IT’S HAPPENING. IT’S HAPPENING. THE ARE GOING TO FILM “FOLLIES”.

Sound the alarm!

This could be my comeback!

Are they going to film the young Sally, Phyllis, Ben, etc., and wait 30 years to finish the film?

I'm still here. Waiting for your fucking call.

Keep Imelda Staunton the fuck away from this.

I'm sure they've already offered all major female roles to Meryl fucking Streep.

R7=G

Would be great if they got M and G together!

I'm available to play Young Whichever Character My Mother Plays.

Have I sued Sondheim as well as Lloyd Webber? GET ME A PART!

Faye Dunaway IS Carlotta!

It's a show about old stage divas, yet ALL OUR OLD STAGE DIVAS are too old for these roles.

I love Follies, and a really creative filming of it that takes advantage of the unique features of cinema could be dazzling.

But, really, who is going to go the this?

I mean, besides us?

This has been the issue with trying to film Follies. In the 70's, there were still enough true divas left to fill out the cast in the blink of an eye. Most of these were women who could have probably lived the lives of the characters in the show. As the years have gone, the number of women who could pull these roles off has dwindled dramatically.

The women who are age appropriate now are people like Sarah Jessica Parker and Molly Ringwald. Hey, there's an idea! Cast it with former Brat Pack members.

Beebeeshz Bashoshphere

You know some 80 year old queen is going to chime in that, since they're using a digital version of James Dean in a new movie, they can do digital versions of the original Broadway cast, because there's no way another cast or production will ever compare.

No M and G, damn casting white oppressors.

Queen Latifha and Audra McDonald for Phyllis and Sally in Black Follies!

No lie, Queen would make an excellent Stella. Don't know if she could dance it or not, but who are we kidding? The whole thing will be edited like an MTV video, so you won't know what you're seeing anyway.

As much as I can't wait to see this, I can't imagine it working as a movie. Part of its appeal is the theatricality of it, and I'm just not sure that will work on a screen as well as it does in a theater. I would love to see an immersive production of it, set in a decaying performance space, where the ghosts mingle with the attendees.

I never saw "On Chesil Beach", but a friend of mine who loved the novel said it was really awful. Sondheim obviously has faith that Cooke can adapt his revival of "Follies" for the screen, but he also thought Harold Prince could manage the same with "A Little Night Music".

I can't wait to not see it and could never understand the apeal of Sondheim's mostly tuneless scores. His verbal acrobatics seem often just tirelessly uninteresting.

He didn't write it for you, R22. There is Andrew Lloyd Weber for you.

Since they're using a digital version of James Dean in a new movie, they can do digital versions of the original Broadway cast for FOLLIES! There's no way another cast or production will ever compare.

Mom, you're too old for this project, but I'm gonna step in and shine!

On Chesil Beach is one of the dullest films of the past 20 years.

Incredible score. Dated, clunky book that feels so meaningless in this age -- people in relationships like that would just get divorced these days. And it's inherently theatrical.

Can Laura Linney sing? If she lost a little weight, would she be an interesting Phyllis?

Laura Linney as Phyllis? Obviously not!

I do think Laura Linney sings, but I see her more as a Sally and God knows that role is hard enough to cast with legitimate Broadway actresses due to the singing range. I can't imagine they'll keep the original keys for any Hollywood actress who gets cast in the role.

The original book was best, but it could still stand a few re-writes. The characters of Sally and Ben are much lighter and less developed than you'd think. Phyllis and Buddy are usually the ones the audiences leaves remembering and feeling for.

Ben and Sally are assholes. That's why. Sally's two sons won't even speak to her.

I hope Streisand can be in this somehow.

I just hope they keep Meryl Streep away from this. Remember when Rob Marshall wanted her as Phyllis in his film version of Follies? At best, they can give her Hattie or Stella. Or since she loves accents - Solange.

Streisand would be great if she'd agree to do a smaller role, but she's not right for either of the two female leads and I don't know if she'd settle for anything but the lead of a movie musical. Besides, she's too young. She's already gearing up to play Mama Rose for the 2024 Oscar Season.

I'm still dreaming a dream, guys! Is that a mere folly, or shall I express my feelings to you in a song?

If done well, this could be good Oscar bait for the creative team and the actors playing Phyllis and Buddy (and maybe Carlotta if they manage to give it to someone in need of a big comeback). They do need to beef up Sally and Ben if they're expecting any awards attention for those roles.

The fact that it’s going to be based on the NT production is not good news at all.

Unless Barbra Streisand is cast as Carlotta, I'm not interested.

Barbra Streisand is all kinds of wrong for Carlotta, starting with her age.

[Quote] As the years have gone, the number of women who could pull these roles off has dwindled dramatically.

I thought the same until I saw the National Theatre production.

Janie Dee was spot on. There ARE actors out there who could do the roles justice in a movie. Will the oft namechecked Toni Collette finally get her day in the movie musical sun?

While Carlotta may be the same age as leads, they could easily make her older. The lines Ben has about trying broken doors could be part of his exchange with Carlotta, rather than Hattie.

Hold on, Angela, this movie needs you!

This could be Liza's comeback vehicle.

"I'm schtill herrrreeee."

I would predict Zewellger as Sally and Kidman as Phyllis. Is J.K. Simmons too old for Ben?

I loved the book On Chesil Beach but the movie was beyond boring. Is this guy the right fit?

Maybe Bernadette as Carlotta and Patti as Hattie?

It would make little sense to cast people with no movie profile (Steve Martin comedies from 40 years ago don't count). I hope Christine Baranski doesn't snag a role.

Carol Burnett?

Leah Michelle for Carlotta.

HUGE FLOP!

Burnett for Emily Whitman. Loretta Devine for Stella Deems. Mary Beth Peil for Heidi. Baranski would probably work as Solange.

Zizi Jeanmaire for Solange!

Or Leslie Caron!

Debbie Reynolds and Carlon Carpenter would have been fun as the Whitmans.

Debbie Allen and Maurice Hines as the Whitmans!

Girls, girls! These characters are in their 50s. NOT in their 90s.

I think Catherine Zeta Jones would make a great Carlotta

Michelle Pfeiffer as Phyllis

Laura Jean Poon as Phyllis?

Pfeiffer is really more Hattie age.

Pfeiffer as Carlotta, Zeta Jones as Phyllis.

What they should NOT do is cast someone who doesn't have the voice to sing "I'm Still Here." It's the signature tune of the show.

Jeremy Renner as Heidi

Sara Ramirez is mid 40s and she could sing the shit out of "I'm Still Here."

R65 Have you even seen the show?

I bet we get that fat British singing late show host as Buddy. And probably Tracey Ullman as someone. She wouldn't be believable as Carlotta, though I bet she could sing the hell out of it.

[Quote] Have you even seen the show?

Yes. Did you question the person who said Patti LuPone should play Carlotta? Ramirez is age appropriate. She can sing very well AND she can be glammed up quite easily.

Zeta Jones is Hollywood glamour. Not Park Avenue glamour.

Bai Ling would make a great Phyllis. She would give it an international twist.

Plus, if the action lags a little, Bai could do her attention-getting specialty of rolling off the roof.

Is Dina Merrill available?

I don't see any way that Emma Thompson will not play Phyllis.

You just know they're going to cast Hugh Jackman as Ben and Nicole Kidman as Phyllis.

I would love to see Ewan McGregor play Buddy. He's got such a nice voice and is the right age.

McGregor can't dance, though, can he? "The Right Girl" just doesn't work as a purely sung (or sung with a few half hearted movements) number.

Jackman as Ben and Kidman as Phyllis could easily work. I could see McGregor as Buddy, too. Someone's suggestion of Renee Zellwegger as Sally isn't bad either. I'm positive she can't sing it in the original keys, but I doubt any established name actress in that age range could either. Toni Collette would be great, too.

Carlotta is hard to cast, because she's supposed to be around the same age as the 4 leads, but is usually cast with some 60-something dame to bring a little extra gravitas. If they're going age appropriate, I think this is a great role for Catherine Zeta-Jones. She'd bring that sexy, vampy quality to it that DeCarlo had.

I'm sure this was knitted together, syllable by syllable, but the end product is the thing, and Winslet has more voice than Zelwegger.

Winslet could be a good Sally. She has a pleasant voice.

