I Should Not Be Here

I kept thinking, “I should not be here,” as the escalator ascended towards the Marquis Theater.  This was the show that no one ever thought would be revived and yet here I am.  40 years after its Broadway opening, featuring the most talented ensemble I’ve ever seen on one-stage, Follies was finally getting a production and its due as one of the greatest musicals ever written.

If you read this blog regularly, or follow me on Twitter, it’s obvious: I’ve been obsessed with this show.   From its summer tryout at the Kennedy Center to its Broadway opening, following Follies journey has been incredible to watch.  For me, it was particularly thrilling to watch firsthand as the show changed and evolved.  Even more exhilarating was to see the naysayers proven wrong and to say that yes, Follies could be successfully revived.

Sondheim fans, theater geeks and Follies groupies, oh yes they exist, had a plethora of reasons as to why this show could never work on Broadway again.  The plot was too complex, no revival could ever top the opulence of the original Broadway production, the cast/orchestra size required guaranteed that the show wouldn’t be profitable and the reasons go on and on.  Basically, in today’s cost conscious climate, the consensus was that no theater producer would take a chance on such a risky property.

And yet, last May the Kennedy Center opened a new production of Follies to warm reviews.  The revival had its flaws, but it didn’t matter.  In a theatrical world of prefabricated jukebox/movie inspired musicals, Follies was refreshingly different.  It featured genuine theater stars commanding the stage, a non-synthesized orchestra playing Sondheim’s most brilliant score and intelligently written characters who wrestle with the universal theme of the past.  Follies is what great musicals once were, and hopefully, can be again.

Even though several roles were miscast, the choreography was amateurish, and the first act progressed slowly, I was thrilled when Follies announced its Broadway transfer.  Now was the time for the show to prove itself and answer the questions being asked?  “Could the Follies creative team fix these problems,” and, “How the Broadway community would react to a show long defined by its past rather than by its future.”  Having last seen the show in mid-May at the Kennedy Center, I was anxiously awaiting to see what changes had been made.

Overall, the cast seemed more cohesive, the leads had further developed their roles, the new cast members were all brilliant additions and the choreography showed more thought.  Follies takes place at a reunion of showgirls and so it was terrific watching the actors purposely “forget” the choreography in several numbers.  This showed that great attention had been paid to the plot and that it would only be natural for the characters to forget some of their old moves.   It was just one detail of many that makes this production soar.

Even if you’re not a theater aficionado, go see Follies because this production is really something special.  It is the equivalent of seeing a great athlete in their prime or traveling to that hidden gem just before it becomes the next big thing.  The changes made during the Kennedy Center to Broadway transfer reflect a creative team that was honest with themselves about the challenges of staging Follies, while also refusing to be beholden to the past.  In her first solo, the character of Sally sings, “I’m SO glad I came,” and yes I thought, SO am I.

For more information on Follies please check out:

Follies 2011 Broadway Revival Website: http://folliesbroadway.com/

The Follies of My Ghost by MarqueePolitics

Everything Was Posssible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin.  Available on line at Amazon.com

The Phantom from My Past

44^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Avenue is one of the great theatrical streets.  Turning left off of Broadway you are instantly greeted by the theater marquees for the Majestic,  St. James, Helen Hayes, Shubert and Broadhurst theaters.  Each with a history so rich and vivid that it’s no wonder the Great White Way has such a lush folklore in American history.  I mean there’s the St. James where Anna first asked the King, “Shall we dance,” and the Majestic where Richard Burton held court as King Arthur in Camelot.  On Sunday September 25^th,  44^th Street took on an added aura with the energy and buzz of the 25^th Annual Broadway Flea Market and I was ready to soak it all in!

The Broadway Flea Market is a yearly event sponsored by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, a nonprofit which raises money for AIDS related support services in the theater community and throughout the United States.   Broadway shows, theatrical stores/service companies all host tables where they sale memorabilia.  Examples of such include: old playbills, show posters, props, autographs, books, clothing items and even baked goods made by Broadway stars.  Now there are two general rules when preparing for the Flea Market: come prepared with a wish list of items of and budget yourself.  Don’t spend the train money home on an old Starlight Express playbill.

This year two friends joined me and we began making our way through the crowds and the tables.   Aside from having a place to shop for theater memorabilia, I love the atmosphere surrounding the market.  It’s a thrill to connect with old friends, and make new ones, all while discussing topics like: can Chess be successfully revived on Broadway or will Ricky Martin actually cut it as Che in the upcoming revival or Evita.  It’s hard to meet passionate theatergoers, such as myself, and the Flea Market provides me with the opportunity to do just that.

