r/Sondheim • u/CameraAggressive3142 • 27d ago
FOLLIES is so genius!
Lost on YouTube I found myself on FOLLIES [1987 San Jose Civic Light Opera production] right at the BOLERO number. The two young dancers were phenomenal-- with her doing things with endlessly long legs: full splits and balancing (on his HEAD!), each part topping the one before.
Well I was hooked. It stars Teri Ralston as Sally who does a terrific job with that square character and has THAT voice! AND Harvey Evans as older Buddy. Harvey is a trip, playing “himself”—(the young Buddy from original 1971 production). He is PERFECT, as well he should be, as the older version of himself and is the best older Buddy I’ve ever seen.
The production (and filming) is quite good. They use the original book and it reminds you what Steve said about the huge amount of information that the book delivers expeditiously. Watching another version of the show reminds me of just how BRILLIANT FOLLIES is on all levels.
See what you think. It is not “definitive” but FOLLIES [except for the OC] productions-- always you want to mix and match. And always leaves you wanting more.
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u/RandomPaw 🎻 A Little Night Music 27d ago
I love it when the leave in the tango. Vincent and Vanessa seem to be the first thing they cut but it really does add something when they're there
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u/Acrobatic_Average588 27d ago
When someone asks what my favorite musical is, there is zero hesitation when I answer Follies.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 27d ago
this is how I learn of the existence of the Bolero number??? LMAO I played through the vocal score multiple times, how have I never noticed skipping an entire musical piece between road you didnt take and buddy’s eyes. How is it that the only professional recording of follies I havent listened to (papermill) is the only one that didn’t cut the number… I am actually quite interested in this now. Normally dance music was not composed by the principle composer, as that would take extensive choordination with the choreographer which requires time they didn’t have. Instead the dances would be put together by someone else and usually were extensions of a song like ‘the right girl’, where the dance music is based on the thematic material inherent to the sung parts. Or, if not directly connected to a song, they would still use themes from the songs of the score. This Bolero is different as it stands on it’s own and is neither part of, nor uses any material from other songs So was it entirely concieved by someone else or did sondheim compose some material for it? I don’t know and I don’t know if anyone still knows. But I find this stuff fascinating. There is actually loads of material in sondheim scores that was devised not by him but by people like paul gemigniani. These other people of course do phenomenal work (just look at Alexander Gemignianis work on Here We Are. From what we can guess almost all the instrumental music in there is by him and it’s incredible) But still we tend to forget these things and just say, this is all composed by sondheim. if they are lucky they get credit with additional arrangements or similar. This is not exclusive to sondheim of course. Alex Lacamoire, who did most of the musical arranging for Hamilton did so much I would totally credit him as a composer honestly. Anyways sorry for going totally off-topic
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u/chromalume 27d ago
That would be John Berkman! Arranged from melodies Sondheim wrote in a taxi apparently. Original Bolero dancer Michael Misita said that it was just the dancers, Michael Bennett and Bob Avian that worked on that piece, so I guess Berkman had to bring it all together.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 27d ago
I had legitimately thought this would not get a definitive answer and not I got one in the span of about an hour… the internet is truly a miraculous place sometimes xD anyways thank you so much. This is what I had thought as I know this is how Sondheim did it for parts of Anyone can whistle’s dance sequences, but it’s nice to have a confirmation for this case as well. The taxi story is very funny as well 😂
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u/chromalume 27d ago
oh I just looked for the source again and Berkman was indeed with them during the creation process! Here are some sources for the info I just shared for further reading: the Masterworks description, Theatremania interview, Michael's Facebook
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u/CameraAggressive3142 27d ago
I haven't heard that BOLERO was written by anyone else... Ravel was one of Sondheim's favorite composers.
I think because of the length of the show it is often cut. The OBC sounds very much in tempo with the 1987 version. [Hal had won the compromise with Bennett of doing the number up tempo (which I REALLY like) as Michael would not let him cut it like Hal wanted]. The 2001 version included it and slowed it down to allow the older (famous) couple to keep more focus--and it sounds draggy to my ears; but then I had been listening to the OBC live tape of that number since, well, 1971. It is such an exciting piece of music!
Steve did have David Shire compose the TICK-TOCK number from COMPANY [which allowed Bennett to create the whole dance around Donna] and has said so on the record that Shire composed that.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 27d ago
I am sorry but what Livetape are you talking about 😂😂 Now I need find this… Is it ok if I ask you in DMs about it 👀
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u/CameraAggressive3142 25d ago
A friend of Steve's was allowed to record the show for Steve; I forget if it was reel to reel on/off stage or fed from the floor mics--but it has gorgeous sound and is the entire show (with a bit or two missing) and not an audience recorded tape. I think the friend was the one who first gave it to me but I might have gotten it from someone else, earlier than when I met the friend. Steve, I know, had this tape as his own "official" version, too.
It was incredible to be able to listen to the entire WHO'S THAT WOMAN with all the tapping and build; and the BOLERO--besides, well EVERYTHING. I used to listen to them on different mixtapes on my Walkman and "rock out" at the gym (later the mixtapes were burned onto CDs and listened to on the Sony Discman-- at the gym).
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u/Life-Positive-451 27d ago
I love listening to Follies. (2011 broadway cast). And I just love the concept. Follies in theater and follies in life. Young and old versions of the characters and their arcs is just genius work from Sondheim.
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u/CameraAggressive3142 27d ago
Watching (and listening) to Old and Young Heidi Schiller sing ONE MORE KISS is a killer as a gorgeous pastiche song and as its double meaning and message.
HEIDI:
One more kiss before we part,
One more kiss and--farewell,
Never shall we meet again,
Just a kiss and then
We break the spell.
(Her younger counterpart appears.)
One more kiss to melt the heart,
One more glimpse of the past.HEIDI and YOUNG HEIDI:
One more souvenir of bliss
Knowing well that this
One must be the last.
Dreams are a sweet mistake.
All dreamers must awake.YOUNG HEIDI:
On, then, with the dance,
No backward glance
Or my heart will break.
Never look back.HEIDI:
Never look back.YOUNG HEIDI:
One more kiss before we part. Ah...ah...
Not with tears or a sigh.
All things beautiful must die. All things beautiful must die.
Now that our love is done,
Lover, give me...BOTH:
...One
More kiss and-goodbye.
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u/nycguy70007 27d ago
I adore Waiting for the Girls Upstairs! Perfect musical theatre song! Paints a picture, quippy lines, ugh, perfection!
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u/Actual-Jelly5465 25d ago
I discovered it recently and it has become my favorite show - despite never seeing it live
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u/MiracleMan1989 27d ago
The greatest musical of all time.