Well Call me a broadway baby and slap me silly. I may veblising my mind, but I’m still here. Who shall we cast? Please oh please mr theater g-ds and g-dea above, NOT MADONNA!!!!! Shirley Mcclain perhaps? Rita or Chita? I’ll even take Liza with a Z or even an S, but NO MADDONNAAAAAAAAA!

For the timeline to make sense, the design elements have to firmly establish it's taking place in 1971.

Me for Carlotta, I'm still here, and so is my voice! Big sis can't say that.

That's actually pretty good, R81. Lord knows at least Lorna was there. She was never hugely succesful, but she was there.

She was never a sloe eyed vamp. And she has practically zero name value for a big screen movie.

Tom Hanks will be Buddy.

[quote]Is Dina Merrill available?

Yes....yes I am!

Have them contact my agent.

People who will almost certainly not appear in it Madonna (doesn't have the voice for Carlotta or the two female leads, and would not do any of the other parts), Shirley Maclaine (too old for any part except Heidi) or Rita or Chita (UNLESS Chita plays Fifi).

I really hope Meryl does not appear in this. She's too old for Phyllis or for Carlotta. Same with Streisand and Glenn Close. None of them could be able to play sally convincingly.

[quote]Plus, if the action lags a little, Bai could do her attention-getting specialty of rolling off the roof.

Even if it's raining there?

Lucie Arnaz could play something.

How dare you, r83; she was in Grease 2!

Javier Bardem was meant to do NINE, wasn't he? Does he sing well?

Anyone remember that montage of golden age movie clips that used the FOLLIES prologue? It wasn't on Youtube if it remember correctly.

Renee Zellweger AS Judy Garland AS Carlotta Campion!

How about Julie Andrews as the older Heidi, trying to croak out "One More Kiss"? There won't be a dry eye in the house.

They should make a movie called "Casting Follies." LOL

I think Nicole Kidman would be terrific, actually, as Phyllis. But I'm sticking by my girl Kristin Chenoweth as Sally.

Came right to me: Vanessa Williams as Carlotta. She's the singer who's gorgeous, danced in her scanties, and still had a major career.

Uhhh... an actress doesn't have to actually be the character. She just needs to convey the character.

Vanessa Williams is a pretty boring singer.

I would BET YOU MONEY Rosie O'Donnell is frantically calling her agent this morning begging to have him/her get her one of the smaller parts for this.

"Please, anything! I mean, I could even learn how to do the Bolero d'Amour and be Vanessa!"

It makes me feel rather old to think that Leo DiCaprio could play one of the leads (dubbed or not, I don't know) in FOLLIES.

Kristy McNichol as Buddy, Jodie Foster as B(r)en(da), Amanda Bearse as Sally and Gina Gershon as Phyllis

Michele Pfeiffer as either Phyllis or Carlotta, please.

Eartha Kitt proved that a singer with a small voice can put across "I'm Still Here", but I still can't see Pfeiffer in that role.

Eartha....

Pfeiffer played everything from Catwoman to Countess Olensaka to a coked-out mob wife to the virginal Madame Tourvel. You can't say she doesn't have range.

That's Eartha's performance for the Olivier Awards. In the production, she gave it a much darker and more dramatic interpretation. She's great in the Olivier performance, but she was magnificent in FOLLIES.

She doesn't have an exciting singing voice. "I'm Still Here" needs that.

Peter Dinklage and Linda Hunt as Stuart and Emily Whitman!

Demi Moore would be perfect for Christine Crane.

I could do a Bowie number!

Actually, Rumer Willis could snag a part.

I wonder if reps for the likes of Kelli O'Hara will be on the phone...

45 - 60 years old PLEASE. And no frozen faces. Not easy to find. I think Jane Krakowski is charming.

Jane could do "Who's That Woman" pretty well. She hasn't a hope in hell of getting a lead.

[quote]If done well, this could be good Oscar bait for the creative team and the actors playing Phyllis and Buddy

That's the whole problem. Instead of actually making a good movie, they'll be more interested in making awards bait. You know what that means. Stunt casting of the worst kind. (Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman).

And Streep will be the one belting out I'm Still Here, let's not pretend otherwise. All that's left is wondering what kind of accent will she use for the character.

Maybe they'll throw in Goldie as well.

[quote] (Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman).

They are all too young to play the older women and too young to play the younger women in the "Loveland" sequence.

The leads need to be in their 50s, and in their 20s for the "Loveland" sequence. Actresses in their 30s and 40s will not work.

Although Dorothy Collins was 44, Alexis Smith was 49.

Yvonne De Carlo was 49, IIRC. Doroth Collins was about 45/46. John McMartin was early 40s.

Emma Stone and Amanda Seyfried are in their very early 30s and are both youthful looking, and so [italic]perhaps[/italic] could pass for their early 20s.

Emily Blunt is 36, and Anne Hathaway is 37, and Natalie Portman is 38: they're not fooling anyone they're either much older or much younger than they are. They all look to be in their mid to late 30s, and would be terrible choices.

Since when is Hollywood age appropriate with women's roles?

I'm available!

For all his modest acting talents, Ron Raines sounded great with Vicky Clark on "Too Many Mornings." Did their studio recording of it ever get released? That Jay/TER label seems to hold on to recordings for decades.

I think it would be OK to make everyone a decade older, around 60. So, starting with Emma Thompson as Phyllis, who's in their late 50s who would be good? And Carlotta could be a bit older too.

P.S. John McMartin was 41 when the original show began rehearsals. He was the last cast member added. They knew he was too young, but he was exactly right for the role. Ben should be attractive and charismatic, but strange and aloof. It's the most difficult role to cast in the show.

I wonder if they'll try to star cast every role or sprinkle in a few bonafide musical theatre people to show 'em how it's really done.

I'd love to see them give Liza or Shirley MacLaine a role like Hattie. Liza doesn't have much of a voice left and Shirl never had much of one to begin with, but with enough studio takes, they could piece something good together.

The suggestion of Julie Andrews as Heidi breaks my heart and you're absolutely right - if they were to cast her, that entire scene would steal the movie and there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house. I doubt she'd ever go for it, though. It feels sort of exploitative. "Hey, Julie. We want you to play a role in the Follies movie?" "Oh? I guess I might be able to do Broadway Baby if I speak a few of the notes." "No, we want you to play the broad who used to have the great soprano voice who can't squeak out a note anymore."

Ruta Lee as Carlotta.

There is no other choice.

Joyce Bulifant for Sally!

Rula Lenska for Phyllis!

Yes R23 you are right - "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita" are among my favorite musicals, along with"Cabaret", "Les Mis" and "Chicago". I go for the melody not the snobbery.

Animatronic Elaine Stritch!

My schedule just opened up...

We have out Christine Crane at r130.

R130, I’m unfollowing your Twitter! That will show you!

I saw the recent National Theatre production in London and didn't find Janie Dee very convincing as an American at all. The British audience and reviewers kept raving about how good she was and all I could think of was how low our standards must have fallen if the likes of Dee (and the ghastly Imelda Staunton as Sally in the previous production) are being praised. Then again I find the raves from theatre critics in London very puzzling. Elena frickin Roger got hailed as some great, new theatrical talent for her mousy, uninspired turn in Evita.

Did you see Roger in London?

Yes, I did, R134. I found her awful. The only actor in the cast who delivered anything close to a good performance was Philip Quast.

I thought he was a letdown in FOLLIES. Ben is the most difficult part, admittedly.

I had a similar reaction to Staunton in Gypsy too. After all the raves I went in expecting a memorable performance. It was memorable but for the wrong reasons. Stuanton screamed and yelled her way through the part the entire evening, and once again, was never even remotely convincing as an American woman. Staunton as Rose may well have been the most overrated and the biggest "WTF are the critics smoking?" moment for me in recent years.

I saw Staunton twice in one day in GYPSY. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. Did she scream and yell her way through "Small World" and "Together Wherever We Go" in your memory?

R137 Did you see Smith in Funny Girl? Even worse

R138 Oh yes, we know/ She was amazing on stage but the BBC told her to speed it up so she 'suddenly' changed her performance in everyway and on the telecast played Rose like a psycho cunt

[Quote] Oh yes, we know/ She was amazing on stage but the BBC told her to speed it up so she 'suddenly' changed her performance in everyway and on the telecast played Rose like a psycho cunt

Much easier to make a comment like that than actually address my question, huh?

