Follies
3rd
November 2006, Royal & Derngate Theatre,
Review by Emma Shane
© November 2006
Follies was a show I was not
keen on seeing again after the wonderful Royal Festival Hall revival in
August 2002. I felt that that production in general,
and two roles in particular had been so near perfect that no other production
could possibly compare. The two roles were those of Buddy Plummer and Phyllis
Rogers Stone played by Henry Goodman and Louise Gold
respectively. However, in the back of my mind was the idea that there might
just be one other actress who could possibly rival Ms Gold in the role of
Phyllis. Was it possible? And could this mixed Pro And
Am production stand up to the wholly Pro Royal Festival Hall one? Well
there was only one way to find out. This review will compare the production I
have just seen to the earlier one, and it may well be that in some cases my
comparisons might be a little unfair, given my affection for the 2002
production. But I do intended to state my own honest opinion.
This production opens with the young Francesca Weissman,
played by Natalina Malena,
pushing Demitri Weissman,
played by Bryan Hall, on stage in an old fashioned wheel-chair, that in
itself a slightly different departure from the Royal Festival Hall
production. Also here, the staircase is already in place in the centre of the
stage, so there isn’t too much seen shifting to be done. Certainly
more practical and perhaps less distracting. Presently a ghost descends
the stairs. Then Sally, played by Jan Hartley, enters, and the Follies
Overture starts up. Soon all the old girls are arriving, some with
their husbands, some alone. Some enter from the wings, others through the
auditorium. Of these I particularly noticed Emily and Theodore Whitman played
by Joan Carnell and Keith Green, mainly for Joan’s enthusiastic
tapping as she entered. It’s so obvious which character she is. Sally’s husband
Buddy, played by Alex Gianni also enters, carrying a suitcase (he is a
salesman). About the last to arrive are Phyllis Rogers Stone and Ben Stone,
played by Louise Plowright and Julian
Forsyth respectively. I found Phyllis’s first couple of lines took some
adjusting to, I still had the memory of the 2002 production in my mind, and I
noticed that Louise Plowright delivers them
faster; but after the first couple of lines, it is just fine, the actress’s own
wonderful stage presence captures my attention and I find she made the part
very much her own, as one should expect from an actress of her calibre.
Interesting to see this onetime West End lead, now a principal in a mixed
Pro-am production in
By the time Sally and Phyllis first encounter each other, I find myself
entirely at ease watching and hearing Louise Plowright’s acting performance. She and Jan
Hartley make Phyllis and Sally’s little reunion, reminiscing about their
days as flatmates, a convincing joy to watch. Julian Forsyth too is
establishing himself as Ben, describing Phyllis as “An extraordinary woman,
endlessly exciting”. When it comes to him and Jan Hartley singing Don’t
Look At Me, both come across well; and Julian shows that he might well
be an improvement on David Durham in the 2002 production. With the
reunion in full swing, there is that wonderful moment when Phyllis and Buddy
enter stage right in mid conversation when Buddy is reminding Phyllis of the
crazy things they all used to do when they were younger, such as diving into a
lake on a dare. Their entrance for this is a beauty, we hear a loud laugh off
stage, and even at that moment, one knows, just knows, it is Louise Plowright, who then exclaims “Well I’m sure I never
did that...” as the pair enter. It is a gorgeous entrance, executed with
brilliant comic timing. It is something quite startling, which for some strange
reason I wouldn’t have expected from Louise Plowright.
Though I don’t know why on earth not.
The four principals sing the classic Waiting For The Girls
Upstairs. Wow! this number is just shear joy. I can’t help grinning
watching it, it is so good. During the two verses, Louise and Jan sit on the
stairs, about halfway up, descending for the choruses where all the principals
are down on the stage. All four
principals, plus the four young ghosts (played by Peter Caulfied,
Hayley Flaherty, Savannah Stevenson,
and, Oliver Tydman), perform well and make it
very much their own; although as with the Royal Festival Hall
production, the Principals are the stars of the number. But what makes this
number, what gives it that extra lift is Louise Plowright.
