Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Track Listings
| 1. Prologue: Beautiful Girls |
| 2. Don't Look At Me |
| 3. Waiting For The Girls Upstairs |
| 4. Ah! Paris/Broadway Baby |
| 5. The Road You Didn't Take |
| 6. In Buddy's Eyes |
| 7. Who's That Woman? |
| 8. I'm Still Here |
| 9. Too Many Mornings |
| 10. The Right Girl |
| 11. One More Kiss |
| 12. Could I Leave You? |
| 13. You're Gonna Love Tomorow/Love Will See Us Through |
| 14. The God Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues |
| 15. Losong My Mind |
| 16. The Story Of Lucy & Jessie |
| 17. Live, Laugh & Love/Finale |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
The scene: an abandoned theater, where a group of performers--alumni from the fictional musical revue The Weismann Follies--is holding a reunion shortly before the building is to be turned to rubble. The long-retired players relive their careers through Stephen Sondheim's brilliant pastiches of past songwriters, sometimes accompanied in song or dance by the ghosts of their previous selves. At the same time, four of the people (two married couples) are remembering their pasts and wondering whether they chose their spouses--and the course of their lives--correctly. The 1971 original cast of Follies included many former Broadway and Hollywood stars--Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson, Alexis Smith, Mary McCarty--and the pedigree and sheer size of the cast kept the show from profitability despite a decent run (and also keep it from being frequently revived).
This recording of Stephen Sondheim's legendary show has become something of a legend itself. The score included 22 songs, but because the cost of recording a two-LP set was considered prohibitive, a number of songs were omitted and others were abridged. As a result, this too-brief 58 minutes can't be considered the final statement on Follies (for more music, try the uneven but sometimes electric 1985 concert recording or the 1998 New Jersey revival), but listen to Yvonne DeCarlo sing the anthem "I'm Still Here" or Collins sing the heartbreaking "Losing My Mind" and you'll know that the original cast had a special magic that has yet to be surpassed. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By One singular sensation...
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
The show was superb, from the moment you entered the theatre and found yourself in a near-wreck inhabited by ghosts, to Ben's breakdown. The songs, all of them, were sensational. The cast,well,loved them all but who would have thought that Alexis Smith could have been such a red-spangled dream? Then Capitol Records got hold of it, and down it went for the count. They should have been sued. I'm told that they had all the recorded numbers at one time - too bad they don't iussue a CD package with all that discarded material. But a few years ago, a double CD did come out with all of the music from Broadway, London, and a few other productions. That's the one to buy. Everyone is good - no one's great - though some come close - all the songs are there, in their entirety, and for North American's who have never heard "Ah, But Underneath", there is at least one top-drawer Sondheim song in store for them. And Ann Miller does do "I'm Still Here" in the most believable version ever, because Annie was essentially at the end of a phenomenal career - but there's also the joy of her "Can That Boy Fox-Trot", a sly and sneaky little number that "I'm Still Here" replaced....why couldn't Carlotta have sung both of them? All in all, this is where to wisely invest your money and time if you can only have one version.
By David
Format:Audio CD
but what we have is great. This is one of those few albums where I dont have to skip past songs. The numbers are well performed. Really, this highlight version is great if you dont want to sit through the concert version. The high points of this CD are "Your'e Gonna Love Tomorrow" "Ah, Paris" and "Broadway Baby" and "Who's that Woman". The lyrics have slang words such as "Chucklehead"or "Scanties" that fit the characters perfectly.
The only thing I like better on the concert version is Carol Burnetts rendition of "I'm Still Here". Still, all in all this a very good investment of your time and money.
The only thing I like better on the concert version is Carol Burnetts rendition of "I'm Still Here". Still, all in all this a very good investment of your time and money.
By Matt Grey
Format:Audio CD
Follies was defintely a labor of love for Sondheim. After reading the book, "Everything Was Possible," you realize what a burden it was to get this show to take off. The album isn't complete, and they cut parts of songs and actually cut whole numbers on this CD, but the cast is wonderful. Dorothy Collins is my favorite member of the cast. She has such a warm voice that is just bursting with emotion. She also has a GREAT range. She can belt and also hit Gs! It's like a revalation to hear her sing this role! Buddy isn't very strong vocally, but he is a great actor and is a convincing Buddy. John McMartin is my 2rd favorite Ben, but he is still good. Ben is supposed to have some class, and McMartin doesn't do that for me. George Hearn is my favorite, but McMartin doesa good job. Alexis Smith is great! Her singing isn't amazing, but she just sings her song with great conviction. I still think Dorothy Collins should have gottent he Tony.
The score is superb and is my 2nd favorite Sondheim score. The supporting cast is great, and its fun to see a few people in small one song roles who eventually became stars on Broadway, i.e Kurt Peterson and Victoria Mallory. If you want the best cast, don't buy this recording, get the concert cast recording, but if you want the ebst emotional expression and originality of the performances, get this recording. Also, get it for Dorothy Collins.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 41 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Follies" for the ages
FOLLIES is one of the grandest of Broadway musicals. The original production was a financial and critical disappointment, though quickly the musical gained a cult following thanks... Read more
Published on Nov 19 2003 by Byron Kolln
5.0 out of 5 stars
Astonishing
FOLLIES, more than any other Sondheim cast album, presents the fascinating question why Sondheim's original casts always seem the perfect embodiment of their characters--far more... Read more
Published on April 24 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Original Stands.... 'It's Still Here'
The fact that Stephen Sondheim's brilliant ode to several composers, still stands as a long-term reminder of good musical theater composing .... Read more
Published on Jan 30 2003 by William H.
4.0 out of 5 stars
What is good here is very good, but a lot is tedious.
Except for its version of "One More Kiss", I've known this recording for decades. The liner notes for this CD edition are new, however, and there is a passage within them... Read more
Published on Dec 20 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars
incestuous
This is the Sondheim musical that appeals especially to theatre people. Why? Because it is ABOUT theatre people. Read more
Published on Dec 11 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars
A show that should be more popular
A couple of years ago, the community theater I work at dug "Follies" out of the script library and we had a go at it. Read more
Published on Oct 14 2002 by Andrew Blackburn
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love it
I love this CD. I didn't fully appreciate it until I saw the month-long revival in London at the Royal National Theatre--which was quite nice. Read more
Published on Sep 20 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow. This is Sondheim.
Having been a huge fan of "Sweeney Todd" and "Into the Woods" along with other Sondheim shows, I, for some reason, never bought this CD until recently. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2002 by J. F. Patterson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too raw
Follies is one of my favourite musicals of Sondheim.I truly admire his work both as a lyricist and a composer,but the real
charm of Sondheim is for me the combination of both. Read more
charm of Sondheim is for me the combination of both. Read more
Published on Feb 25 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Show!
After seeing this show at a community theatre, and working backstage for the same show, I fell in love with this musical. Read more
Published on Dec 18 2001
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