R139, no, I didn't see Smith in FG. The idea of Sheridan Smith, of all people, playing a Lower East Side Jewish New Yorker was too bizarre to even contemplate. And if the actress playing Fanny can't do justice to the score written for a powerful voice like Streisand's, I didn't see the point of this production. The FG book is terrible and it's only the songs that redeem the show.

Generally speaking I am convinced that for all the criticism American actors get about being bad at playing Brits, their British counterparts are just as inadequate when playing Americans.

Smith sang the score fine, at least at the Menier. Not remotely Jewish, though. And Mrs. Brice distinctly was...

[quote]I saw Staunton twice in one day in GYPSY. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. Did she scream and yell her way through "Small World" and "Together Wherever We Go" in your memory?

"Small World", no. "Together Wherever We Go", yes. And she played the book scenes like a campy lunatic, almost as if she'd used Bette Midler's godawful performance in the TV movie as one to emulate.

As for having the audience in the palm of her hand, see my earlier puzzlement over Janie Dee. That's why I find audience and critical receptions to musical theatre performances in Britain very perplexing, especially when the performance is by a British actor playing a character who isn't British.

R140 I didn't make the point, and your rejoinder was stupid, was like evreyone else, just ignored it

[Quote] especially when the performance is by a British actor playing a character who isn't British.

I'm surprised at that. In your several decades of life, you haven't noticed that most people aren't very knowledgable about accents outside of the areas in which they've lived?

[Quote] I didn't make the point

If you're unwilling to engage with a post, then don't. Doing so makes your reply seem even more ignorant.

I hope the entire cast is British, just to hear the outrage of American theater queens

They will have to cast huge names in most of the roles, or absolutely no one outside the NYC theater queens will see it.

[Quote] I hope the entire cast is British, just to hear the outrage of American theater queens

I have to laugh at the aboutface when the NT production was so well received, even on this board.

[quote]I'm surprised at that. In your several decades of life, you haven't noticed that most people aren't very knowledgable about accents outside of the areas in which they've lived.

I had no idea theatre audiences in London and theatre critics were that provinicial. I'd have expected them to recognise a hammy performance regardless of the character's origins.

Ah, so the "ham" is your issue. Or are you moving the goalposts?

I agree Staunton was terrible in Follies, but Chenoweth shares one of her problems - way too short ever to have been a Ziegfeld girl. There's no indication Sally was a featured performer, and every indiction that she and Phyllis were chorus (ie Ziegfeld girls).

Kidman is a great suggestion for Phyllis because she has the height and the statuesque posture, along with the eau d'ice queen that puts you off at the start. I guess she could think about Tom when she sings Could I Leave You? How about Elizabeth Debicki as Nicole's lost youth? Not sure whether she can sing, but she can dance, she can out-spectacular Nicole's current looks, and you could dub one of the youngsters without losing anything in a movie.

I liked Philip Quast a lot as Ben, and would definitely go for him over Jackman, who is not going to be able to convince anyone he's (a) an asshole OR (b) an intellectual.

Sally is really hard. It's a pity Anna Kendrick is not the right age for either incarnation; I think she's got the right vibe.

Judy Davis for Carlotta.

(We could end up with an all-Australian cast at this rate.)

This will flop as a movie

If they get funding for a FOLLIES movie starring Philip Quast...

Patti Lupone is at home right now whaling @Oh what’s the use!?”

Stop the whaling, Patti! Leave the whales alone!

Blow high, blow low, Miss Lupone.

Amy Adams for Sally. She's an outstanding actress. She is 45 years old and can give Sally a wholesome first impression, then go batshit crazy when the time comes. She has already sung in the movies and she sings well enough that she even sang on the Oscar broadcast.

There is currently no better candidate for Sally Durant.

Amy Adams is a solid choice. I could see Chris Pine throwing his hat into the ring for Ben. He's only a year or two younger than John McMartin was. I don't recall Pine's singing though I've seen the "Into the Woods" movie.

Recent shot of Pine.

It will be virtually impossible to fill Miss Helon Blount's Capezios in the integral role of Dee Dee West.

Chrissy Metz for Sally!

R152, Dorothy Collins was short, Alexis Smith was very tall. Kristin Chenoweth is exactly right for the role, the right type, with the right voice, and she's the right age too.

Chenoweth is a personality. A turn. She would be no better than Bernadette.

Chenoweth is retched. Cheap mugging for cheap laughs. That is all she brings to the table as an actress. She may do no more than play Dee Dee West and sing the soprano line of the choral parts.

If she does not want to do that, send her back to Oklahoma to teach tap and baton twirling.

I agree Amy Adams would make a terrific Sally--she has a nice soprano voice and could do a fine job with the songs. I wonder if she's ready yet to segue to fully over-the-hill roles, though.

What's the character that sings "Broadway Baby"? I could see Chenoweth doing that. She'd be happy with a smaller part.

I agree they have to have big stars in the major four parts if anyone's going to go see it: so no Philip Quast as Ben. We need to be realistic here.

Chris Pine looks older than his age and is around the same age McMartin was when he played Ben, so I could see him nailing it. He's charming, handsome, and has a very pleasant singing voice.

The Amy Adams suggestion is excellent, too. She reads as such a sweet little Midwestern farm girl that when she finally comes unhinged, it'd be beautiful. She might be a tad too young, but who cares at this point? She also had Sondheim cred for that awful production of Into the Woods in the park a few years back. She was pretty good in that even if the production wasn't great.

Is it too much to ask for Angela Lansbury to play Hattie and belt out Broadway Baby? It might be her last film role and I'd hate for her to go out on that nothing part she had in Mary Poppins.

I'm Still Here should be done by a Broadway veteran. The song needs the bite of someone who has been down and out and who's next gig depended upon that NY Times Review. It would have been a perfect role for Liza to go out on if she still had her voice. Shirley Maclaine would have been a great choice ten, fifteen years ago. Streisand hasn't been Broadway since she started. Bette Midler perhaps as she knows the theater and knows how to work a song.

It really should come down to Lupone or Peters. Both have that grit about them that showbiz "I've been down on my luck before and I'll be back again" gusto. Lupone gets the edge because of that ballsy persona.

LuPone plays bit parts in movies.

Bette Midler's voice was not good on the Hello Dolly cast recording. Hattie is the old lady, not Carlotta.

I'm planning to conduct a pagan ritual that will raise Elaine Stritch from the dead. I just need 21 virgin chorus boys for the sacrifice.

Any role for Toni Collette or the twentysomething Catherine Zeta Spartacus Douglas Jones?

[quote] she's the right age too.

Except Chenoweth hasn't aged well. At 51, she's seven years older than Dorothy Collins was, and she looks like she's 65.

Both Sally and Phyllis are supposed to be 49-50. Chen looks too old.

Cathy Zeta Jones would actually be a great Carlotta. I mean, she'd be a good Phyllis, too, but she'd really shine as a sexy, just slightly-over-the-hill Carlotta. And she'd know what to do with "I'm Still Here," too. But Bernadette would be great, too. Patti would need to lose weight to do Carlotta. She's supposed to be still hot and sexy looking, and Patti is a fat frau these days.

Zeta Jones is totally wrong for Carlotta. She might be a passable Phyllis but that's it. She may be too old, but I'd go for Cher. Too bad Debbie's gone. She would have been perfect for Hattie. And I love the suggestion of Amy Adams for Sally.

[quote] Is it too much to ask for Angela Lansbury to play Hattie and belt out Broadway Baby?

Lansbury is 94. The show is set in 1971, and Dmitri Weismann is said to have only started the Weissman Follies in 1919. That means even if she sang "Broadway Baby" at the first Follies ever, she would have been 42 at the time.

So, the short answer to your question is, "No way."

This is like the thread about young men who are "young, dumb, and full of cum," wherein kept nominating celebrities who are now in their forties and fifties. Now people here are nominating actresses in the 80s and 90s to play roles for this, when I think the oldest character in the show (other than Weissman himself) is Heidi, who is in her 70s.

The point of this is not revivify beloved divas from then 60s and 70s like Julie Andrews (who would not literally be able even to croak out ANY of the notes for "Kiss Me Again" given how destroyed her voice is) or Angela Lansbury or Cher (!!! the mind boggles at what her version of "I'm Still Here" would sound like) just to please over-50 Broadway queens who grew up back then. It is to sell tickets.

[quote]She may be too old, but I'd go for Cher.