It’s a real thrill to hear her sing such a great Sondheim number as this. Here
too she demonstrates one of her great strengths; one that was much in evidence
in Mamma Mia. Although she was quite dominant in this number, at
the same time, she never over dominates, it is very much a collective effort
from the quartet. It’s lovely to see Louise once again bringing her true
talents as a leading lady to the musical theatre stage.
On to the medley trio of Rain On The Roof, Ah Paree, and, Broadway Baby. Joan
Carnell and Keith Green danced Rain On The Roof well;
I did not think their singing, in particular Joan Carnell’s as good as Myra
Sands and Tony Kemp in the 2002 production, but one has to bear in
mind that Ms Sands is a pretty accomplished singer (who has understudied the
likes of Elaine Paige and Shelia Hancock). Where Joan and Keith
really do score is with their characterisation of their parts which is really
good. I don’t really like the song Ah Paree,
I don’t think it is exactly one of Sondheim’s best numbers. Somewhat
surprisingly I am actually rather impressed by Susan Moore’s handling of
the number. she plays it as very much a comedy number, and frequently her
“French” accent wanders, in so doing she somehow manages to create a convincing
character to sing the song. It is a very creative performance, which actually
works rather well. Broadway Baby is the best known song of the
trio, I found it hard to get the memory of Joan Savage in the 2002
production out of my mind, she’s a hard act to follow. Rita Gee plays
the number as a much more ironic one, perhaps from the point of view of a
chorus girl who never did quite make the big time; and she eventually succeeds
in making the number her own. In a way her take on the number is actually a
more appropriate one for doing in context.
On to Ben wondering why he didn’t marry Sally; and a few other
reflections on his life. These include
describing the conversation of some of the supposedly high-flyers he meets; The
line “The opera singers, all they talk about is food” gets quite a
handful of laughs from the audience, I wonder why that is? Julian Forsyth
follows this up by singing The Road You Didn’t Take rather well.
A huge improvement on David Durham in the 2002 Production, there is
actually something in this character.
Meanwhile Louise Plowright is
delivering some terrific lines about being careful with colours, with a
lot of feeling. Her Phyllis’s description of having taken a lover once,
who played the drums also gets a handful of laughs. Then it’s Jan
Hartley’s turn to step into the spotlight to sing In Buddy’s Eyes.
She sings it well, if I think the song seems a little on the dull side then
perhaps I’ve heard it a few too many times, what with galas and things. Sally
ends up in Ben’s arms, at which moment Phyllis enters and sees them. In the
2002 production Phyllis had slunk onto the stage so subtly that until she crept
up behind Sally and Ben, the audience was almost unaware of her entrance (which
given who played her in that production seemed quite surprising). Tonight we
have a completely contrasting performance. Louise Plowright’s Phyllis enters from stage left,
and as she does so sees Sally and Ben, who are too wrapped up in each other to
notice, but the audience is very aware of her as she marches up to Ben and taps
him on the shoulder to get his attention, before dragging Sally away; making it
quite obvious to the audience that she is trying to get Sally away from Ben. Ms
Gold in the 2002 production played Phyllis with more subtly at this point, but
Ms Plowright’s portrayal is equally good, just
different. I don’t know what it is about this particular entrance of Phyllis’s
but both Louises seem to have managed at this point
to move in a manner uncannily like other performers. Tonight, Louise Plowright has a look in her eyes, when Phyllis enters
and sees Sally & Ben that momentarily reminded me of a Diva briefly
observing a liaison in an episode of The House Of Elliot. While
when Louise Gold did it, she managed to convincingly sneak on stage in a
manner not dissimilar to a creepy armed robber in an episode of East
Enders in back in 1994! Strange that both should be thus in this
particular scene?
