Girls, If You Are Going To Do "Follies," THIS Is What It Should Look Like!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings,"Follies," that 1971 Sondheim masterwork, continues to be both the greatest and most problematic of musicals. Theater Queens of the Boomer generation were weaned on it, and the score is primarily the reason the show gets done, and actors want to do it. The book has always been secondary, but if you go with it, it is acceptable. Where "Follies" has been a problem is its staging. No one has been able, or seems willing to, duplicate the look and staging style of the Harold Prince-Michael Bennett-Boris Aronson original. And for us "Follies" fanatics, nothing less will suffice. It is a combination of ignorance and hubris--future "Follies" doers are ignorant of this fact, plus they want to put their OWN stamp on it, as if anything they could do would improve on what the three august gents mentioned earlier have done.

That said, let me say further--

Bitch slap that Ben Brantley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not too hard, darlings, because he might like it!!!!!! As one who has often questioned his critical acumen, I really have to call it into question with his recent review of "Follies" (with Bernadette Peters) in its new incarnation at the Kennedy Center in DC.

If you have read Brantley over the years, you know that he is about my age, and like me, is a "Follies" maven. I think he saw the Original in Boston. So he should know better when he delivers a review, the gist of which is he falls in love with the show all over again--but not till the second half, wherein the pivotal "Loveland" sequence takes place. Now, I am happy he thinks this sequence is done so well here; it was not in the Roundabout revival, which I saw. It had the look of BAD community theater. Shame on the Roundabout. However, no matter how brilliant a "Loveland" you have, in order for "Follies" to work, everything coming before it has to be perfection as well, or else it falls apart. And what would be the point of doing it???? This is the moment that "Follies" builds towards all evening, and if you have a poor foundation, no matter how impressive things look in "Loveland," "Follies" will not be a success.

But Brantley simply gushes like a tenny bopper!!!!!!! Get a grip, honey!!!!!!! How can he flip over a production that he loves only the second half of????? Which brings me to another thing that annoys "Follies" purists. As originally conceived and performed, the show was designed like "A Chorus Line"--to be performed without an Intermission. Which it SHOULD be. Somewhere along the way, someone got the idea (and I cannot believe that the original creators, let alone James Goldman's widow, Bobbie, who wreaks havoc with each new production or prospect thereof approved this) to break the show at the close of "Too Many Mornings," returning to that exact spot for what is now Act Two. For non purists, or those who have never seen it, this is no problem. But us REAL "Follies" folk know the difference--and we object!!!!!!

As the subject bar and pictures state, "Follies" has to LOOK a certain way to work!!!! Us purists accept NO imitations!!!!!!!!! Get with the program, Ben and start acting like a professional critic, instead of a jittery adolescent.

If there was a "Follies" fan club, his membership should be revoked.

May all your "Follies" be successful, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!