So... Maybe I Heard Today That There's Talks To Film FOLLIES

[Jordan Catalano]

Just sayin' that maybe I heard something.

[CapnHook]

Is it gunna be in 3-D? I mean...I don't want Bernie's Boobies to pop out at me even more than they do already!

[lull89]

After Gypsy, I'm refusing to get my hopes up until someone is offering to sell me a tote bag to commemorate the show on PBS, but that is very good to hear.

Boy, this is the most surprisingly successful revival in years.

[qolbinau]

I don't want to sound like a pessemist but FOLLIES has only sold less than half of its seats at the moment for tonight's performance, which is by far the lowest advance they've had so far in the run this close to a performance. So I hope that if it is planned they do it soon and it doesn't go the way of the LuPone!Gypsy filming. (Or that ticket sales increase so we don't have to worry :)).

[Mildred Plotka]

The Lupone Gypsy was before the successful screening of several movies in movie houses. I imagine that the great sales of the NYC Philharmonic may encourage Follies to go the same route...

And I wouldn't use a Wednesday evening show to track this show's advance sale or future life...

[qolbinau]

I was actually referring to the Thursday night show (tonight). Although the other shows this week have been quite bad too. In all previous weeks, they've generally had about 2-300 seats (not over 800, or 500-600 for the past few days) left on the same day, although last week they almost sold some shows out the day before (I think the Sunday matinée was down to 50 seats the day before). They can usually sell 100-200 tickets on the same day through last minute sales, rushes, TKTS etc...which helps (I have been pathetically checking every show every day since the first preview).

This is not to say that in future weeks the show won't pick up. Certainly I have never followed a show's grosses so closely as this one, so I don't know what predictions can be made. But I think people are going to be surprised at how massive the grosses are going to drop this week. (By massive I mean down to 700-800k or whatever, assuming the ticket price remains high because of the lack of discounts {which have recently become available, so maybe that will help for the future ).

[bwayphreak234]

I was just looking at the seating charts on Ticketmaster for this weekend. It's wide open for pretty much all shows.

[brettarnett]

I hope that this actually happens but I am afraid that it is all talk. Did Company really do that well in the fathom broadcast? I guess it doesn't take a complete sell out to make much if not all of the money back in a day or two nation wide. For some reason I was under the impression that the Company didn't do as well as the producers were hoping.

[Gaveston2]

In my non-major market, Company nearly sold out (at twice the normal ticket price) its originally scheduled 2 days and then 2 more the following week and then was brought back a month or so later for several more. So I think it was very much a hit here relative to expectations.

Any moderately decent film of a stage production of FOLLIES would do at least as well, I think.

[madbrian]

The Company cast was much starrier than the Follies cast. Making a broad assumption (pun intended) that LuPone and Peters cancel each other out, the Company cast included NPH, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Martha Plimpton and Christina Hendricks. I don't see any way that a Follies screening on Fathom would do as well as Company.

[WOSQ]

Friday - Yom Kippur
Saturday matinee - Yom Kippur
Saturday evening - Yom Kippur breaking the fast
Sunday matinee - all those errands you didn't get to do on Yom Kippur

Those are 4 very good reasons why the advance sales are off for the week.

[bwayphreak234]

I was just about to say the same thing. There are definitely some awesome DVDs out there of the DC production, and the Broadway revival has gotten some good filmings as well

[BrodyFosse123]

Fair enough -- Yom Kippur can somewhat explain THIS coming weekend. But what about the huge availability for NEXT weekend?

[henrikegerman]

"Fair enough -- Yom Kippur can somewhat explain THIS coming weekend. But what about the huge availability for NEXT weekend?"

Pesach has seders
Hanukah, menorot
But, ah Sukkot!

Purim has groggers,
That's all it has

But ah, Sukkot!

Lag B'Omer we plant some trees
And Shemini Atzeret, I forget what

On Tisha B'av, we remember persecuted men
On Simchat Torah, we start all over again
But...

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Sukkot!

[CapnHook]

If Ellen M. Krass wants it filmed, she will film it.

[qolbinau]

Does Sondheim not knowing about the filming suggest that none was planned?

PC: There are rumors that Great Performances may film the Broadway revival of FOLLIES. Can you confirm that?

SS: Filming FOLLIES? No, I didn't know that. That's news to me. It could very well be - but, I don't know about it.

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Exclusive-InDepth-InterView-Stephen-Sondheim-On-New-Book-LOOK-I-MADE-A-HAT-FOLLIES-Shakespeare-Future-More-20111120#ixzz1ePbcIF8Y

Time is kind of running out :P.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Maybe some of our churchgoing BWW folks could ask their prayer groups to pray for this.

[AMH]

I am definitely praying for a FOLLIES filming! What are the chances of this happening?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Maybe we should do a Kickstarter for it!

[JoeKv99]

I'd rather they film the Chicago production. Having heard the Broadway recording on NPR I can unequivocally state the production is inferior.

[qolbinau]

Without (assumably) seeing the Broadway production, which is probably an important modality to make judgements with considering the filming will be visual :P?

[TheHappyPhantom]

wow...JoeKv....you win the award for ignorant statement of the week. And for the record, this recording is one of the best PS classics has ever done. The show it remarkable.

[jimmycurry01]

Hey, everyone knows that a performer standing in front of a microphone, in a tiny recording studio, singing the same portion of a song over and over again can only provide the best performance from a stage actor. With cast recordings available, why should anyone have to actually see a show in order to judge it?

[Patronus]

If JoeKv wins the award for ignorant statement of the week, then TheHappyPhantom is awarded the "Absolutely No Sarcasm Detection Due To Complete Lack of Wit" trophy!

Congrats kind sir, to the first of many!

[JoeKv99]

Thanks Pat. As they say in the Vatican, It's a f*cking joke, asshole.

[AMH]

Maybe we should do a Kickstarter for it!

LOL! Yes! Who wants to get the ball rolling?