Talk about wrong for the part! Jesus, I would never want to hear that voice sing "I'm Still Here." And at 70+ years old and pulled tight as a drum, it would be a joke to see her as the still hot Carlotta, still capable of alluring Ben.

If it were the late 1970s, Angela would be a great Phyllis.

Bette M is the ideal Hattie.

[quote]Chrissy Metz for Sally!

Chrissy Metz for the ruins of the Weissman Theater!

I'd kill to Andrea Martin as Solange. Check out her awesome French accent at 2:33.

Chrissy Metz hanging from a rope overhead as the wrecking ball used to tear down the Weissman Theater

R173: There are no virgin chorus boys.

For the love of Mary Martin, will one of you Follies queens just post the damn cast list with the age of each character and maybe name an actor who played the part?

I’m sure it’ll be postponed or the casting list will change due to the inevitable uproar that trannies will have, like what they’re currently doing with the broadway adaptations of Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire. Maybe they’ll bastardize it by casting a real trans person to play a drag queen, like they did with the abortion of a “live adaption” Fox made out of Rocky Horror a few years back.

Huh? Are there trans or drag queen characters in Follies? Carlotta might act like a drag queen, but she is based on Joan Crawford - the star who launched a thousand drag queens.

R188 Sorry, I misread the thread title. I thought it said there was going to be a film adaptation of La Cage. Sorry, my (stupidly illiterate) mistake!

For the person wondering...

Sally - 49 Ben - early 50's Phyllis - 50ish Buddy - early 50's Carlotta - 50-55 at the most since she's a contemporary of Sally and Phyllis

Stella, Hattie, and Solange are all usually a bit older than the main characters. Hattie needs to be a bit frumpy to really sell "Broadway Baby", so they can't go the hot grandma route they went when they cast Linda Lavin that time. The oldest character seems to be Heidi who always looks like she's ancient. Hell, she always seems older than either Julie Andrews or Angela Lansbury who still have a certain vibrance.

These characters should be cast more in the Liza, Meryl, Glenn, Bette age range. They're decent roles for them. They get to come in, say a few funny lines, sing the shit out of a big song, and call it a night.

BENJAMIN STONE A big man on Wall Street, with a chic Manhattan wife, no children but everything else. YOUNG BEN Ben thirty years earlier, in 1940, when he was dating a Follies girl. PHYLLIS ROGERS STONE Ben's 50-year old society wife, smart, tart, vicious and sleek. YOUNG PHYLLIS A showgirl in the chorus of the final edition of the Weismann Follies. BUDDY PLUMMER Ben's pal, now a prosperous realtor in Arizona, with wife, kids - and a mistress. YOUNG BUDDY The eager young beau of a Follies chorine. SALLY DURANT PLUMMER Buddy's well-to-do wife, still gushy and girlish despite the routine of married life. YOUNG SALLY A Follies chorine, 20 years old in 1940, and caught between Buddy and his pal, Ben. CARLOTTA CAMPION A resilient motion picture star, once a vamp, then reduced to mother roIes, but still hanging in there. STELLA DEEMS Another veteran of the final Follies. YOUNG STELLA The singer and dancer as she was in 1940. HEIDI SCHILLER A 90-year old Broadway legend, whose ringing soprano inspired the operetta kings to produce their lushest waltzes. YOUNG HEIDI The celebrated soprano in her heyday. HATTIE WALKER After all these years, still a Broadway Baby. EMILY WHITMAN The female half of a cheerful song and dance team. THEODORE WHITMAN Emily's husband. SOLANGE LAFITTE A Broadway Parisienne. ROSCOE The Follies' famous tenor whose golden tones saluted Mr. Weismann's exquisite taste in feminine pulchritude. DIMITRI WEISMANN An impresario who flourished between the wars and whose name became a byword for style and opulence. KEVIN An easily-seduceable waiter.

Who will be playing Kevin? That’s the most important thing!

What happened to our Marion Cotillard troll? I thought he'd have been here by now, insisting that Marion is the only one to play Solange.

I don't think Ben is a Wall Streeter. He's a star of cultural politics--a figure that doesn't really exist except in the imagination of James Goldman.

Cotillard seems a bit young for Solange, doesn't she? I always thought she was older than the main 4. If she hadn't just had her stroke, I'd say Catherine Deneuve.

Solange is MINE. Moi, bébé!

"Kiss Me Again" is not from Follies.

[quote]Cotillard seems a bit young for Solange, doesn't she?

I was joking, R195. The suggestion of Streep being cast and doing a (horrible) French accent made me wonder which French-born actresses could play the role. I thought of Juliette Binoche, but even she reads as too young for Solange, and besides I have no idea if the lovely Binoche can even sing. That reminded me of the MC troll on DL who would insist that Cotillard was a definite Oscar nominee every damn year.

That killer Mirror number.....

Jesus. There are HIGH SCHOOL productions of Follies? You just KNOW the drama teachers from their schools post here. Teenagers playing bitter, middle-aged divorcees-would-be from the 70s. That should work.

Catherine Zeta Jones. Toni Braxton.

It's where Eva Gabor wigs go to die, r200.

And in the role of Sally Durant Plumber.....

Kristin Chenoweth, please.

For Solange, I would like Miss Grace Jones. She's not French, but unlike Fifi D'Orsay, Jones has actually been to France. Indeed, she started her career there.

Trois mots, r205. Non, non, et....non.

Grace Jones as Solange is inspired casting, but would she come to set and then depart abruptly without warning?

Well, hire some others to provide adequate coverage...

The old lady backstage who holds her nose during one of Fifi's cutesy "bits" could easily be Ethel Shutta.

[quote]could easily be Ethel Shutta.

Except, of course, for the dead part.

Ethel was alive when Fifi filmed that movie. But I didn’t mean it literally. The old woman watching Fifi’s routine and then holding her nose is very much like the relationship they had as portrayed in Ted Chapin’s book.

Ethel could out-pizzazz Fifi any ol' day of the week!

R199

Where's Susan Johnson when you need her?

Is one of the gals... a drag queen? Interesting.

Susan Boyle for Hattie

Eldergays, how can an person who is unfamiliar with Follies best appreciate it? Where shall I begin?

R216 - not an eldergay... yet... but when I was high school drama nerd in the 90s, some lovely eldergays in my community theatre introduced me to the show via the Original Cast Recording. That's where you start. The 2011 revival recording (with Bernadette) is a nice follow up. That production wasn't perfect, but, musically, it was glorious.

There are also good soundboard recordings of the original Broadway company, since so much music was left off the OCR.

Just watch the London production love

Glenn Close as Carlotta.

Then she can lose the Oscar to Meryl ... for whichever role Meryl ends up playing.

I'm distraught that they're basing this off the NT production. I HATED that production - so wrong on so many levels.

R219 -- thanks so much for posting that link. Will download before it gets taken down. That said, just watched the prologue. The staging was beautiful, but the music felt so lacking. The prologue sounded so anemic.

The best news of all is that they hired Peter Jackson to direct, so you will get 3 films instead of just 1.

[Quote] The prologue sounded so anemic

Search out a cast recording.

I think the best way to first experience FOLLIES is via the score solely. I remember when I first heard the complete OBC (it doesn't sound like a soundboard, more of an audience, recording), I was disappointed to discover the meat of the show is so "small" - these two unhappy couples. But that audience recording wove its spell over repeated listenings...

Liza is Phyllis, Streisand is Sally, get Bacall to sing "I'm Still Here", Debbie to sing "Broadway Baby" and pad the rest of the cast with cheap actors.

I'm surprised to see so much hate for the NT production. Sure, Loveland was a colorless bore, but everything else was so excellent. I didn't think much of Imelda Staunton as Sally, but everyone else was pretty good and the show's book seemed to make sense and flow better than it ever has. Certainly with an increased budget for the film they can make Loveland really pop this time.

I suspect the "hate" is coming from one poster (at most, two). DLers also get pissy about Brits "stealing our jobs" etc.

Whatever one might think about the National Theatre production, there can be no argument that it was anything but the best major production since the original Briadway production. There can be no serious argument that the National Theatre was not filled with a great deal of terrific work. The direction and the performances were original and beautifully detailed.

Some of us like a Phyllis bumping into chorus boys, nay, demand it!

The Roundabout production was easily the worst of the major Follies revivals. Then again, besides Cabaret, every Roundabout revival is dependably awful with maybe one or two bright spots.

