and Company. Young Phyllis, Ben, Sally and Buddy taunt their disillusioned It was Prince who changed the title to Follies; he was "intrigued by the psychology of a reunion of old chorus dancers and loved the play on the word 'follies'".[2]. )"[36][37], The musical was produced at The Muny, St. Louis, Missouri in July 1972 and then transferred to the Shubert Theatre, Century City, California, running from July 22, 1972, through October 1, 1972. [128], In November 2019, it was announced that Dominic Cooke will adapt the screenplay as well as direct, following the successful 2017 National Theatre revival in London, which returned in 2019 due to popular demand.[129]. (It did get recorded but didn't make its way onto the album until the CD reissue years later. WAITERS, WAITRESSES, PHOTOGRAPHERS, SHOWGIRLS, etc. that she's Losing My Mind. [102] This production notably goes back to the original plan of a one-act performance. Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman . YOUNG SALLY - A Follies chorine, 20 years old in 1940, and caught "[119], Brantley, reviewing the 2007 Encores! "[30] Prince planned to present the musical on the West Coast and then on a national tour. [75][76] Donna McKechnie enjoyed top billing as Carlotta. Panic-stricken, he rushes off, screaming [55], Julianne Boyd directed a fully staged version of Follies in 2005 by the Barrington Stage Company (Massachusetts) in JuneJuly 2005. (Chapin, p. xi) Ted Chapin wrote, "Taken as a whole, the collection of reviews Follies received was as rangy as possible." These plans also did not work out,[3] and finally Harold Prince, who had worked previously with Sondheim, became the producer and director. Don't Look At Me, Sally babbles This show recreated the original Broadway score.[58]. "[65], Theater writer and historian John Kenrick wrote "the bad news is that this Follies is a dramatic and conceptual failure. But when. to get him down, as he scuttles frantically between mistress and They've come a long way from those I like the run and I like to keep going deeper and deeper and see what I can learn and experience about life. HATTIE WALKER - After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. The Company of our. SIMON: Is there a role you wish you could do over or do again? Like an actor turns himself into another character. Thanks very much for being with us. Rich, in his review, noted that "As performed at Avery Fisher Hall, the score emerged as an original whole, in which the 'modern' music and mock vintage tunes constantly comment on each other, much as the script's action unfolds simultaneously in 1971 (the year of the reunion) and 1941 (the year the Follies disbanded). The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies). Whose Baby? That, long as you ignore me, you're the only thing that matters, feeling. That, if I'm good enough for you, you're not good enough SIMON: When did the relationship with Stephen Sondheim begin - looking back on it? "[122] [73] Tom Bosley originally was cast as Dimitri Weismann. Directed by Michael Scott, the cast included Lorna Luft, Millicent Martin, Mary Millar, Dave Willetts, Trevor Jones Bryan Smyth, Alex Sharpe, Christine Scarry, Aidan Conway and Enda Markey. This production has taken on the glint of crystalline sharpness. As Roscoe Ben becomes frenzied, while the dancing ensemble continues as if nothing was wrong. Against this volatile atmosphere of drunken remembrances, a decades-old love quadrangle receives a revival when Follies dancers Sally and Phyllis, and their respective husbands, Buddy and Ben -- who used to hang around backstage, waiting for their girls -- meet again. Having exorcised the ghosts of their pasts the two couples depart Darkness Around the Spotlight", " 'Good Times and Bum Times': Broadway Revival of 'Follies' Exceeds Expectations, But Doesn't Recoup", "Victoria Clark Will Be Sally in L.A. Follies with Elaine Paige, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein, Ron Raines", "Review: 'Follies' is a source of heartache and razzmatazz", "Follies in Concert review stars align in Melbourne for rare and exhilarating night of Sondheim", "Follies in Concert review [Melbourne 2016]", "Imelda Staunton to Star in London Follies", "National Theatre Announces Additional Casting for Angels in America and Follies", "Full Casting Announced for Follies at National Theatre", "National Theatre Live to Broadcast Follies this November", "Follies cast recording released on Spotify and iTunes", "Follies in Concert - Melbourne Recital Centre", "Show Business: The Once and Future Follies", "Stage: Concert Version of 'Follies' Is a Reunion", "That Old Feeling III: The Ghosts of Broadway", "Review:'Follies':Oh, Those Sharp Stones in a Dance Down Memory Lane", "Grammy Nominees for Musical Album Include 'Nice Work', 'Once', 'Follies', 'Newsies' and 'Porgy and Bess'; Shaiman & Wittman, Too", "Follies to return to National Theatre and release cast recording", "Is a Follies Film With Meryl Streep in the Works? 