With the reunion in full swing, Stella and four other old girls enter,
to do Whose That Woman aka The
Mirror Number. Phyllis sounds like she is really challenging Sally when
she says “If you can I can”; as they take their places at either end of
the chorus line (Phyllis on stage right, Sally on stage left). Does the way she
says that (sounding as though she is determined not to let Sally get the better
of her in any way) imply something more? Any production of Follies
will obviously do this number in its own way, with choreography to suit that
production (stage size, dancing skills of the cast etc). Initially, despite her
very strong stage presence, Louise Plowright’s performance appears rather on
the weak side. Fortunately as the number progresses she seems to gain
confidence, was it the presence of the ghosts, or a muscle memory from The
Hot Shoe Shuffle kicking in, for her dancing improves during the
number, and ultimately she does manage to pull it off. Funnily enough the last
time I saw this number done on stage was in a pantomime last Christmas, and Louise
Plowright herself was singing it!
Continuing the reunion, Sandra (a character not included in the 2002
production), played by Sue Barbour, comes up the Phyllis, to mention
they had the dressing tables next to each other, how deliciously wickedly does
Louise deliver the lines “You never liked me. I never liked you either”,
while suggesting that Phyllis is in a thoroughly bad temper. This soon becomes
apparent in an interaction with Ben. A wonderful dialogue for a fine actress to
deliver. Unfortunately some of the lines were cut, which I thought was a shame,
if only because Louise Plowright would have
said them so well. She makes the most of what is left of the dialog, though;
Then exits with a waiter, played by Alain Terzoli.
Her facial expressions, and to a certain extent his, are well worth watching,
this part of the scene being stretched out a little for the purpose.
On to another classic Sondheim number, the great survivor anthem, I’m
Still Hear, sung by the character of Carlotta, played by Barbara Cawthorn. Although I have heard some truly outstanding
versions of this number (such as Millicent Martin on the Side By Side
By Sondheim Original cast album, and, Louise Gold in the 1999
Chelmsford revival of Side By Side By Sondheim), which I would
never hope to hear matched, and they weren’t; Barbara Cawthorn
does sing this a lot better than Diane Langton did
in the 2002 revival of Follies. So well done there. Finally Julian
Forsyth and Jan Hartley, joined by Savannah Stevenson
conclude the first act with Too Many Mornings, and needless to
say they do it justice, better in some ways than the 2002 production, simply
because Julian Forsyth is such an improvement on David Durham.
Overall Act 1 was a case of so far so good. As far as acting is
concerned, everyone’s characterisation is really good, in some places an
improvement on their 2002 counterparts, particularly Julian Forsyth’s
Ben. As for Buddy and Phyllis, well as actors yes they are competent in their
roles. Louise Plowright especially, proves
that she delivers this wonderful script (of which Phyllis has so many of the
best lines) differently but every bit as well as Louise Gold did in
2002. Yes Act 1’s a success, but, the roles of Buddy and Phyllis get more
challenging in Act 2, for it is here that both of them have two big, almost
solo, numbers each. Can these two pull it off?
Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman didn’t actually want an
interval, they were required to put one in for commercial reasons, thus Act 2
opens where Act 1 ended. Buddy enters, sees Ben and Sally, and then launches
into his first big number The Right Girl. Alex Gianni has
a good powerful voice. Vocally alone he makes it his own. However, he clearly
is not really a dancer, so choreographer Nick Winston has the ingenious
idea of including Young Buddy, played by Oliver Tydman
to dance the number while Alex sings; though Alex joins in a bit. This works
surprisingly well.