[quote] Whatever one might think about the National Theatre production, there can be no argument that it was anything but the best major production since the original Briadway production.

What a stupidly arrogant statement.

Of course there can be argument when it comes to matters of taste. Stop being so controlling.

The feature article in the NY Times was a disaster for the Roundabout and its threadbare production of FOLLIES.

Theoni Aldridge really knew how to bitch and she let it fly for the NY Times.

Thanks for linking that great article, R233 -- it's fascinating to me!

[quote]Stop being so controlling.

Now who is being controlling, R232? You forgot to say 'Please' and 'Thank you!'

Actually, the Roundabout Follies is the very best Follies I have ever seen live.

I know I'm in the minority here, but the 2011 revival was masterful, imho. Eric Schaeffer's direction, the design team and the performances were brilliant. The Original Cast recording should have won multiple Grammys. One of only a handful of theatre performances that was a life changer for me.

I didn't hate the 2011 revival as much as everyone else. Bernadette was revelatory, but she wasn't the train wreck some have made her out to be and she was in good voice when I saw her and handled the score beautifully. The Loveland sequence was well handled, too. The main issue with that production was that piece of driftwood, Ron Raines, sucking all the life out of Ben and the changes to the original script. That original script is still flawed, but it's the best version we have.

Ron Raines was much better opposite Vicky Clark...

Danny Burstein's little leaps (or was it just the one?) still make chuckle at the thought of them.

Wow. All 300 people who care about this have now weighed in. The rest of us can relax and think about other things.

Are you drunk, r224? Peter Jackson isn’t directing.

Yes, the NT connection is worrying. God, it would be awful if he used anyone from that cast (except perhaps, Josephine Barstow).

I don't see how they could get away with doing a film version and using that no-name NT cast, especially since that production has already been filmed anyway. It would be a total waste. They're probably looking for potential big name stars now.

They're probably looking for potential big money investors now.

Meryl as Heidi.

Did anyone see Kathleen Turner's cabaret act? Part of me would like to see if she could pull off "Broadway Baby."

I can't imagine this movie will cost much money to make. There is just the one set, and, although there is a large cast, I would guess that most actors will take scale in order to be in a Sondheim movie. I still can't imagine this playing in theaters, though. Who on earth is the audience for it? I think it would be a great movie to stream.

R248, there would be six to eight people in every city in America with a population over a half million who would go see FOLLIES in a movie theater.

Follies does seem like the kind of movie that wouldn't cost much as far as film budgets go. It's astronomical to mount on a Broadway stage, but in film terms, it's not quite that bad unless they're opening up the moving and showing the home lives of the 4 leads or something.

I've heard Kathleen Turner sing and she's definitely in the Elaine Stritch range. If Stritch could pull off Broadway Baby, I'm sure she could, too. It might be kinda cute.

[quote] it's not quite that bad unless they're opening up the moving and showing the home lives of the 4 leads or something.

So we might get to see Sally standing in the middle of the floor -- not going left, not going right?

"I'm Still Here" is a hard song, needs a very good singer. Patti Lu?

I'm gonna ask again. Doesn't anybody remember that video that used vintage movie clips and used the Prologue and (I think) Beautiful Girls. It was wonderful. It wasn't on Youtube....

Oh, I'd forgotten that, r253. I think it was, in fact, on YouTube. I can't remember who did it - it was a couple of years ago. Would love if that resurfaced. It was masterfully done.

[quote]The main issue with that production was that piece of driftwood, Ron Raines, sucking all the life out of Ben

In other words, par for the course for Ron Raines. He has never, ever, risen above the level of "driftwood" in anything he's done.

[quote] there would be six to eight people in every city in America with a population over a half million who would go see FOLLIES in a movie theater.

In NY, SF, LA, and Chicago, they could definitely fill an entire week's worth of performances. If they feature it in just one theatre in each city, maybe even two weeks.

Thank you, thank you, r254! I had it saved on my old hard drive and I remember it not being a Youtube link. I wonder who pulled it.

Miss Ethel Barrymore....Colt.

They should age the characters to make the film work better. 50 is NOT the same as it was when Songheim first wrote the musical.

Aged out actresses looking back at their careers doesn’t make sense if the characters are in their 50s. Even if they do not update the time of the musical (which, I pray they don’t), audiences justt wont relate the same way.

Age the characters and have Babs star in it. I hear her mall needs to install Cinnabon anyway.

[Quote] Aged out actresses looking back at their careers doesn’t make sense if the characters are in their 50s.

There's a spread of ages. The leads and Carlotta need to be middle aged. However, those characters should not be in their 60s. 40s is what they should be.

Thank you, R219. That was very gracious of you.

[quote]Age the characters and have Babs star in it.

As what? She'll be 78 in February. The only part she'd be remotely right for would be ancient old Heidi, even though she couldn't sing it.

That made me genuinely L-O-L, R251.

Streisand could play Weismann. Why does the creator always have to be a man?

Follies needs to be made more relevant for modern audiences. In my version it'll be bisexual Phyllis whom lezzy Sally had a fling with before they both settled for hetero domesticity. Sally, like Robyn Crawford, has never gotten over Phyllis and still pines for her.

Phyllis' "Lucy and Jessie" number now becomes a coded message about her bisexuality. Buddy and Ben know about the gals' affair. Ben, self-absorbed and callous as ever, ignores it. Buddy can't ignore it because he knows, deep down, that Sally will never feel about him the way he has felt about her.

We could make it darker still. Sally's visits to mental hospitals were not always due to her failed suicide attempts. My script will hint that Buddy may have forced her to undergo treatment for her "sickness", as he calls it. During the reunion Sally pretends to try and seduce Ben in order to make Phyllis jealous.

Meryl can pass for 50 in good lighting and make up.

Barbra Streisand IS Dimitri Weiswomann!

Just let Babs play Heidi Schiller. Jonathan Tunick can re-orchestrate "One More Kiss" to add extra schmaltz and highlight Babs' signature song styling.

Lea Michele could sing back-up as Young Heidi.

Only one condition. Babs must not be allowed input into the selection of her gown or hairstyle. Must. NOT. She is not good at it.

And keep her away from the goddamn bust pads!

[quote]Barbra Streisand IS Dimitri Weiswomann!

Weisfrau, more like. Babs' taste is very low to middlebrow frau-like.

Streisand always sounds too hoarse these days. Did she ever have the Heidi notes even in her early days? She always seemed more mezzo soprano than legit soprano.

Edie Adams can play Heidi!

Edie Adams is dead.

But before she croaked, she did play Heidi.

[Quote] Edie Adams is dead.

She won't let that stop her. Edie Adams is a trouper.

Edie's Heidi.....

So, young Heidi was literally dressed as Heidi?

And just exactly what words was poor Edie singing during most of the song?

Edie does Carlotta.

Oh, you know r276, one of those Alpine operettas. And I have NO idea what was coming out of Edie's mouth some of the time.

R277 Well. it's nice to see that Edie could still get work, but that has to be the worst version of I'm Still Here that I've ever heard.

Christine.

Don't be silly. Zombie Mary will perform the role of Carlotta Campion.

I'm Still Here needs to be belted. Edie was always more of a soprano and I suspect Christine might be, too. It sounds so underpowered and unexciting in head voice.

That Mary Tyler Moore clip is one of the most frustrating things I've ever seen in my life. The moments where she actually sung the damn song were surprisingly terrific. I never knew she had such a pleasant singing voice. Why does she have to ruin it by speaking most of the song and treating it like shitty, overly serious slam poetry?

It was a very strange TV special, r283......

August 25, 1974: It's reported that Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Shirley Booth, and Bob Hope are among the actors being considered for the film "Follies."

September 11, 1974: Joan says in a letter "I have no plans of appearing in the movie of "Follies" - can't imagine where that rumor ever started."​​

Shirley's Hattie would have been sublime.

I say Streep & Streisand. The Ultimate Ice Princess and the Sweet Hearted Kooky girl. They have a corner on those archetypes. AND they can do the score justice. Too old, yes. Could they sing and act the roles? yep. The featured songs could be played by a variety of great actors. The audience has the opportunity to be surprised, awed, and potentially moved by the people they cast. They should be 'old friends' of sorts. Most importantly, whomever they cast MUST be able to sing. Name a male movie star that can sing as well as GEORGE HEARN or LEN CARIOU? Nobody. Here's an older John McMartin's heartbreaking 'The Road You Didn't Take'.