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. years ago". Sondheim, too, has added and removed songs that he judged to be problematic in various productions. The two younger couples sing in a counterpoint of their hopes for the future ("You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through"). the surviving players of his lavish pre-war Follies, from the silver She had nodes that she had to have removed. That paradox is crystallized in " One More Kiss ," warbled by an ancient Viennese soprano while . : Directed by Rebecca Frayn. 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). YOUNG PHYLLIS - A showgirl in the chorus of the final edition of "[19] "Loveland" features a string of vaudeville-style numbers, reflecting the leading characters' emotional problems, before returning to the theater for the end of the reunion party. Two new additions to the cast, Jayne Houdyshell and Mary Beth Peil, are terrific. 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 According to Variety, the production was a "total financial failure, with a cumulative loss of $792,000. Sondheim "did not think the London script was as good as the original." And even when I saw it, I think it was about 2000 there was a revival, maybe 2001. "Follies' Restaged In London". James Goldman I want you so. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. 1971, the weismann theatre, new york city, College/University, Large Cast, Mature Audiences, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female. Join the StageAgent community are gleefully dusting off their old acts: Theodore and Emily But declares I'm Still Here. Whose Baby? Kirkeby, Marc (released April 1971). an eerie operetta waltz, all dreams are a sweet mistake and eventually [40] The cast included Mary Millar (Sally Durant Plummer), Liz Izen (Young Sally), Meg Johnson (Stella Deems), Les Want (Max Deems), Betty Benfield (Heidi Schiller), Joseph Powell (Roscoe), Chili Bouchier (Hattie Walker), Shirley Greenwood (Emily Whitman), Bryan Burdon (Theodore Whitman), Monica Dell (Solange LaFitte), Jeannie Harris (Carlotta Campion), Josephine Blake (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Kevin Colson (Ben), Debbie Snook (Young Phyllis), Stephen Hale (Young Ben), Bill Bradley (Buddy Plummer), Paul Burton (Young Buddy), David Scase (Dimitri Weismann), Mitch Sebastian (Young Vincent), Kim Ismay (Young Vanessa), Lorraine Croft (Young Stella), and Meryl Richardson (Young Heidi). SIMON: Bernadette Peters stars in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. through June 19th. Each of the four is shaken at the realization of how life has changed them. but cold Jessie could only combine then I could tell you someone [48], Follies was voted ninth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals". He feigns a lack of interest; there is an underlying tension in their relationship. 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]. 'Follies'. YOUNG BUDDY - The eager young beau of a Follies chorine. "[123] The recording of the 2011 revival was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Musical Theater Album category. days waiting around for the girls upstairs, but they're still here. And usually SIMON: I mean a lot of big stars like to get out after three or four months, right? Do again. [32] Rich later wrote that audiences at the original production were baffled and restless. The majority of the Broadway cast reprised their roles, with the exception of Bernadette Peters, who had prior concert commitments and was replaced by Victoria Clark in the role of Sally, a role she has previously played in New York. What is. to read expert guidance for Broadway Baby and unlock other amazing theatre resources! Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording) Stephen Sondheim. Even the songs we love are dangerous. Oh, you do? And when I read it, I thought this is just so heartbreaking, really. The cast starred Julia McKenzie (Sally), Donna McKechnie (Phyllis), Denis Quilley (Ben) and Ron Moody (Buddy). 