Onto the scene between Carlotta and Ben, as with the 2002 production,
they are sitting on the stairs. I thought that Barbara Cawthorn
and Julian Forsyth did rather well with this scene, better than the 2002
production, where I seem to recall having some difficulty even recognising David
Durham in it! Yes during this scene, I couldn’t help wondering where
Phyllis and Kevin (the young waiter she went off with) were. As soon as Ben and
Carlotta exit, Phyllis and Kevin run on stage, stage right. Phyllis is being
very flirtatious, in an abbasolutely
fabulous kind of a way. I can’t help wondering if like 2002 this is shades
of Tanya and Pepper in Mamma Mia again. Only I don’t know for
sure whether Louise’s portrayal of Phyllis in this scene is anything like the
way she played Tanya seducing Pepper in Mamma Mia. Louise Plowright does this scene with slightly more physical
emotion than her 2002 counterpart. At the end of the scene Kevin exits, but
Phyllis remains leaning against the proscenium arch, as Heidi and her ghost,
played by Margaret Walker and Laura Pitt-Pulford
respectively, enter, at the top of the stairs, for their duet. In many ways
this number works better than it did in the 2002 revival. Part of this could
well be due to its own performance, especially having the actress playing Young
Heidi do her own singing. Not having too many distractions could also have
helped (in the 2002 version the stage hands were busy moving the scenery during
this number, tonight we have only Phyllis quietly exiting the stage). A lot may
also be due to it’s position in the show. In the 2002 revival it managed to get
put after Could I Leave You (although credited in the programme
as coming earlier). I think it actually works much better being put before that
potential showstopper; because this way the audience are more likely to give it
proper attention, than if it had come after a showstopper.
On to one of the highlights of the entire show, Could I Leave You.
I had long thought this was exactly the sort of number that would suit Louise
Plowright’s
vocal talents. She has a certain way with great, what I call, “revenge” songs.
Songs like: I Get
Along Without You Very Well, Don’t Rain On My Parade,
and, The Winner Takes It All (well the way she does the latter).
I’d bet she could do just as well with numbers like I Don’t Remember
Christmas, or So Long Dearie if
given an opportunity to sing them, not to mention Just You Wait ‘Enry Higgins (which I gather she may well have once
done many years ago). Though I thought she would do Could I Leave You
well, yet I was still totally unprepared for what she actually did do with it.
I sat watching and listening to this open mouthed with astonishment. It is such
an amazing triumph! She makes the number very much her own. Though she sings
the great line about Ten Elderly Men From the UN in more or less the
customary flowing manner with more or less equal emphasis on all the syllables,
even so she manages to put her own stamp on the line and indeed the whole song.
I don’t know how Louise Plowright does it, but
this is quite simply the best rendition of this song I have ever heard!
Better than: David Kernan (Side By Side
By Sondheim
Thank goodness such a spectacular showstopper was followed by something
more general, the four principals and their ghosts wandering on stage arguing
with each other. I particularly noticed Louise Plowright’s Phyllis grabbing Hayley Flaherty’s left arm, with her own
right, it was kind of shades of Louise Gold trying to slap Kerry Jay
in the 2002 version (and in fact grabbing her by the shoulders on the last
night). In this production, as the scene ends all eight exit together.
Loveland looks more colourful than in 2002. The Folly Of Loveland sets
the scene, including a scantily clad male dressed as Cupid, and a variety of
chorus girls in outlandish costumes. The last of these wears a white dress with
a huge skirt, towards the end of the number she lifts it up, and Hayley Flaherty and Peter Caulfield,
all dressed in white, crawl out from underneath, to sing You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow. Their performance was
perfectly satisfactory, but for the first time, I found myself actually missing
Kerry Jay in the 2002 revival. Hayley
Flaherty is primarily a dancer, and although she sings nicely, she does not
have as strong a voice as Kerry Jay (who was primarily a singer). At the
conclusion of the number Oliver Tydman enters
as Young Buddy, pulling on stage a bed, on which is sitting Young Sally played
by Savannah Stevenson. They are dressed on white for Love Will See
Us Through Till Something Better Comes Along. Again they sing perfectly
well, but are more dancers than singers, I think. Both numbers come across
decently, and are by no means bad. But now here comes some real challenges....