[quote]Babs must not be allowed input into the selection of her gown or hairstyle. Must. NOT. She is not good at it.

I'm the full package. Love me, love my styling.

[quote]And just exactly what words was poor Edie singing during most of the song?

"Waa waa la la laaaaooooo boo what? Boo What?"

1990....

A Peruvian Princess Heidi....

You. Lazy. Bitches. *I'M* the one to sing "I'm Still Here" because I AM still here and it's the story of my life. If you can find Neely wherever the hell she is, she can play a waitress, not a goddam chorus girl.

There's not enough cheesecloth in the world, Helen.

There's not enough linoleum in the world.

R287, Streisand reads as too "New York" for her to be convincing as Sally Durant living as a housewife in Phoenix. She could have pulled off the desperation of unrequited love, but she's a mezzo, so I have my doubts about whether she could have handled the high notes in "Too Many Mornings" even when she was younger.

Someone suggested Amy Adams upthread. If she can sing the role I think she has the right look and personality for Sally.

Amy Adams is probably perfect for the role. She has a sweetness that would draw you in at first and then allow the darkness to take over towards the end. I believe she could probably sing most of the score. The real tough one is Too Many Mornings. If they dubbed a note or two, I wouldn't be upset. I just hate when they dub entire songs or performances. It always feels weird.

You don't have to dub anything nowadays. You can pitch shift the note wherever you want it to be.

Anyone have a link for the UK National Theater production? Can you post it? The play was stunning. Although I did have issues with some casting, the production was topnotch.

Christine Baranski for Carlotta

r299 see r280.

R300 I won’t and you can’t make me!!!

I saw Baranski play Carlotta at Encores and it was painful! She couldn't hit any of the notes. Oy. The real breakout performance in that belonged to Mimi Hines, who sang the shit out of Broadway Baby.

Mimi

Why didn't they modulate for the ending? That finish of Baranski's is dreadful! It's the worst I've heard of that part of the song.

Has anyone suggestion Angelina Jolie as Phyllis and Jennifer Aniston as Sally? Then you have Brad Pitt as Ben as Ben and Gunther as Buddy.

Matthew Perry as Buddy!

The best sung version of "I'm Still Here" is Kim Criswell, absolutely matchless.

It’s matchless because no one else is as strident as she is, r307.

R303 So, Roseanne CAN sing.

I've never heard the big finish sung better

[Quote] Plus she’s a bitch

"Merrily..." DID have problems, Steve.

I hope they include this version of Losing My Mind

I'd never heard of Mimi Hines before. Looked her up and, really, her biggest credit was replacing Streisand in Funny Girl. Hopefully she.. married well? I always wonder how performers like that, who only seem to have worked intermittently over the years, make it.

Biggest credit doesn't mean "only thing successful they ever did." Hines worked clubs, summer stock etc. What is your frame of reference for "singer, comedienne"?

Wrong clip at r310. The one below is superior.

Mimi was part of a team with her husband Phil Ford, r313.

Phil & Mimi

I wonder how much speed Mimi was wolfing down back then at r316.

Mimi's Fanny....

Mimi's Parade

Mimi's People....

Who is that at r315?

I saw Yvonne de Carlo do it during the Boston tryouts in the dead of winter of 1971 and Dolores Gray in the 1987 London revival and don't think anyone's topped her Carlotta

And for the historically-minded, one of Frank Rich's first reviews (as an undergrad) of what he called "The Last Musical" in 1971.

Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill were the poor man's Phil Ford and Mimi Hines.

PLEASE CAST ACTORS WHO CAN SING THEIR ROLES. Please.

That Dolores Gray rendition of “I’m Still Here” was such a treat. She was fantastic! Thank you for posting.

That performance by Dolores Gray is hideous. All the indulgent back phrasing destroys much of what Sondheim wrote.

No, matter. Eartha Kitt replaced her in that production and she batted this song out of the park.

It's to bad Miss Moreno didn't get to do Carlotta back in the day. I seem to remember her wanting to be in the Roundabout revival.

^too

Moreno doesn't sing very well.

R212 thanks that is really divoone. So glamorous.

You're probably right, r331.

And that was 25 years ago, R333. She was about 63. Rita Moreno is a gifted actress, but no one can be expected to deliver a miracle.

Well, we can expect her not to verge on Googie Gomez, no?

Still my favorite.

Not the best sung, but she performs the fuck out of it.

Bette Midler could do I'M STILL HERE.

Bette Midler couldn't even sing the Hello Dolly score satisfactorily.

'I don't need a lot, Only what I got, Plus a tube of greasepaint and a follow spot!'

I can hear Bette sing this.

Bette would make a good Hattie or Stella, but she's not glam enough for Carlotta. She also doesn't have enough voice left to handle it. She could probably belt out a few decent enough takes of "Broadway Baby" or "Who's That Woman" to patch together into something workable.

Catherine Zeta Jones seems like the best choice for Carlotta that I can think of. She's the right age, has the looks, the glam, the camp, and the pipes to handle it. She carries herself like a star from that time period.

Can't we please just leave FOLLIES where it belongs? In 1971.

It was special in 1971, perfectly calibrated for that tumultous moment in cultural history. All the actors, in 1971, were the same age as all the characters were in 1971, more or less. (Don't any of you queens drag John McMartin into this. Don't!) Both the characters and the actors portraying them had lived through the World War 2 and many lived through the Depression. Similarly, the characters and the actors playing them were, in 1971, all living through the great cultural and social change occurring at that time, as was the audience. Everyone was experiencing the old and familiar being torn down and pushed aside, just like the Weismann Theater. Everyone in the theater, onstage and off, was dealing with middle age and impending old age, their knees and hips crumbling like the proscenium of the Weisman. Everyone in the theater was experiencing all of it and doing so all at the same time. But that only happened in 1971. That moment has passed.

When Phyliis says, "Just what this city needs. Another parking lot," it once really had relevance. It was current and it referred to something going on all across the country. Our cultural past was being lost. FOLLIES can never resonate the way it once did, the way it was intended to resonate. So why bother? "One More Kiss" is more universal. Everyone ages. Everyone was young once. Everyone faces mortality. It deals with the biggest, most universal ideas. Just send out the two Heidis to sing the song and, these days, you have the best of the entire show.

We don't need this movie, especially not since the National Theatre video recording.. And a movie version of something so inherently theatrical will never ever work well. This moment in history needs its own musical. FOLLIES isn't it.

Agree 100% R342. But, I feel that way about Company as well. It's why I imagine I won't like the transfer of the London production. Company is SO of its time. The themes, the tone. AND the music. Even if they update some lyrical references and costume and set design it SOUNDS so late 60s/early 70s.

While Follies is dealing in 30s-50s pastiche, like you said, it was pastiche written in and from the perspective of characters existing in the early 70s.

Ah, well, the music is grand. Hopefully they'll get that right. If this ever happens.

[quote]Meryl can pass for 50 in good lighting and make up

Is this a post from 1989?

I'm already rehearshing!

"The shun comesh up... I shink about you... the coffee cup... I shink about you..."

I shang thish onshe with the Pet Shop Boysh! It wash a big pop hit!

I can't stand Nancy Walker's "I'm Still Here." She's so completely wrong for the lyrics. No one in their right mind would have let her dance in her scanties, nor would she have been the prize toy of a big financier. And she was never a "sloe-eyed vamp." I know it was just for a concert, but her physical appearance belied every line of the song.

[quote]We don't need this movie, especially not since the National Theatre video recording

Agreed. The National Theatre recording was so awful, it should have killed "Follies" off for good.

Would it make more sense to update it and have it be about the death of MTV or real movie stars or something?

Oh for crissakes! By this dumb logic, how can I possibly enjoy Rameau's Les Indes gallantes (1735) next week at the opera?

R342 makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, God forbid that there would be a show set in a time he can't understand! Heaven forbid that it deal with people from a long-ago era that has no relevance to his life.

Why don't we take that to its logical extreme, r342, and ban all theatre written before, say, 1985. Keep those old shows away! People at the time were dealing with things we can't possibly comprehend now, the world was so different, we shouldn't be expected to have to try to understand them! I mean, that was the era of alternate-side-of-the street parking, for God's sake! And princess telephones! And for those awful shows written in the 1940s, they're almost all making at least veiled reference to that conflict, that ancient conflict that no one today cares about. Get rid of all that trash!

[quote]many lived through the Depression.

