Farewell Follies!

[bwayphreak234]

Today marks the closing of the Los Angeles production of Follies. It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since Follies was in D.C. From D.C., to Broadway, and finally to Los Angeles, this production was truly something. Use this thread as place to share memories, and remember this stunning revival!

[ljay889]

I wish that summer return rumor was true.

[bwayphreak234]

Me too!!! I would give anything to see the live. Thank god for the cast recordings and other recordings out there...

[Musicaldudepeter]

Is it ANY way a possibility that Jan Maxwell might steal the Tony on Sunday for Actress in a Musical? ANY way at all? That would be amazing

[devonian.t]

This revival has really done the show justice!

We'll be talking about this production for years to come.

[jv92]

I doubt Jan will win. I'm usually an Audra fan, but I found her Bess performance contrived and pretentious, so I'm ROOTING for Jan, but I doubt it.

This was a lovely production of a brilliant show. Bravo!

[welcometothetheater]

Follies on Broadway was truly an afternoon I will never forget. So moving and beautiful.

[Mr Roxy]

Coming from one who saw the original production (still have the playbill) this came as close as any production will ever come to matching it

[Dollypop]

Watch out...pigs are about to fly:

I also saw the original production and have to agree with Roxy; this show came as closest to the original as possible.

[PalJoey]

I never agree with Roxy and I never agree with Dollypop, but on this occasion, I agree with them both.

What a remarkable journey this has been, for this production, and for the show.

[theaterfan862]

I really hope there is a return to this summer but it looks like it's not going to happen. I love this show so much and will remember all the brilliant performances! Jan should win the Tony for that sublime performance. It is great that we have such a wonderful cast recording to remember this production!

[Gaveston2]

Well, then, I'll just have to pile on after Roxy and Dolly and Joey. The likes of the original production will never come again, but this revival comes satisfyingly close.

Alexis Smith was a movie star playing Phyllis as a movie star, and she was utterly unforgettable in the part. And yet Jan Maxwell is an actress who plays Phyllis as a human being, however regal, and never misses a beat.

As has been noted elsewhere, Danny Burstein is a revelation as Buddy and makes the character, along with Sally, the emotional focal point of the show. Burstein earns my sympathy where Nelson, as good as he was, inspired mostly pity.

And for my money (literally), no two performers have ever just cut loose and wailed on "Two Many Mornings" like Ron Raines and Victoria Clark. (And the staging of the number was a lot more effective when viewed from the center rather than the side.)

Finally, advances in sound design make every word and every note clearly audible.

(This is not to slight White, Houdyshell, Paige and the rest of the fine cast. I'm merely listing elements I found even better than the original.)

[Playbilly]

I saw it on a crisp afternoon last Fall with my best friend. All we talked about for the next three days was "Follies". Great production.

[macnyc]

Here, here! I second all the sentiments expressed! Such a beautiful, moving, wonderful show.

[nealb1]

This will be the 2nd closing night performance of "Follies" that I've seen. I was there in Jan when it closed in NYC.

So looking forward to it.

[broadwaydevil]

What a gorgeous production of an incredibly beautiful show!

I was never a huge Follies fan (it was actually one of my least favorite Sondheim shows) but this revival has truly shed a new light on the brilliance and beauty of the material and it's now one of my favorite musicals. I won't pretend the production was flawless but it was pretty damn close and I'd venture a guess that we'll be talking and reminiscing about this one for years to come!

[TheatreDiva90016]

As I said to a few folks when I was getting my tour, "This production is why we do theatre!"

[CarlosAlberto]

I never got FOLLIES. To me it was just a failed Sondheim curiosity. I was too young to appreciate it. I found it all so overly melodramatic, a downer.

Now I am older and I finally got to see a fully staged production and I totally got it. It moved me in ways that other shows have never been able to in a very, very long time.

It is truly a masterpiece and reaffirmed my love for theater.

[gregj63]

I was fortunate enough to see it 5 or 6 times during its Broadway run. Perhaps my favorite was from the first row where I could hear the orchestra without amplification. Such a great score.

[BroadwayFan12]

I feel very fortunate to have seen it three times on Broadway. What a gift.

[jacobsnchz14]

I would have loved to see this production. It's one of my all-time favorite shows, my favorite Sondheim show, and the cast recording of this production is amazing to listen to. I wish this would have announced a tour or been recorded for DVD/Blu-Ray. Fare thee well, Kennedy Center Follies...!!

[Mr Roxy]

Joey and Dolly both agree with me.It's the big one Elizabeth. Holy crappola. There is hope for them after all.

[TheOldRedHillsOfHome]

What a fantastic night of theatre! I was able to see it during the winter on Broadway and it definitely rates up there among the most incredible nights of theatre I have seen. How I wish I was able to see the original production! (and Victoria Clark!) Not without it's faults, but a wonderful production. I thought about it for days after I saw it.

[rosscoe(au)]

As close to perfect as a show will ever get. Maxwell should be walking away with the Tony. Watching Ms Paige have the time of her life during "Who's that Woman" . A stunning heartbreaking production.

[Theatrical Landladies]

Still shocked that Bernadete didn't get a Tony nom! The whole production was outstanding (saw it twice in NYC) and thought she was remarkable. IMO her performance was the emotional centre of the show.

Will now have to wait for the long talked about London production! Hope the National Theatre take it on.

[EricMontreal22]

I'm still pissed off that they cut Vincent and Vanessa, but I doubt we'll see as strong a revival anytime soon. It's too bad it was not recorded commercially.