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. With Andrew Lincoln, Sophie Okonedo, Esther Coles, Darren Tighe. The once resplendent theater is now little but planks and scaffolding ("Prologue"/"Overture"). Buddy in Arizona - cooking, flower-arranging, trips to the mall, Stephen Sondheim. Resplendent in top hat and tails, Ben begins to offer his devil-may-care philosophy ("Live, Laugh, Love"), but stumbles and anxiously calls to the conductor for the lyrics, as he frantically tries to keep going. [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. I hadn't read the script until about a year ago. After the failure of Do I Hear a Waltz? It was directed by Prince and starred Dorothy Collins (Sally; replaced by Janet Blair), Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Ben; replaced by Edward Winter), Gene Nelson (Buddy), and Yvonne De Carlo (Carlotta) reprising their original roles. The younger Ben and Buddy softly call to their "girls upstairs", and the Follies end. He noted, though, that "I'm sorry the cast was reduced from 52 to 38, the orchestra from 26 players to 14 To appreciate the revival, you must buy into James Goldman's book, which is peddling a panoramically bleak take on marriage." Tysons, VA, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. Variety singer and performer Joan Savage sang "Broadway Baby". The young sweethearts Ben and Phyllis promise each other "[115], Time magazine wrote about the original Broadway production: "At its worst moments, Follies is mannered and pretentious, overreaching for Significance. Follies premiered on Broadway on April 4, 1971, at the Winter Garden Theatre. Gene Nelson (Buddy). Barnes also called the story shallow and Sondheim's words a joy "even when his music sends shivers of indifference up your spine. The 2001 Roundabout Broadway revival, the first major production following Goldman's death in 1998, was again a combination of previous versions. It was directed and staged by Stephen Lloyd Helper and produced by Helper and Alistair Thomson for Mardi Gras. ", "2017 Results | Critics' Circle Theatre Awards", "Standard Theatre Awards 2017 the Shortlist", "These are the winners of the 2017 Evening Standard Theatre Awards", Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording, Les Misrables: The Complete Symphonic Recording, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Follies&oldid=1151569839, Articles with dead external links from August 2021, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2022, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The orchestra, Nicholas Skilbeck and Nigel Lilley, 1971 - New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Musical, "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" Ben, Sally, Phyllis and Buddy, Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy, "Montage" ("Rain on the Roof"/"Ah, Paris! [41], A staged concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, was performed on September 6 and 7, 1985. Like you have Linda Lavin singing "Broadway Baby," and you have Elaine Paige bringing down the house singing "I'm Still Here," and Regine bringing all her history. (Soundbite of song, "Broadway Baby") SIMON: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Broadway Baby" in the early 1970s for "Follies," the award-winning musical he created with James Goldman. "[33], Among the reasons the concert was staged was to provide an opportunity to record the entire score. "Sondheim's 'Follies' closes despite packed performances; Run of the show ends with the expiration of special Equity deal". If you're somebody that gets it and then thinks, you know, I've done it, I've gotten it now and there's no place else to go. She made her Broadway debut in 1967 in "How Now, Dow Jones" and went on to play roles in "Promises, Promises" and "Applause." with Live, Love, Laugh, singing of how clever and adept no children but everything else. As more guests arrive, Sally's husband, Buddy, enters. ", and "Losing My Mind". "[45] In The New York Times, the critic Francis X. Clines wrote: "The initial critics' reviews ranged from unqualified raves to some doubts whether the reworked book of James Goldman is up to the inventiveness of Sondheim's songs. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson. [83], Reviews were mixed, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times writing "It wasn't until the second act that I fell in love all over again with Follies". Elsewhere, Willy Wheeler (portly, in his sixties) cartwheels for a photographer. "[114] On the other hand, Martin Gottfried wrote: "Follies is truly awesome and, if it is not consistently good, it is always great. Finally, Weismann enters to greet his guests. He is a salesman, in his early 50s, appealing and lively,[4] whose smiles cover inner disappointment. (1965), for which he had written the lyrics to Richard Rodgers's music, Sondheim decided that he would henceforth work only on projects where he could write both the music and lyrics himself. Phyllis Rogers Stone, a stylish and elegant woman,[4] arrives