Yeah, but was I depressed? Nowhere near!

R350, you are tiresome and foolish.

Justine....

Can Sharon Stone sing? She might be a good Carlotta.

[quote] Is this a post from 1989?

Oh, G, you little minx!

I can remember when you used to pass for a woman!

Janie Lee Curtis as Phyllis and Michelle Pfeiffer as Sally

I think Jamie Lee Curtis has an aversion too singing. She's said she turns beat red and can't continue. I can't remember where I read or heard that. She'd definitely liven up the movie a bit. I don't think Pfeiffer has the singing range for Sally, but she's perfect for Phyllis.

Judy

r354 - Well....

Stone could probably sing well enough for Phyllis, but you need serious chops to belt "I'm Still Here" Case in pint - Christine Baranski is a better singer than most, but even she struggled with the last part of that song and sounded like a hyena being raped.

Come to think of it, Phyllis really would be a great fit for Stone. She might even be Oscar worthy in that role. If she could really let down her hair and be fun in "Lucy and Jesse", she'd be a lock.

Speaking of Irreconcilable Differences and who Stone was loosely playing, is there a part for DL fav Cybill Shepherd? Her singing voice has always been a bit too thin and head voice-y for my tastes and her comedy is a little too self-aware (she could never get through a gag on Cybill without looking like she was about to laugh at her own joke), but surely there's something for her. Wasn't she approached for one of those revivals in the past 15 years?

[quote]Come to think of it, Phyllis really would be a great fit for Stone

Assuming this doesn't start filming till next summer, Sharon Stone would be 62 then.

[quote]is there a part for DL fav Cybill Shepherd?

Yes. She's a natural for the part of the server who hands Phyllis a drink when she arrives.

These clips confirm that the skill level needed to meet the demands of this material is very high. Some singing roles can be acted, and some songs could work with stunt casting, but most roles in this play deserve someone who can sing WELL. Let's also remember a wonderful orchestra and conductor, hopefully Paul G. The INTO THE WOOD UK orchestra was wonderful. I imagine Steve must be happy, which is also very nice.

r363=Christine Baranski

IIRC, Cybill Shepherd was wanted for Carlotta in the Encores! production but the role ultimately was played by her second banana.

Remember when Kim Cattrall was mentioned for Phyllis? Also Jean Smart.

Cybill can play Phyllis's wringing wet panties.

I seriously doubt that, at this point, r368.

R362, it won’t start shooting until next fall at the earliest. Dominic Cooke is directing Imelda Staunton in Hello, Dolly! in the West End which opens in August.

FOLLIES

I hope he uses some of the great old Broadway musical babes from an earlier era. Anita Gillette, Susan Watson ... who else is there? Nancy Dussault, Leland Palmer (Linda Posner), Donna McKechnie. Of course, they’re all in their 70s and 80s. Patti and Bernadette are both early 70s but play younger. Elaine Paige ... were there any other big female musical stars in the 1979s or 80s? Batty Betty, I guess. Linda Lavin looks great, and she wasn’t right for Hattie but might be a fun Solange.

Kim Catrall was a huge missed opportunity as Phyllis. She'd have been brilliant, but we got the equally brilliant Jan Maxwell out of the deal, so no big loss. Jean Smart would have been great, too.

Catherine Deneuve post-stroke will be fabulous as Solange!

Gangly Jan Maxwell was not right for Phyllis. Her physicality belied the character's status as a society matron.

[quote]Kim Catrall was a huge missed opportunity as Phyllis. She'd have been brilliant, but we got the equally brilliant Jan Maxwell

Cattrall was up for the 2001 Follies, not the one that Maxwell got.

And I thought Maxwell was actually kind of disappointing in the part.

Catrall was actually announced for the Kennedy Center production, wasn’t she? And then she backed out?

Yes, r377, and Smart was mentioned for the Roundabout.

Was Maria Friedman in the mix for Sally when Catrall was being pursued for Phyllis?

It makes sense, r379. She’s always been one of Sondheim's favorites and she’d worked with the director before. She’d have been a wonderful Sally.

I would have much preferred her to Staunton in the NT production, too.

It must have been very embarassing for Friedman to announce on TV - I think it may have even been as US morning show - that she was doing the Kennedy Center FOLLIES, only for Bernadette Peters to be announced for the production within days.

I’d still want Cattrall for Phyllis and an aged-up Jon Hamm for Ben.

For what? A TV movie? Catrall is not a movie star. Neither is Hamm, really.

Do they HAVE to be movie stars, R383? Did you say that about Jennifer Aniston when she started doing film work?

[Quote] Did you say that about Jennifer Aniston when she started doing film work?

They should have. We might be spared most of her ouevre.

Get Julia Louis Dreyfus for Hattie Walker. She would deliver the goods with Broadway Baby.

If they want to cast that role older, get Lily Tomlin.

She doesn't have a particularly interesting ouevre, r385.

[quote] She doesn't have a particularly interesting ouevre, [R385].

And I hear she never did.

Actually, JenAn and Angie would be the casting coup of the century. I know it would never happen in the age of authenticity in which we live (yeah, right), but I wouldn't object to casting non-singers if a Deborah Kerr - Marni Nixon quality of collaboration was the benchmark for this new movie.

Reading the Toni Colette thread - anyone thought about her? She could be a terrific Sally if she were a soprano: sadly she's not. She'd get the frau-pretending-to-be-above-that vibe perfectly.

Collette would be a brilliant Sally. She might have to use Imelda Staunton's keys, but at least she's the right age, type, and can sing (albeit not in the original key). She deserves a movie musical appearance.

Not Sally. That's awful.

Phyllis.

Shouldn't Phyllis be a bit more sexy? I always thought Sally was supposed to be the dowdy, cute one and Phyllis was the striking, more glamorous one.

She should be glamorous and patrician. Sally is a housewife and middle class.

Give Collette the right gown and hair style, and she has half the work done for her. She's a terrific actress and she could do the rest.

Amy Adams is 45 years old. Toni Collette is 47 years old. They are the right ages for the characters and the right ages to play opposite one another.

Good. This is decided. Moving on.

Collette isn’t right visually and vocally for both Sally and Phyllis.

How did this go from a question whether Maria Friedman was “in the mix” for the KC Follies, to her announcing it on TV just before Bernadette was announced for the role?

Anyone who can hold a tune is vocally right for Phyllis.

The question was whether she was to be Sally to Cattrall's Phyllis, not just to play Sally.

Any of the potential nominees could sing Phyllis. It's not tough. That's the role for the true star of the movie. Phyllis is designed to be a movie star role and they can easily walk away with the entire show. As other mentioned, she's an ice cold adulteress for the much of the first act, but after spending time with Ben, you begin to realize why she's the way she is and she comes across as the most likable of the main 4.

We'll have to make peace with lowered keys for Sally in the movie no matter who they pick. Amy Adams is a good choice for that, but I don't know if she could hit all those notes. She'd probably come the closest though, is the right type, and has done Sondheim before (and live at that).

They could have the Sally record parts (top notes) in a lower key and then pitch them up.

Actress Goldy Haughn would make a great Solange!

Amy Adams isn’t old enough for Sally. Nowhere near. Sally should be in her late 40s/early 50s.

Amy Adams is 45. She's a year older than Dorothy Collins was, IIRC.

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley isn't right for anything in this movie. Maybe 30 or 40 years ago.

Sally Struthers!

Catherine Zeta-Jones really will make the most perfect Carlotta.

^We keep telling you, CZJ just attended her 15-year high school reunion. She's not age-appropriate!

Ruta Lee will be your Carlotta.

Shirley Jones *is* Heidi.

Shirley Jones would actually be a great choice for aged Heidi.

Juliane Moore. Seriously!

There is NO "aged Heidi", r411. There is Young Heidi and....Heidi.

Sorry, R411. You don't know you're divas.

Shirley Jones was a replacement in 42nd Street on Broadway about 18 years ago and she could not adequately seeing the role of Dorothy Brock. She croaked and cracked her way through some fairly simple songs. No way she could come within a million miles of singing the role of Heidi Schiller

^She doesn't need to do eight shows a week, she just needs to act if for the camera and perform something in the studio that can be pieced together for the soundtrack.

I mean, Glenn Close is more likely to get it than Shirley Jones, but still, Shirley could do it.

[quote] I mean, Glenn Close is more likely to get it than Shirley Jones, but still, Shirley could do it.

