SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS: DAY 11 - FOLLIES

As a super-special Spring extension of BroadwayWorld's SOUND OFF column, every day until the Tony Awards on June 12 we will be presenting a spectacular new entry in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS series featuring a particularly entertaining, interesting, relevant and exciting Tony Awards-related clip from the last sixty-three years of the ceremonies (and subsequent seasons on Broadway) with a rundown and commentary on the sights, sounds and showmanship on display in each carefully chosen selection - all, of course, coming in anticipation of Broadway's biggest night, which will be broadcast on CBS this year, as always. Once again this year, BroadwayWorld is the official home of the 2011 Tony Awards and we will also be featuring exclusive interviews, articles, photos, video content, interactive features and more in the coming days and weeks leading up to the event so be sure to check back daily for your theatre fix!

Today, both in honor of the Eric Schaeffer-directed Kennedy Center revival starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Paige that opened this weekend and, of course, the fact that it is a Tony-winning Broadway classic by none other than Stephen Sondheim - we are setting our sights on the musical FOLLIES. Originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett - two titans of the theatre if there ever were any - the original production opened on April 5, 1971 to mixed reviews, but soon became legendary for its unique and eerie tone, ravishing and elegantly cool style, peerless physical production, and, most of all, each and every one of those Stephen Sondheim songs - thirty of them; "Broadway Baby", "I'm Still Here", "Could I Leave You?" and far beyond. Plus, those performances! We will also be taking a brief look at the Matthew Warchus-directed Roundabout revival from early this century with Polly Bergen's "I'm Still Here" - a true tour-de-force - and the Cameron Mackintosh-produced London version from 1987 which significantly lightened up the show to mixed results. Plus, Sondheim himself singing "Can That Boy Foxtrot"! So, hats off, here they come, those beautiful girls…

See Them In Their Glory, Diamonds & Pearls

Things take time - especially, appreciation for great things. FOLLIES was ahead of its time - pure and simple. Actually, it may very well still be ahead of its time - or, our time - for that matter. FOLLIES is an anomaly in the theatre universe - part dramatic book musical, part vaudeville recreation, part ghost story, part romance; and, then, there's Loveland. How does a director deal with all of this and make it gripping, entertaining and resonant? In the original production not only were there two directors, but two of the finest directors the theatre has ever seen - Harold Prince and Michael Bennett. Surely, they made it work the best it could ever work, yes? Perhaps. Those who did not have the honor of seeing it will never know. Such is the cache - and, historians would say, the crippling element - of theatre. Time is everything in FOLLIES - time spent; time wasted; what was then; what is now; what will be; etc. - so the simple fact that the 1971 production took place in roughly 1971 gives the story an added layer of familiarity, understanding and pathos- or, more to the point, mimesis - at least for the audience at the time. What does an audience now, forty years later, have to derive from a work so set in the 1970s concerning so much about the 1940s? Everything - that's what.

History informs the present and in no Broadway score or stage musical is that more pertinent to the plot, its mechanics, and how the show uses music than in FOLLIES. Everything in the show and score is about what once was - and how great it was then. But, wait, it wasn't really that great, though, I heard? No, I remember it being so wonderful - the reply. And, that, my friends, is what the FOLLIES experience is about - whether in seeing the actual show or discussing it with those who saw the original production. Indeed, that rose-tinted experience - more and more so as the years go by and new productions come and go - is also the undercurrent of many conversations FOLLIES fans have about the various incarnations of the show - first was best. If you didn't see the original production, you apparently don't have much room to argue with anyone who did see it. Was it really that good? Today, we will take a look at the original, the London and even the Roundabout revival to try to come to some sort of conclusion - but, at the end of the night, it shall have to be left, once again, to the ghosts to decipher.

To start, here is the scintillating Alexis Smith performing the Loveland set-piece "The Story of Lucy & Jessie" on the 1975 Tony Awards. Check out the backwards chorus members for a glimpse of the unconscionable genius of Michael Bennett. Smart and sexy, simultaneously - and, what gorgeous gams! Ms. Smith did make the cover of Time Magazine the week FOLLIES opened with those legs high in the air, after all. Imagine that kind of publicity for a Broadway show now - on the cover of a magazine, no less! Oh, wait… that's right…

http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10495

Now, here is the original Carlotta Campion, Yvonne De Carlo of THE MUNSTERS fame, performing "I'm Still Here" on THE David Frost SHOW. Flub or no flub, Ms. De Carlo sells the song for all it is worth - and that's a hell of a lot! Confession: I still like her "Can That Boy Foxtrot" just as much, though!

http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10003

Speaking of "Foxtrot", check out Sondheim himself pounding out the cut FOLLIES song for the same spot in the show, taken from the same television special, here.

http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10517

Next, check out this footage of Alexis Smith recreating "Could I Leave You?" from a best of Broadway television special from the 1980s. She's still got it!

Closing out the original Broadway production contingent, take a look and a listen to Dorothy Collins making "Losing My Mind" one of the classic Sondheim song performances right before your very eyes and ears.

http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10347

After sampling all of these clips of the original performances, check out the original New York Times review of FOLLIES by Clive Barnes to see how sometimes critics can miss the boat - or, more to the point, skip the beats. Not everyone likes every show, but to say Sondheim's music is so poor that he is a Boito in search of a Verdi? Please.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/theater/Follies.pdf

Next, here is a performance from the 1987 Royal Variety Performance with Delores Grey performing "I'm Still Here" from the London revival production produced by Cameron Mackintosh. A Hollywood star like Ms. Grey has certainly lived those lyrics like few others - and it shows!

From that same production, check out this recreation of Michael Bennett's still-talked-about Mirror Number - "Who's That Woman" - supervised by original Broadway assistant choreographer, Bob Avian, as performed by the London revival company.

http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10005

Moving to the 21st century, introduced by Bernadette Peters - who, now, ten years later, is starring as Sally in the Kennedy Center revival of the show - here is Polly Bergen performing an abbreviated version of "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES at the 2001 Tony Awards. Note the Shirley Temple lyric change.

Now, as a bonus, check out Ms. Bergen's entire performance of the sizzling number in the actual revival production itself.

For one last look at the brilliance of FOLLIES, here is a two-part collection of clips from the original Broadway production and subsequent Los Angeles touring version.

What memories! What was! What will be? We will see... won't we?

That's all for today. Be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for all things Tony Awards and subscribe to this column to be the very first to check out the clips, commentary and take part in the conversation in our deluxe toast to the one and only Antoinette Perry every day until June 12 - and, especially, on that day! Until then…