NPR Wittily Muses On Potential FOLLIES Live TV Production; Who Would You Cast?

FOLLIES: LIVE?! NPR has some very intriguing ideas already!

NPR's long-running series ALL THINGS CONSIDERED muses on the possibility of presenting one of Stephen Sondheim's most beloved musicals as a live TV event ala PETER PAN LIVE! and THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! in a witty new feature now available.

Movie critic Bob Mondello amusingly relates, "For fans of musical comedy, last month was a big deal. Peter Pan Live played to more than 9 million viewers on TV, and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods was seen by another 9 million in just its first week in movie theaters. That's 18 million musical comedy fans - more than all of Broadway plays to in a year. So why am I grumpy rather than smiling? Well, for starters, can we agree that Peter Pan Live was a waste of time? There's already a better version with Mary Martin. Same with The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews, and The Music Man with Robert Preston. No offense to Allison Williams, Carrie Underwood or Matthew Broderick, but there's no good reason to do them again less well."

Mondello continues, "But Stephen Sondheim finally hitting it big in movies is a different story altogether, and the combination of both these productions having enormous audiences at the same moment makes me dream of a TV/Sondheim mash-up. For years people have been saying Sondheim's shows are too tricky to be turned into films, too sophisticated for a mass audience. Well, we've now established that that's not true: His blood-soaked musical Sweeney Todd made a fortune at movie theaters, and Into the Woods has more than matched Sweeney in its first few weeks.So here's my mash-up: a live TV musical that's not just a singalong retread. Instead, how about a less familiar but far more rewarding show? Something so star-studded, and ratings-guaranteed, that it would do fresh, updated justice to what many consider Stephen Sondheim's greatest musical ever. Indulge me for a moment while I play "Fantasy Follies."

Check out the original article on the matter here.

So, who would you dream-cast in a potential live TV presentation of Sondheim and James Goldman's ode to showgirls, showstoppers and an entertainment era long since passed?

Listen to the new ALL THINGS CONSIDERED episode dedicated to FOLLIES below.

Photo Credit: NPR

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