Follies In Concert (1986)

Follies is one of Stephen Sondheim's best from personal opinion. Difficult both vocally and in terms of staging- Sondheim at his most large-scale probably- but the music is simply beautiful and the lyrics clever and witty. The story is very charming and relateable as well. Follies in Concert is a delight, abbreviated rather than complete which may disappoint fans. But because it is so well done and interesting it works just beautifully. Some of the performance scenes are too short and there could have been more too. However, the behind the scenes and rehearsal footage is of great interest, and the performers seem really natural and fully engaged when interviewed. Elaine Stritch's personality just comes to life, and George Hearn from what is heard from it is remarkably candid. The performance and documentary scenes are all well shot and edited, and the sound doesn't undermine the impact of the score too much. The orchestral playing is grand in every word, the rousing numbers have their punch and the more understated ones of haunting quality. The performances are just outstanding and in most cases probably definitive as well, Elaine Stritch and Barbara Cook(In Buddy's Eyes is guaranteed to leave anybody hearing or seeing it in awe) are particularly true to this, while Mandy Patinkin makes the role of Buddy his own and shines doing that and one of the greatest Sondheim interpreters George Hearn sings magnificently with great musicality and technique as well as with a communicative and authoritative presence. Carol Burnett and Phyllis Newman comes across really naturally also. All in all, delightful, very little to complain about apart from some of the performance segments being too short and too few. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"Follies" is Sondheim at the very peak of his songwriting prowess. It's a virtuoso turn with a series of pastiche songs relating to musical theater numbers in a variety of styles. His later works became less reliant on individual songs moving towards an operatic style, which he achieved so beautifully in both "Sweeney Todd" and "Passion". Song for song, you would be hard pressed to come up with a musical as impeccably written as "Follies". It's a great shame that there is no existing video, or even complete recording of the original Broadway production. It's one of those magical occurrences where it call comes together. There certainly have been bigger stars than Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins or Yvonne de Carlo and yet the performances of the 1971 production, almost inexplicably, remain distinctly definitive.From the start "Follies in Concert" was intended by all concerned to become the definitive "Follies", with an all star cast backed by no less than the New York Philharmonic. This was in fact the motivating factor for the event being staged at all. The concert was most certainly a terrific theatrical event. The stars did not disappoint and the orchestra sounded great. But despite this, it widely failed in its quest to become the definitive version. Once again, this is not easily explained. There simply wasn't the legendary magic with which the original production was blessed. You cannot make magic in the theater by employing the very best; it either happens or it doesn't. The documentary section of this film is of great interest. The musical theater stars such as Barbara Cook, Elaine Stritch, Phylis Newman as well as film stars Lee Remick and Carol Burnett all come across with a rarely seen naturalness. It's as if they are truly humbled by the material itself. The performance segments are too short for my liking. It's a treat watching these professionals at work, singing such glorious music.But when all is said and done, this is no match all for the much loved 1971 Original Broadway production.

Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical "Follies" was a long-running show which failed to win back its investment. It has been performed dozens of times all over the world, yet prior to this 1985 Lincoln Center Concert had never been completely recorded. While the concert does not fully tell the story of the original show, it did, for the first time, fully capture the glorious score on the recording. Broadway veterans Barbara Cook, Mandy Pantinkan, George Hearn, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Elaine Stritch were joined by film and TV stars Carol Burnett and Lee Remick (both of whom had stage experience as well) to give full life to the magic that is Sondheim. They first take us behind the scenes in a rehearsal hall where we are introduced to the performers (also including Lilianne Montevecchi, Erie Mills, among others), then to the actual place where it will come alive in front of a sold-out audience. There are bits of the performer's real personalities coming out (particularly Elaine Stritch's) as the rehearsal moves onto opening night of the concert. Shots of Herbert Ross (the director) are interspersed with the music. The sequences of the concert are abbreviated for time, but most of the numbers (particularly Phyllis Newman's production number "Who's That Woman?") are fairly intact. No one can stop a show like Stritch can (as proved by her recent one-woman show), and she gets the largest round of applause with her entrance. Her performance of "Broadway Baby" (abbreviated here a bit, but heard completely on the concert recording and her own one-woman show CD) is equivalent in power to her earlier Sondheim showstopper "The Ladies Who Lunch" (from "Company"); If you saw her one-woman show (which I did), you get a glimpse of the delightfully eccentric and witty woman she naturally is. When she tells a joke about 90 somethings getting a divorce or makes a crack at Phyllis Newman, it simply becomes the type of theater stuff that legends are made of. While there have been several recordings of "Follies" since this (the Paper Mill Playhouse recording includes songs cut before the 1971 production, plus some of this cast as well), this is one that will go down in legends. "Follies", as I have seen twice on stage, is a hard show to produce for several reasons. The 2001 Broadway Revival got mixed reviews for its lack of production design, but was filled with magnificent performances, while a recent Los Angeles All-Star cast could not do justice even with the many names among the cast. So with a movie version of the film not available (or likely to be done), this record of what the show is about is a more than average alternative.

This rare video has until now been selling for $100, used, if you can find a copy. Now we can own it for a song, and watch it anytime!See this! It is a wonderful evening, and you'll never forget the thunderous ovation the ladies receive in "Beautiful Girls."