Who’s got the budget to recreate this spectacular piece of theatre? Here are fragments of the original cast, in a final dress rehearsal. Watch…marvel…enjoy… (The first part is viewable here).
One thought on ““Follies” – A glimpse of the original”
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April 14, 1971, Orchestra Seat C-13 at the Winter Garden Theater – FOLLIES practically blew me out of that seat – I still consider it the greatest production I ever saw on Broadway – I spent $7.50 on that ticket while the show was still out of town, and that was a lot of money for a 14-year-old to part with back then. Oddly enough, with only a couple of exceptions, I knew who most of the people in the FOLLIES cast were, even the old-timers – when I saw the final cast announced for the current revival, I said (with a couple of obvious exceptions such as Bernadette Peters, Elaine Paige and Linda Lavin), “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE????” One of the reviews of the new production mentioned that few members of the cast bring to their roles any real sense of nostalgia or the past, which, of course, was the great asset of that original cast in 1971. If anyone hasn’t read Ted Chapin’s EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE, I highly recommend it. I re-read it a few months ago, an on an impulse wrote to Chapin – he very graciously permitted me to send him my copy to be signed.