Gary Griffin's Follies
Gary Griffin's Follies
#1Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 6/7/11 at 9:47pm
Does anybody have the scoop on the Chicago Shakespeare Follies to be directed by Gary Griffin.
Questions:
How big will the band be?
Are they going to cast with strictly local talent or are they bringing big names in for the show?
What will Griffin's concept be?
"It does what a musical is supposed to do; it takes you to another world. And it gives you a little tune to carry in your head. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. A little something for when you're feeling blue. You know?"
#2Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 6:23pm
http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,62,4,1,4
Lots of info there.
Caroline O'Connor and Brent Barrett are the biggest names in the cast.
The production starts in a few days. I cannot wait to read comparisons to the Broadway revival.
Updated On: 9/30/11 at 06:23 PM
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#3Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 6:30pm
"Hollis Resnik will perform the role of Carlotta (and sing "I'm Still Here") in director Gary Griffin's production. The Broadway actor Brent Barrett will play Benjamin; Caroline O'Connor plays Phyllis; Robert Petkoff plays Buddy and Susan Moniz plays Sally."
Aside from the above, everyone is pretty much local talent.
MORE INFO:
http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,63
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#4Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 7:04pm
To 99% of Chicago theatregoers, the "local talent" is more well-known than the "big names" they brought in.
By the way, Hollis Resnick and Susan Moniz are "local" - they have done the vast majority of their performing in Chicago. O'Connor, Barrett and Petkoff are the only true out-of-towners.
You make it sound like it's going to be a bunch of community theatre folks with a few "real" actors.
#5Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 7:19pmI like the idea of O'Connor as Phyllis. I wish I could see this.
#7Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 8:04pmCaroline O'Connor is genius casting--she IS an actor/dancer, so she'll be able to knock "Lucy and Jessie" out of the park in all respects. It will be interesting, too, to have a Phyllis who isn't statuesque.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#8Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 8:16pmDonna Murphy wasn't a statuesque Phyllis, and it worked fine. Though, I absolutely love and prefer the dynamic of a statuesque Phyllis next to a short and girlish Sally. Maxwell and Peters have a similar dynamic to Collins and Smith. I did like Murphy's performance, but for me, Maxwell is even better.
#9Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 8:23pm
Murphy isn't statuesque, but she sure looked it from my seat at City Center. 
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#11Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 8:31pmYup. Also mid-mezz.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
AwesomeDanny
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/09
#12Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 8:41pm
I'm seeing this next Friday, so I'll be sure to give my thoughts on it. I found and interview with Gary Griffin about this show that was quite interesting:
http://lisawolfonlocation.com/gary-griffin-follies/
There is also a video interview with the choreographer with clips from "Lucky & Jessie" in rehearsal. I definitely like the concept he has for choreographing the number. It will definitely help with the story-telling of the number. Caroline O'Connor looks a lot better of a dancer than what I have seen of Jan while in DC. Overall, I thinks this production looks exciting and certainly has the potential to be amazing.
EDIT: oops! I forgot to put the link to the Lucky & Jessie video! Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mMZnkhCpNc&feature=player_embedded
Updated On: 9/30/11 at 08:41 PM
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#13Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 9:41pmoooh...12-piece orchestra...classy! That's even smaller than the roundabout! (15)
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#15Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 9:51pm
Orchestra of 12: http://lisawolfonlocation.com/gary-griffin-follies/
"We spoke about Gary’s choice to have a 12-piece orchestra join the actors onstage. He hopes that the presence of live musicians encourages the audience to connect more fully due to this added dimension."
Cast of 29: http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,62,4,1,2
So I cannot imagine that the production design will be too huge because the orchestra is on stage (and there will be a harp, among other instruments)...but we shall see!!
Updated On: 9/30/11 at 09:51 PM
#16Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 10:07pmI have a few friends in the show, one of whom I've heard from about it. She is extremely proud of the production and that it will be really beautiful. I certainly hope so!
-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."
#17Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 10:11pmI really wonder what version of the book they are using?
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#18Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 10:24pmI was wondering what book, too...Hopefully not the Roundabout version.
#19Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 10:45pmI'll see if I can find out!
-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."
#20Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 9/30/11 at 10:56pm
Murphy isn't statuesque, but she sure looked it from my seat at City Center.
Yeah, and she sure looks it up close, too. Are we working with two different definitions of statuesque, because I almost always think she looks like a Grecian statue.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#21Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 10/1/11 at 12:27amMurphy is a stunningly beautiful woman, but I wouldn't call her statuesque in the way that Jan Maxwell or Marin Mazzie is. But compared to Caroline O'Connor--who is very diminutive--she's practically an Amazon. O'Connor physically seems very different from what I think most people expect of a Phyllis, but she's also one of the greatest triple threats of this generation. I wish New York saw more of her.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#22Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 10/1/11 at 12:43amI think O'Connor can project an air of icy intimidation despite being relatively small. I know that the script describes Phyllis as being tall, but I don't think being shorter would directly affect characterization. I often wonder how the physical descriptions of characters in scripts came about and what it is about those characteristics that the playwright found important.
#23Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 10/1/11 at 4:30pm
I know a couple people in this production as well (not close friends, just people I've done shows with). It sounds very exciting, and come on people, it IS a regional production, even if Chicago Shakes is one of the top regional theaters in the country. An orchestra of 12 and cast of 29 is not cheap.
BTW, at first I though Brent Barrett was an odd choice for Ben, thinking him too young. But he's actually now in his fifties!
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#24Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 10/1/11 at 5:14pmLooks like they don't have the "supporting" older women for this one (ie, DeeDee West, Sandra Crane in the current B'way production).
#25Gary Griffin's Follies
Posted: 10/1/11 at 5:27pmNo great tragedy there.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