First up, in front of the drapes, Alex Gianni stars in Buddy’s
Folly: The-God-Why-Don’t-You-Love-Me Blues. Trying to follow in Henry
Goodman’s footsteps in this number alone is tough enough, when you also
consider some of the wonderful people who’ve sung it in Side By Side By
Sondheim, it becomes even harder. Nevertheless Alex Gianni
really does try to make it very much his own, with a few tricks up his sleeve;
Namely, trying his hand at ventriloquism, with the aid of a couple of
hand-puppets, rather than two actual girls. He does have an obvious talent for
comedy; and for putting on different voices. The puppets were rather inflexible
so it is impossible to tell if he was actually good with them (after one has seen
such performers as Louise Gold, and, Julie Atherton it is
difficult to watch anyone puppeteering live on stage
with an uncritical eye). Anyway Alex Gianni does succeed in making this
number his own. The puppets had an advantage over real girls, in that Alex
being an experienced performer could voice them in such a way that their parts
were never overdone. Sometimes when you have young in experienced women singing
in this number they can go a bit too over the top with it. Above all it is his
own comic talents that lead him to pull this number off.
Next up, the drapes are raised as Jan Hartley stars in
Sally’s Folly: Losing My Mind. It has been said that many singers are
afraid to do this song, because they don’t want to be compared to Julia
McKenzie. However, I think that Jan Hartley proves tonight (just
like Kathryn Evans did in the 2002 revival of Follies, and
Liz Roberson in the Side By Side By Sondheim 25th
Anniversary Gala) that singers really should not be afraid of trying to
make this number their own. There is a very very good
chance of them succeeding, as indeed Jan Hartley certainly does.
Now for another hefty challenge, it’s Louise Plowright’s turn to face, what I think is
the toughest challenge in the show Phyllis’s Folly: The Story Of Lucy And
Jessie. – A number which in 1987 even got dropped from Follies
and replaced with Ah But Underneath, because it is perhaps a tall
order to expect an actress to act well enough to play Phyllis, sing well enough
to handle Could I Leave You, and then have to dance to a high
standard in The Story of Lucy And Jessie. So would they do the
original number tonight? As soon as the band strike up, it’s clear that they
are doing it, and Nick Winston has come up with some innovative
choreography. Louise Plowright steps out of
the wings at the top of the staircase stage left, with her back to the
audience. She is clad in a green show dress with a short skirt (that has lots
of slits in it). She gives a bit of a wiggle (a bit like she and some of her Mamma
Mia Dynamos did in Dancing Queen), and then turns to fact
the audience. Swiftly two chorus boys in black suits come on to join her, they
handle the bulk of the complex dancing while she sings. Her own dance steps are
kept well within her capabilities. Presently four chorus girls enter, in black.
Louise runs off into the wings (stage right), and Hayley
Flaherty enters (stage right), wearing a very similar dress. She dances
among the chorus, taking the lead, for the major dancing part of this number.
Then Louise returns to the stage, and embraces Haley as the number ends. It’s a
very interesting way of doing this number. Demonstrating how it is perfectly
possible to still include this number even when the actress playing Phyllis is
not much of a dancer, get her ghost to stand in. This has a certain advantage
in that when she embraces her ghost at the end it was as though Phyllis is
reconciled with herself. Thus the dance number managed to convey in mime
exactly what happens to Phyllis during the course of the show itself. Very
neat.
Finally it’s Julian Forsyth’s turn to star, Ben’s Folly:
Live Love And Laugh. I can’t remember much about the staging of this
number, only that it comes across ever so much better than the 2002 revival, of
course in the 2002 version David Durham had had the disadvantage of
trying to follow a real showstopper. But I think tonight’s production actually
does do this number better anyway. At the end he calls out to Phyllis, and
drops onto his knees. She comes over to him, and picking his jacket up off the
floor, puts helps him into it and to his feet (remaining on hers all the time).
Delivering lines matter of factly, at her most
serious. Meanwhile Buddy helps Sally to her feet, and all exit.