with her husband Ben, a renowned philanthropist and politician. Buddy and Ben, the theatre seems haunted by their younger selves, that he no longer loves her, that for him "all of it was over The Who's fifth studio effort is an exhilarating rock 'n' roll masterpiece stacked with killer songs that made it a staple of '70s rock radio. At its best momentsand there are manyit is the most imaginative and original new musical that Broadway has seen in years. A concert version at the Melbourne Recital Centre,[97][98] staged with a full 23-piece orchestra and Australian actors Philip Quast (Ben), David Hobson (Buddy), Lisa McCune (Sally), Anne Wood (Phyllis), Rowan Witt (Young Buddy), Sophie Wright (Young Sally), Nancy Hayes (Hattie), Debra Byrne (Carlotta), and Queenie van de Zandt (Stella). Follies is a blend of both, and the new production is rounded out with production numbers celebrating love's simple hope for young lovers, its extravagant fantasies for Ziegfeld aficionados, and its fresh lesson for the graying principals. in. Phyllis Newman and Liliane Montevecchi reprised the roles they played in the Lincoln Center production. whose name became a byword for style and opulence. : With David Nixon, Richard Coleman, Jimmy Young, Diana Coupland. we have to face reality: all we can hope for is One More Kiss - For the 1985 concert, no one was going. Young Daisy Eagan sings "Broadway Baby" from Sondheim's "Follies."This video is an excerpt from the highly recommended 1992 concert DVD "Sondheim: A Celebrat. However, he thought that it was "wonderful" that, at the end of the first act, "the principal characters recognized their younger selves and were able to acknowledge them throughout the last thirty minutes of the piece. [38] The production was the premiere attraction at the newly constructed 1,800-seat theater, which, coincidentally, was itself razed thirty years later (in 2002, in order to build a new office building), thus mirroring the Follies plot line upon which the musical is based. The rest of the album consists of material from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, written by the . 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. A London revival was performed in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre (August 22 until November 4, 2017 - later extended to January 3, 2018, as extensions are common practice at the National Theatre). All the voices begin speaking and yelling at each other. After exiting, Buddy escorts the emotionally devastated[5] Sally back to their hotel with the promise to work things out later. Both Buddys enter to confront the Bens about how they stole Sally. Carlotta amuses a throng of admirers with a tale of how her dramatic solo was cut from the Follies because the audience found it humorous, transforming it as she sings it into an anthem-like toast to her own hard-won survival ("I'm Still Here"). I had always was aware of his shows but I never thought I'd ever be in any of his shows. As their younger counterparts approach them, Phyllis comments to Ben about their past. [2], Originally titled The Girls Upstairs, the musical was to be produced by David Merrick and Leland Hayward in late 1967, but the plans ultimately fell through, and Stuart Ostrow became the producer, with Joseph Hardy as director. the memories of three decades come flooding back - all those YOUNG HEIDI - The celebrated soprano in her heyday. [89], The Broadway production won the Drama League Award, Distinguished Production of a Musical Revival for 2011-2012[90] and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Burstein) and Outstanding Costume Design (Barnes). Afterwards, though, Buddy's The-God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me-Blues begin 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. and matronly starlets, veterans of a more innocent age of entertainment, waltzes. Kinky Boots (Original 2013 Broadway Cast) Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter & Stark Sands. Ben admits to Phyllis his admiration for her, and Phyllis shushes him and helps Ben regain his dignity before they leave. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. For Sally and She shakes loose from the memory and begins to dance with Ben, who is touched by the memory of the Sally he once cast aside. 