1985 FOLLIES in concert.

[Q]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:23pm

Has anyone seen a recording of this? I've never seen FOLLIES, and I'm wondering if the concert staging captures the spirit of the show at all. I've heard and read a bit about the original staging, and I can't imagine how a concert version captures that presentation.

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:44pm

It's certainly worth seeing for the cast and the performances but it is not a full representation of the show and while the CD captured all the songs, the video did not- some were full performances, some were short clips, some songs not shown at all in favor of rehearsal antics or backstage banter.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:45pm

The DVD they released for this concert is more of a documentary, only featuring the 'larger' numbers, and even then some of them were shortened. From what you can see the staging appears to be quite basic , however I believe that if you'd been there it was much more electric.

[Q]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:59pm

"The DVD they released for this concert is more of a documentary"

I didn't know that. I've heard the CD, which is entertaining, but was looking for some kind of impression of the show itself. I'd love to actually see it someday, but I've yet to see it produced anywhere!

[BS]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:12pm

The video was a big disappointment. I was there and it was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience. The audience was in a frenzy. The DVD doesn't really pick that up.

[Q]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:56pm

BS - that's the consensus of others I've read who experienced it live - and honestly the impression I'm getting from all directions.

I wonder if a film of this piece is possible somewhere down the road. I would love to experience what Sondheim had in mind, but it just doesn't get produced!

[StarUsher]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 10:19am

I was involved in a production of Follies a few months ago. It's a very interesting show. I had mixed feelings about the DVD. It was great to see the big numbers and hear about some of the process but I'm not sure if it truly captured some of the nuances of the show provided by the script.

It was one of the only shows in the community theater's history that divided the audience so clearly. They either loved it and thought it was one of the best shows they've ever seen or thought it was dreadful and hated it.

Updated On: 3/6/10 at 10:19 AM

[peerrjb]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 11:25am

Having seen the original in 1971 (a couple of times, actually), I would say that the show was a stunning COLLABORATIVE work by the artists involved. No one element, and I'm talking lighting, costume design, set concept and realization, was "dangling" in its own world. Unlike so many contemporary pieces (or, Lord Help Them, revivals of FOLLIES itself) this particular musical had the emotional and psychological elements so interconnected that the oft-repeated comment "You could NEVER recreate FOLLIES nowadays, it would be too expensive" is less true financially than it is creatively. The expense of people working seamlessly (or FINDING such people, particularly in the way-above-the-line production folks) would be difficult and pricey.

THAT said, I'd say that to endure the "Follies in Concert" show on DVD (I would NOT recommend just listening to the CD) is OK if you realize that you're not seeing the overall concept of the piece. And frankly, the cast is less than effective, as far as I'm concerned. Stritch is one of my favorites, but she wasn't OLD like Ethel Shutta, so the "gag" is gone. Burnett, well, she was belting out "I'm Still Here" like a successful TV actress who was still successful, so the subtext is gone. Lovely performances, per se. But not really FOLLIES. Mandy, Mandy, Mandy.... I guess it's a cute conceit to have the two ladies in "Buddy's Blues" be performed by him... but there's a loss in the breathing-space of the number (I mean, THAT can happen when Mandy's just singing ONE character)... and on and on... Sure it's personal opinion. BUT, remember that one of the main reasons to DO the concert was to actually record the score in its entirety, which Capitol Records had backed-out of releasing.

So watch, and get the gist of it. But it ain't the real deal. It just ain't.
By the by, If you really want to hear a STUNNING version of "I'm Still Here", and haven't heard this one already, catch Nancy Walker's recording from the 1973 Sondheim concert (the "scrabble-set' cover.)

[The Other One]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 12:13pm

"Having seen the original in 1971 (a couple of times, actually), I would say that the show was a stunning COLLABORATIVE work by the artists involved. No one element, and I'm talking lighting, costume design, set concept and realization, was "dangling" in its own world. Unlike so many contemporary pieces (or, Lord Help Them, revivals of FOLLIES itself) this particular musical had the emotional and psychological elements so interconnected that the oft-repeated comment "You could NEVER recreate FOLLIES nowadays, it would be too expensive" is less true financially than it is creatively. The expense of people working seamlessly (or FINDING such people, particularly in the way-above-the-line production folks) would be difficult and pricey."

You put that so beautifully! Thank you, from one who also saw the original production twice.

The DVD doesn't capture the feel of the show at all, but I had never forgotten the sound of "Loveland" and am grateful for how well it was performed, at least on the album. Remick and Cook came close to equaling their incomparable predecessors, and "One More Kiss" was even more majestic in "Follies In Concert" than it had been in 1971. Otherwise, I've always found both the album and the DVD to be disappointments.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 12:52pm

Although the album was my first introduction to Follies, I rarely listen to it or watch the dvd anymore. I'm sure it was a much different experience to have been there (especially in a day when finding recordings of the original, or videos, etc was much tougher) but I just find the whole thing profoundly miscast and given an overall tone that's just inappropriate for the piece itself.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 1:40pm

I love the DVD. It's mostly a well done behind-the-scenes documentary leading up to a Reader's Digest sampling of the actual performance(s).

I moved to NYC in 1985, just as the original album (yes, records) was released, a couple of months after the concert. I have my LP signed by Sondheim, Cook, and Stritch. It was a Barnes & Noble event, back in the day, and I stood in line for long while to get them, as I recall. The LP is framed and on my guest room wall now.

Ah, memories ...

[tapfrog]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 2:15pm

If you are genuinely interested in all things "Follies," you would enjoy reading "Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the musical Follies" by Ted Chapin (2003)- all behind the scenes info!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 3:14pm

I saw the original 6 times and the '85 concert twice. While a few of the performances in the '85 concert are extraordinary (Barbara Cook and, um, well, Barbara Cook), it just made me sad, and the video just made me sadder.

Peerjb put it perfectly. There are only two things that recapture the excitement of Follies for me, other than the OBCR: One is the Nancy Walker performance of "I'm Still Here" on the Scrabble album that peerfjb mentions, and the other is the 13-minute video made from silent footage of the original Broadway cast, dubbed with the soundboard, referred to as "Follies in Miniature."

PM me if you'd like to see it.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 5:31pm

I'm reading Everything Was Possible right now and I am really enjoying it. Highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to see a professional performance of Follies in the Chicago suburbs years ago. It wasn't everything I would dream it could be but it was still magical. Amazing stuff.