The cast come on to take their bows, in something like order of
precedence, and then the entire cast link arms in one big long chorus line to
sing the finale reprise of Beautiful Girls. This was more
inclusive and chorographically safer than the 2002 production finale, but the
latter, worked at the time and, was also very good. Thus the show ends to great
applause.
All in all a good show. The company of: Suzy
Bastone, Darren J Fawthrop,
Katie Lovell, Laura Pitt-Paulford, Pippa
Raine, Alain Terzoli,
Phil Abbott, Sue Barbour, Maureen Barwick,
Alex Bloomer, Joan Carnell, Barbara Cawthorn,
Rita Gee, Keith Green, Bryan Hall, Natalina
Malena, Susan Moore, Deanne Pritchard,
Margaret Walker, Ed Warner, and, Anthony Woodward all play
their parts with great characterisation. It is hard to tell which of them are
professionals and which are amateurs. Many of them dance well, at times better
than some of the principals! The great thing about them is the way they all get
so convincingly into their characters. Sometimes in Follies even
the smaller roles are in themselves taken so much as ‘star turns’ that in fact
the actual characters they are supposed to be get somewhat lost in the process.
Here because no one is trying to be a star turn there is much more scope to
develop the characters they are portraying. All delivered good performances,
often of some classic songs. They were certainly worth seeing. The Band played
well, positioned in a gallery high up on the stage, towards the back. I noticed
that the Bass of all things was closest to the front (which seemed to have a
certain appropricacy for a show about memories...).
Meanwhile the four principal ghosts: Peter Caulfield, Hayley Flaherty, Savannah Stevenson,
and, Oliver Tydman also did well. It has to be
said that Hayley and Oliver in particular really
helped put the show across, largely thanks to Nick Winston’s innovative
use of them to dance in place of the two principals they were ghosting. Of
course a key element of Follies is the four principals. All four
appeared to be strongly cast, and quite well matched. Unlike the 2002
production, there was not a weak actor amongst them. Interestingly two of them
had previous careers before becoming actors. I have noticed before that on top
form Louise Plowright seems to have a
tremendous sense of fairness in her performance, such that even when she is the
best thing in a number (perhaps to some extent carrying the number), there is
always enough room on the stage for anyone else to shine if they are good
enough, that was really in evidence during Waiting For The Girls Upstairs,
which was just a joy to see and hear. Another huge joy was Could I Leave
You. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever heard. In recent
times there have perhaps been a few too many Sondheim galas. But the next time
someone wants to do a Sondheim compilation gala, could they please consider Louise
Plowright singing this magnificent number, it’s a
winner! One of the greatest delights of this production was simply having Ms Plowright acting a decent role, one which made really good
use of her considerable acting and singing abilities. It’s great to hear her
wrap her powerful fruity voice around Sondheim’s music and lyrics, she should
be given a chance to do that more often. Phyllis is exactly the kind of role an
actress of her calibre deserves; after all she did spend five years as a
principal in the West End cast of Mamma Mia, and four of those
were as Leading Lady. At long last she is once again playing role that matches
that talent. I can’t help notice that when Louise Plowright
is performing something (be it singing a song or delivering lines) that she
likes she really lights up. When she enjoys the material she just comes alive
and brings so much more to her performance, that she’s really something.
So how did this production compare to The Royal
Festival Hall’s 2002 revival? On the whole surprisingly well. The ensemble were
a mixed bunch. Some understandably though perfectly watchable
and engaging were not quite as good as their 2002 counterparts, some (such
Hattie and Stella) were quite different to their 2002 counterparts, but in the
end succeeded in making the role their own. After all different does not
necessarily mean better or worse. However, two, namely Barbara Cawthorn’s
Carlotta, and, Susan Moore’s Solonge really
deserve singling out for actually being better than their 2002 counterparts. Susan
Moore in particular managed to sing a Sondheim song that I am not to keen
on and actually do something interesting with it. The four young ghosts if not
quite as good singers, as their 2002 counterparts, were certainly good dancers,
especially Oliver Tydman and Haley Flaherty.