The crazy shit you read on Data Lounge!

Just be thankful Patty Duke kindly died, otherwise her Troll would be all over this thread.

[quote]she just needs to act if for the camera and perform something in the studio that can be pieced together for the soundtrack.

And today's piecing equipment is much better than when Miss Ball croaked out Mame.

Jerry Herman: Lucy, hit this note. La. Ok, boys, did you get that? Now on to the next note. Fa.

Now that Judy Garland is topping the pop charts again, is there anything for a dead diva in Follies?

[QUOTE] Sorry, [R411]. You don't know you're divas.

Oh, DEAR.

R420 has no auto-correct on his devices.

Allison Janney.

Janney would actually be a terrific Phyllis with her tall stature, imposing presence, and way with a withering one liner. I saw her in 9 to 5 and she had a decent voice. Certainly good enough to handle Phyllis' material.

Except no hottie like Ben Stone would marry plain Jane Janney. The most we could hope for Alison Janney is Hattie, but can she rouse herself to do an uptempo?

Allison Janney, who is 60, is not the right "look" for Phyllis. If her voice were better, she could be Mary McCarty's role, but it's not.

Janney could probably sing "Who's That Woman." It's in a very low key.

[quote]Janney could probably sing "Who's That Woman." It's in a very low key.

That role is no longer allowed to be played by white woeman. I think the casting calls always say "bouncy black woman."

Not so, r427. The 2001 production had its bouncy black woman, Jane White, playing Solange in kind of a Josephine Baker take on the part, which worked really well.

Teri White, bouncy?

LOLOL @ R429

I would not try bouncing on her. Oh, no.

Whether they fit or not, Hollywood is going to want to cast its royalty.

M, CZJ, Oscar winners like Janney. Maybe Renee Z. A lack of imagination on their part, yes, but nothing new there.

I'm glad we were spared Elizabeth Taylor's Phyllis.

Lisa Whelchel is Heidi!

I can't see Streep playing one of the wall character turns, and that's the only thing she's right for in Follies. Even in her prime, she wasn't right for Phyllis or Sally.

For fuck's sake, they better not bring Cheno or Idina anywhere near this.

Why would they? It's not for the Hallmark/Lifetime.

Streep would be good as Emily Whitman.

Streep would be good as Emily Whitman.

But would Streep be good as Emily Whitman, one wonders?

Streep wouldn't even consider Emily Whitman. She wouldn't even consider Carlotta. It's Phyllis or nothing. And Sondheim has to write a new song because Streep can't dance.

293 + 294 = Neely, who else

[quote]The Lisa Whelchel troll, gone but not forgotten

I had totally forgotten you.

Hopefully this filmed production and director Dominic Cooke will hire the costumer, Vicki Mortimer and the choreographer, Bill Deamer and associate choreographer, Kylie Anne Cruikshanks from the UK National Theatre production. Their work was exceptional.

Bill Deamer

Thank you for that, r444! They shot that number so well and it did make it impressive that it looked like the older ladies could still keep in step. Chapin wrote in the book that Bennett wanted the same thing. Now if they sloughed off during the run, I don't know. I wish it was still on Youtube.

Speaking of Bennett, I've seen many versions of FOLLIES and they always make a mess of the opening/ prologue introduction of characters. The best and most coherent version is actually Michael Bennett's from the original 1971 version. Rehearsal footage below.

[Quote] The best and most coherent version is actually Michael Bennett's from the original 1971 version.

Funny, that.

The Loveland costumes were great in the National production, but the costumes for the "modern day" old broads were terrible, especially for Imelda and Janie Dee.

R421 Honey, don’t blame autocorrect (a non-hyphenated word, by the way) for your poor grammar.

Interesting that the "overture" part of that Follies prologue includes the cut "Can That Boy Foxtrot" (at Phyllis' entrance).

Has that ever been changed or is it still in there?

It also includes All Things Bright and Beautiful, r450......

Annie....

Ann was obviously at least 20 years too old for Carlotta, but she sure brought star power and had a really powerful voice for an old broad. I wouldn't be surprised if they cast a similarly aged, but more iconic actress for this part like Meryl, Glenn, or Barbra. I still think Catherine Zeta-Jones is about the most perfect casting you can get for this part. She's the right age and type and could sing it. You could see her going from "sloe eyed vamp" to "someone's mother" and then "camp."

Does Renee have a hope in hell of winning the Oscar? If she did, that might clinch the role of Sally for her. CZJ could then slide into Phyllis wardrobe. I wouldn't like them to give Carlotta to Queen Latifah, though.

let's hope the whole thing goes better than CATS

Latifah??!! They’re ex-showgirls not ex-dumptruck drivers.

I'm available!

[Quote] They’re ex-showgirls not ex-dumptruck drivers.

Mary McCarty was a littlle column A, a lot column B.

Mary McCarty....

[quote]It also includes All Things Bright and Beautifu

Yes, but that's become the "theme" from Follies. "Can That Boy Foxtrot" was in the show when that version of the prologue was set, so, like the other "introductory" songs that play in the overture/underscore, it reflected a major character (the fifth "lead," as it were). But then it was gone, and I wondered if it's ever been replaced in that music, or if it's still in there. Like with the "Merrily" overture, when "Rich and Happy" was cut in the late 1980s, it was dropped from the overture (to the overture's detriment, too).

That makes zero sense as that "5th character" enters to "Rain on the Roof" and it's Phyllis and Ben who enter to "Can That Boy Foxtrot."

That’s not the point, r461. The point is the song is not in the score anymore, and all the other songs in that introductory sequence are.

I wish they would cast big stars as the leads and Carlotta ( Pfeiffer as Phyllis, Emma Thompson as Sally, Cher as Carlotta). EVERYONE ELSE should be great theatrical stars because it is a piece about the theater and I wouldn't want the Cats disaster to happen again.

No Kidman! I'm sick of her she looks the same in everything. No Imelda Stanton, she's unconvincing as a former showgirl.

Really, r460? What about "That Old Piano Roll?" That's three songs no longer in the score. Give it up already.

This is all so unbelievably retardataire....NO ONE under the age of 60 cares about Broadway Babies and the heartbreak of showbiz. Get real, girls.

The director HAS to be Tom Hooper.

Sigh, r463. Sally wasn't a showgirl.

I'm imagining a Ken Russell FOLLIES.

R446, Dominic Cooke did a brilliant job of introducing the characters in the NT production.

Cher for Carlotta. She's the only one we've got left with a bit of glamour in her. It's her own brand of glamour, but that's the sorry state of our modern world.

I think Cher for Carlotta is a great idea.

Cher might able to make it work. She's a bit too old for the role, but she's had so much plastic surgery she could be 50 or 120.

Chris Pine coming onto Cher? No.

Using Cher would dictate an older Ben, so no Chris Pine for sure.

I got through Sonny Bono and I'm here!

[Quote] Using Cher would dictate an older Ben, so no Chris Pine for sure.

Whoever plays Carlotta shouldn't dictate the casting of the four leads.

Cher would have been a great pick if her face was a bit more.....um, unaltered.

Cher is fucking awful casting for Carlotta. Way too exotic. Carlotta is a conventionally American broad.

Yvonne was born in Canada, r477.

Too exotic?! Cher is too old for the role. (Does she still vocoder her vocals?)

LEAD ACTORS who can SING first, then stunt casting.

That's why Amy Adams and Chris Pine seem a no-brainer combination.

R478, you fail to grasp my point. Carlotta’s attitude, bearing, look, EVERYTHING is very American. It doesn’t matter if the performer was born in Canada or not. Cher looks exotic, always has and isn’t believable as a broad who had the experiences she did.

Despite our wishes, I don't think there is a chance in hell that this will actually get made. There isn't enough there to interest the general population. The book has no plot and the whole show relies on stagecraft and love of the theater. If they rewrite the book and open up the story, it will be Follies in name only. I can't see anything other than a very small audience interested in a musical about regret and the folly of holding on to unrealistic dreams.

You could have said that about the ridiculousness of doing it at the NT, too, r483. And yet it was a huge hit, and was brought back for a second run.

"I can't see anything other than a very small audience interested in a musical about regret and the folly of holding on to unrealistic dreams."

Wait till the day after the 2020 election, R483.

FOLLIES Jr

So - she just walked off stage and let the chorus boys do the dance break?

Fuck. Why couldn't I have done that?

yikes