One of my favorite places to shop is The Phantom of the Opera table.  Being Broadway’s longest running show; they always have great collectibles for sale and know exactly what their “Phans” are looking for.  This year was no exception having purchased two posters (pictured below) for a total of $11.  Online, both posters normally range anywhere from $25 to $100 and are quite hard to find.  However, much like the deformed maestro himself, the Phantom’s table still had another surprise in store for me.

I notice the women selling me the posters had a badge that read, “Backstage Employee,” and so I stupidly asked, “So, are you involved with the show.”  Immediately, I felt foolish and knew that I looked like an idiot.  The woman, appropriately reading my emotional response, replied and said yes.  She introduced herself as Marilyn Caskey, although to audiences she’s better known by her on-stage alter ego, Madame Giry in the long running musical.

In talking with Marilyn, I shared how Phantom was my first Broadway musical EVER, and how I have gone on to see it in Toronto and Pittsburgh.   I even lamented about having seen the show’s lackluster sequel Love Never Dies.  Even more astonishing was the fact that during our conversation, I discovered that Marilyn had been in the cast I saw 22 years ago.  It was an amazing moment to connect with someone who was a part of an experience that literally changed my life.

Prior to 2011, I had only been to the Flea Market once before in 2009.  I so enjoyed the atmosphere that once I completed graduate school, I swore I would return.  It’s not just the shopping, or even the fact that it benefits a great cause that makes this event so special.  For me, the Broadway Flea Market is another opportunity to remind myself about the importance of art in life.

By 2 p.m. though my thoughts were beginning to drift from ghosts of my theatrical past to the show I never thought would be revived on Broadway, Follies.  While the Flea Market was fantastic my day had only just begun.  In DC Follies was warmly received but everyone agreed something was missing.  Now was the moment of truth, could the producers make this revival click, or would it forever loom in the shadows of the past with the opulent 1971 original Broadway production.

 

Other items purchased:

Posters: Next to Normal, Mamma Mia, A Little Night Music and Follies

Playbills: 1776 (OBC), Les Miserables (OLC), Chess (OBC), Side by Side by Sondheim (OBC)

Books: 6th Annual Broadway Yearbook

Part III: I Should Not Be Here

The 8:05 Trenton Local

I hate getting up early.  If I didn’t work full-time, I doubt I would be up before 10 a.m.  Yet, when I’m excited about the day ahead, it’s a different story.  That was true on Sunday September 25^th, when even only after sleeping for 6 hours I awoke a 6:29 a.m.  On that Sunday I was one train ride away from New York City where I was about to attend the theater geek’s version of ComicCon, the Broadway Flea Market and to see a musical I never thought would be revived.  Anxious, excited, flustered, you choose the adjective.  I was just excited about the day that was to unfold .

Standing on the NJ Transit Hamilton Station platform at 7:50 a.m. made me realize how eccentric I really am.   What other 25 year old, Republican, kid from Pittsburgh, would be standing around mouthing the lyrics to “I’m Still Here” from Follies, while waiting for a train in central New Jersey?  Beat’s me, but who cares.  The 8:05 Trenton Local to New York pulled into the station and grabbing my window seat, it became real.  New York City was only 75 minutes away.

I’m often asked whether I consider myself a tourist when in New York City.  The answer is a resounding NO!  Aside from having lived in New York for one summer and visiting several times a year, I’m pretty familiar with the city I now consider my second home.  I can use the subway without referring to the guide map, don’t get scared by the street people in midtown and above all else: I hate the commercialization of Times Square.  If that doesn’t say New Yorker, I don’t know what does.

Ironically though, I rarely stay in New York overnight.  The sole reason is cost. Unless I’m visiting with friends, it’s just not affordable.  So when traveling solo, I usually stay with family in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and then catch the commuter train into New York City.  It’s the best of both worlds: Philadelphia cheese steaks and the Broadway theater.

The 8:05 pulled into New York ahead of schedule.  After exiting the train, I made my way through the maze that is Penn Station and onto the street, rapidly making my way uptown.  One thing I love about walking up 7^th Avenue towards Times Square is seeing the Broadway theaters’ marquees.  It makes me realize that yes, the American theater is alive and well.  And there’s no greater symbol of that currently then of the marquee for the Marquis Theater which says, Follies: Direct from the Kennedy Center.

But before I revisit an old classic, I turn down 44^th Street.  Usually a busy thoroughfare, but not today.  The sign ahead of me says it all, 25^th Annual Broadway Flea Market.  And with that, my day in New York Officially begun…….

Part 2:  The Phantom from My Past