As for Nick Winston’s choreography. How did that compare to David
Needham’s in 2002? Well David Needham had some casting advantages,
in that his principals were all pretty well trained dancers. Nick Winston
shows himself to be very creative at making use of the people he’s got, staging
numbers in such a way as to get round problems, most notably in working Young
Buddy and Young Phyllis into the dance routines of Buddy and Phyllis’s
respective big dance numbers. Given the nature and subject matter of the show
this was actually a brilliant solution to the problem of having principals
whose dancing skills were not quite up to the standard needed. So
choreographically the two productions were quite different, both are successful
in different ways. I loved what David Needham did with The Mirror
Number and Lucy And Jessie, but I was also ever so
impressed by the way Nick Winston made The Right Girl,
and, Lucy And Jessie work in this production. Although I
generally liked Paul Farnsworth’s set and costume designs in the 2002
production. I actually felt that for the party scenes Jessica Curtis’s
designs for this production had the edge. They actually seem to fit more
convincingly on the characters wearing them. Nothing was too grand (except
where totally appropriate); Sally’s dress looked as though she could have made
it herself. The outfits not only suit the characters style they also suit the
performers wearing them. (In the 2002 production one of Paul Farnsworth’s
costumes, was a perfectly nice maroon and pink evening frock worn by a rather
slim but well endowed actress, which had the unfortunate effect that it tended
to hang off her breasts making her look a bit shapeless, fortunately she was a
good looking actress who could manage to look good in almost anything, even if
it didn’t really suit her). For the Loveland Scenes, I think I did somewhat
prefer Mr Fransworth’s designs, although Ms Curtis’s
are by no means bad (and Ms Curtis has almost certainly had a much tighter
budget). As for set design goes, I liked them both, they were different, and
suited to their individual stages. However, it should perhaps be mentioned that
I think perhaps overall Follies is better suited to The Royal
& Derngate Theatre because the size of the
auditorium feels just right for the show. That said Paul Farnsworth did
well in trying to make the Royal Festival Hall look right for the show.
However, I much preferred Oliver Fenwick’s lighting designs on this
production to Jenny Cane’s in the 2002 production (which I never really
liked, except during the Loveland sequence). I was also very impressed with Whizz’s sound design on this production. The
microphones were totally unobtrusive, one was not really aware of the singers
or the band being miked, which or course is exactly
as things should be. I can’t help feeling that Follies’ original
Broadway Production’s Percussionist would have approved of the miking on this production. Whizz’s
did a great job. As for the musical direction, well both were good, and
likewise I think the direction must’ve been good on both. With regards to the
principals playing Sally and Ben; I think Jan Hartley compared well to Kathryn
Evans in the 2002 production. Kathryn was a little livelier on Waiting
For The Girls Upstairs, but that might have been as much to do with who
she was playing opposite as anything else. Anyway, Jan makes the part her own,
and I enjoyed watching it, but I also enjoyed Kathryn’s performance. As for
Ben, Julian Forsyth in tonight’s production is just brilliant, he is a
vast improvement on his 2002 counterpart. I could never even imagine how anyone
should play the part to play it well, but now having seen Julian Forsyth,
well there’s the answer.
But did the two principals I was really
concerned about, Buddy and Phyllis, compare? The short answer is more or less.
When it comes to Buddy, Henry Goodman in the 2002 production was always
going to be a hard act to follow. Alex Gianni starts of with the
disadvantage of not being as much of a dancer as Mr Goodman. However, he is
clearly a good comic actor, very much in the vain of Neil McCaul and of course Henry Goodman. He also
seems to have a good deal of sense, perhaps his well directed too, and manages
to make the part his own. His singing on The Right Girl was very
strong, comparable to Mr Goodman’s, yes. While his Buddy’s Blues
was so totally different to anyone else’s version of Buddy’s Blues,
that with his comedy gifts he made the song his own, and got a lot of laughs.
