Danny Burstein to perform 'Buddy's Blues' at the Tonys

[BroadwayFan12]

Wonderful interview

[qolbinau]

Maybe they are going to do a LOVELAND Melody after all...

[HorseTears]

That is a wonderful interview; he seems like a lovely, grounded guy.

So the article seems to imply that, yes, we'll be getting a Follies medley at the Tonys. So awesome! I hope they give them more than 3 or 4 mins. With this quote from the article in mind, it sounds like Clark is not going, so we may get a Peters performance.

"Others apparently agree: Burstein will perform the "Blues" at the June 10 Tony Awards ceremony, after crossing the country with fellow nominees Raines, Maxwell and Jayne Houdyshell, as well as music director Jim Moore, on a red-eye flight to New York after the final performance of "Follies."

This seems to cancel out any big ensemble numbers; makes sense given the logistics and timing. What do you think?

"Broadway Baby"
"Could I Leave You"
"The Road You Didn't Take"
"Buddy's Blues"
"Losing My Mind"

..?

[qolbinau]

Well, the Tony Awards are meant to reward Broadway performances and Victoria Clark did not perform the role on Broadway so I hope that/would expect that Bernadette will perform if there are any of Sally's songs.


What if they transition from "Buddy's Blues" to "Buddy's Eyes"?

[Bettyboy72]

"In Buddy's Eyes" was Bernadette's best musical performance in the show. Gorgeously sung and heartbreaking.

[jacobsnchz14]

Regardless of the actual songs they're performing, I am happy that FOLLIES may get more performance time!

[nasty_khakis]

This board cracks me up. Every year when want/plan medleys for shows to perform and when they do it always ends up clunky and awkward and we lambast them. I don't know if medleys ever work, but please give examples as I'm sure there are a few and I'm racking my brain for one.

That being said, I can't think of anything else for Follies to do that doesnt require flying out and paying the entire cast to perform which I'm sure the producers don't want to pay for.

[broadwaybabytn]

So...?

"Broadway Baby"
"Could I Leave You"
"The Road You Didn't Take"
"In Buddy's Eyes"
"Buddy's Blues"

[Kad]

The Playbill makes it seem as though only "Buddy's Blues" will be performed.

[jacobsnchz14]

@Kad That's what it sounds like, as well. Damn. Oh, well. At least there's a FOLLIES performance. lol.

[macnyc]

I'm happy there will be a Follies performance too! Given that the show is no longer running, it wasn't a given. Cheers to Danny!

[broadwaybabytn]

I would have loved "In Buddy's Eyes" and "The Road You Didn't Take" together... That would hardly be a clunky medley.

[HorseTears]

Well, sounds like it's just going to be "Buddy's Blues". Ugh. What a song to represent the revival. With the four leads there they could have done "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" at least. Oh well.

[Overkill]

"Buddy's Blues" is a song that non-theatre people can watch and "get" out of context. Danny's performance of it is also just perfect. I'm so glad they're going with this!!!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

How does this article imply there's going to be a Follies medley?

[nasty_khakis]

The song will actually be performed with Jan Maxwell's bag as Margie and the van Bernadette was driving as Sally.

[Huss417]

@Overkill

It is funny I was thinking just the opposite.

I am also probably in the minority but it has always been one of my least favorite numbers from Follies.

[Overkill]

In that it's not well suited towards the non-theatre crowd?

I was just in a Broadway musical revue at a local community theatre (one of THOSE...) and I performed "Buddy's Blues". Where I live, there are not a ton of theatre peeps who just come to see shows. "Buddy's Blues" is a perfect song to just perform. You don't have to know what the show is about at all, it's flat out entertaining and very funny, and it represents the show very well, in the vaudeville time-era aspect. Just how I always saw it. :)

[CurtainPullDowner]

Don't people read the article?

I'm glad to see it's just one number, introduced by Peters.

The TV audience will get to see part of the reason Danny will win his TONY.
Even they see seem to know Jan's bag will stay empty (for now).

[qolbinau]

Yes we did, but I think we find it hard to believe that they are going to only have that one song (I.e it is still true that he would perform BUDDY'S BLUES if they perform BUDDY'S BLUES and other songs too :P, maybe they didn't want to pull the focus away from the article about him)

They'd rather have Bernadette, the biggest star attached with the show, introduce him than sing "Losing My Mind" after him, the show's most famous song? Whatever. It's their money..

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I'd argue that "I'm Still Here" is the most famous song from the show, but that's just me.

I just find it hard to believe that so many people find hard to believe that they're going to do just one song.

[theeatah]

I think Losing My Mind has had more high-profile recordings, and has thus been heard by more people. I'm not sure if Liza Minnelli's version was a US hit, but it was big in Europe.

[HorseTears]

I don't think it's hard to believe that they're doing just one song, it's just... THAT ONE? With all due respect to Raines and Burstein, Follies is about the women, but it's easy to see why so many of those great songs would be tricky out of context.

It's also quite possible that the producers *did* ask Peters to sing "Losing My Mind" and she declined. Though, I don't know why she would. What great publicity for her ongoing national concert tour.

[qolbinau]

Do we know for sure that Bernadette Peters will NOT be performing?

[BroadwayFan12]

I love "Buddy's Blues" and I think Danny's performance is perfect, but it does surprise me that none of the ladies will be performing.

[ljay889]

It seems pretty clear to me that only Burstein is performing. I think there are better choices, but it's certainly a showstopper, and he deserves that Tony.