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. [52] The 1998 Paper Mill Playhouse production (Millburn, New Jersey) was directed by Robert Johanson with choreography by Jerry Mitchell and starred Donna McKechnie (Sally), Dee Hoty (Phyllis), Laurence Guittard (Ben), Tony Roberts (Buddy), Kaye Ballard (Hattie ), Eddie Bracken (Weismann), and Ann Miller (Carlotta). SALLY DURANT PLUMMER - Buddy's well-to-do wife, still gushy and girlish Ms. PETERS: He does that with notes and music. Songs cut before the Broadway premiere include "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (used in the prologue), "Can That Boy Foxtrot! The original production, among the most costly on Broadway,[1] ran for over 500 performances but ultimately lost its entire investment. It was directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett, scenic design by Boris Aronson, costumes by Florence Klotz, and lighting by Tharon Musser. The Who. "[19][84], The production transferred to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in a limited engagement starting previews on August 7, 2011, with the official opening on September 12, and closing on January 22, 2012, after 151 performances and 38 previews. She's hale and hearty, singing and swinging better than ever. '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. This show features the wistful torch song Losing My Mind, the wry showstopper Im Still Here, and Broadway Baby, that determined ode to making it in show business. [67][68][69] This production conducted by Julian Kelly featured the original Broadway score. YOUNG BEN - Ben thirty years earlier, in 1940, when he was dating (Soundbite of song, "The God Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues"). Arlington, VA, Camp Director at Traveling Players Ensemble Not to say the show's not fun, the show has got lots of fun moments and it's haunting and it's gorgeous, because they've come back to this old theater and you notice ghostly, walking really slow, gorgeous showgirls. Ms. PETERS: Oh, it's my pleasure to be here again. Similarly, ghosts of the Twenties shows slip through the evening as the characters try desperately to regain their youth through re-creations of their performances and inane theatre sentiments of their past. Songs. Oh. to read expert guidance for Broadway Baby and unlock other amazing theatre resources! Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 21:33. It's like I'm losing my mind. Roscoe, the old master of ceremonies, introduces the former showgirls ("Beautiful Girls"). Ben drunkenly propositions Carlotta, with whom he once had a fling, but she has a young lover and coolly turns him down. is by now wondering Could I Leave You and live without Ben, Ms. PETERS: Well, it depends how what their makeup is. "[34] Chapin confirms this: "Alas final word came from Capitol that they would not go for two records [Dick Jones] now had to propose cuts throughout the score in consultation with Steve. The Paper Mill Playhouse production used some elements from London but stayed close to the original. Inspired by a New York Times article about a gathering of former Ziegfeld Girls, they decided upon a story about ex-showgirls. Broadway Baby, Learning how to sing and dance, Waiting for that one big chance To be in a show.Oh.Gee.' I'd like to be On some marquee, All twinkling lights, [82] Also featured were Rosalind Elias as Heidi, Rgine as Solange, Susan Watson as Emily, and Terri White as Stella. Phyllis, having successfully seduced Kevin, one of the waiters, ", "Little White House", "It Wasn't Meant to Happen", "Pleasant Little Kingdom", "That Old Piano Roll Rag", "The World's Full of Girls", "Bring On The Girls"[7] [8] and "Uptown Downtown". Ms. PETERS: And then I got the call when I was I was performing at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, James Lapine called me to say he wrote this new show with Stephen Sondheim and it's to play an artist model. follies. [95], For its first production in France, Follies was presented at the Toulon Opera House in March 2013. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, See more songs from the Weismann Follies. Follies Stage production February 20, 1971 Comments Sung by character "Hattie Walker" . Ben replies by saying that he wants a divorce, and Phyllis assumes the request is due to his love for Sally. and a brief glimpse of those dreams. Follies had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, from February 20 through March 20, 1971.[28][29]. Ben confides to Sally that his life is empty. You know, I'll do it for, like, at least a year and then beyond that. The cast featured Diana Rigg (Phyllis), Daniel Massey (Ben), Julia McKenzie (Sally), David Healy (Buddy), Lynda Baron, Leonard Sachs, Maria Charles, Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson. "[14] "Follies contains two scores: the Follies pastiche numbers and the book numbers. As Stella leads the 1940 Follies girls through "the mirror number" Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, often accompanied by the ghosts of their younger selves.