So while I think ultimately Goodman is unbeatable; Gianni did very well making
the part sufficiently his own, that for at least as long as one was actually
watching this production of Follies one would not compare him to
anyone else; which I think should be counted as a success.
After the surprising delights of the glorious Louise
Gold in the 2002 production, I knew I would find it very hard indeed to
watch anyone else as Phyllis. The last time I saw someone else play a role I
had already seen Gold perform to great effect, they didn’t win me over at all.
Yet if there was an actress who could come close, especially with the role of
Phyllis, then I’d take a chance on seeing Louise Plowright
try. So how did she measure up? Well let’s start with the acting, James
Goldman wrote Phyllis some terrific lines. Both Louises
deliver these brilliantly. Gold and Plowright deliver
the lines in ways that are quite different, but they equally good. Their angle
on the character is rather different. Gold portrayed Phyllis as hating her
husband, and yet determined to make the best of the situation. She gave the
character a harsh shell, but at the same time her own philosophical upbeat
nature. Plowright by contrast portrayed Phyllis as
being still passionately in love with her husband, a woman who will do anything
to get her man to reciprocate that love. She made the character lighter and
more flirtatious than Gold had done. What the pair of them prove by their
acting, is that it is perfectly possible, given a good enough intelligent
actress, who thinks about the character she is portraying, to play the same
part in totally two different ways, and yet both are absolutely convincing.
There is no single right way to portray Phyllis, there may well be wrong ways.
But there is more than one way to act this character well. So for acting they
are both completely different and yet as good as each other. What about the
numbers? These two actresses, named Louise, have strong voices and generally
they sure don’t need to be told to “Sing out....”. In Act 1 Phyllis
features in three numbers, in which their performances are different to each
other but always good. However these are ensemble numbers. The real test is
Phyllis’s two wonderful solos; each scores her own tour de force with one or
other of them. When I saw Gold perform Could I Leave You, I
thought she proved herself to be as good as Millicent Martin or Louise
Plowright at doing great revenge songs of that
nature. But I hadn’t heard what Plowright could
actually do with that song. Lucy And Jessie presents another
problem. Gold was fantastic in that because she is a seriously well trained
stage dancer (Arts Ed from the age of 11). It’s unusual to find
an actress who can not only act and sing Phyllis but who can also dance the role
that well, which is perhaps why it has so often been dropped in favour of Ah
But Underneath. Yet with the help of Nick Winston and Hayley Flahtery, Louise
Plowright’s
Phyllis demonstrates how this number can be made to work with an actress who
isn’t that much of a dancer.
So
having seen and heard them both Louises perform
Phyllis’s solos, how do the compare? When it comes to Lucy And Jessie,
Louise Gold wins hands down, largely of course for her superior dancing
skills, but also for her joie de vivre. However with Could I Leave You,
Louise Plowright’s
tour de force triumphs over everyone I’ve ever heard sing this song. So to
conclude, who wins? Well it’s a close thing. I think Gold just wins for her
dancing abilities, but if Plowright comes second then
it is a very close second. On acting alone (before one even considers the
musical numbers) I very much doubt there are many if any other actresses who
could come anywhere near matching Louise Gold and Louise Plowright in this magnificent superbitch-who-isn’t-really-a-bitch
role. Does Louise Plowright
succeed in making the role of Phyllis her own in this production? Well as
Phyllis would say “Bet your ass” she does. And overall, when it comes to
seeing this production of Follies, to quote a lyric I’m so
glad I came.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Off Site Links:
To read my review of the 2002 Royal Festival Hall production of Follies, please click here.
Geoff
Ambler’s Behind-The-Scenes account of this production of Follies: On the
Stephen Sondheim Society’s Website: http://www.sondheim.org/php/news.php?id=2102
. And on the Reviewsgate website: http://www.reviewsgate.com/index.php?name=News&catid=&topic=14
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Return
To Reviews
| Go
To The Author’s Review of the 2002 production of Follies |