The original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim?s ?Follies? closed a financial failure after 522 performances. Even with direction by Harold Prince and choreography by Michael Bennet ? Broadway legends of unequalled caliber ? the original production could not overcome many of the problems the show presents. The show requires a very large, talented cast that can both navigate Sondheim?s difficult music and find emotional depth in his cerebral story.
The Four Seasons Theater Company presented ?Follies? at the Wisconsin Union Theater in a staged concert production that exhibited great potential to overcome those very obstacles. Excellent performances by Tony nominee Tom Wopat, playing Ben Stone, and others augmented smart design choices to create a solid foundation for a ?Follies? production that could have been great but for a few technical problems that kept the show from being truly remarkable.
?Follies? examines the intertwined relationships of two middle-aged couples, Ben and Phyllis Stone and Sally and Buddy Durant, which are quickly unraveling. The show takes place in a dilapidated Broadway theater that is slated for demolition. The women used to perform there as ?Weisman Girls,? based off the Ziegfeld Girls of the 1920s and ?30s, and have now been brought back together for a final reunion before the theater is taken down forever. ?Follies? oozes melancholy as we learn that Sally has always loved Ben, Phyllis no longer loves Ben, Buddy is having an affair and Ben is emotionally crippled by his own ego. The couples, accompanied by visions of their younger selves, are forced to confront the complicated natures of their relationships and make decisions about their futures and how they remember their pasts.
?Follies? is considered a concept musical. The show substitutes a central theme for a traditional coherent plot. The story plays out as a series of vignettes where the characters recreate their old ?Weisman Girls? routines ? written by Sondheim as an homage to great composers George Gershwin and Cole Porter ? and express their innermost fears and desires through song. The show explores their relationships at various points in time, presenting us with young versions of all the characters whose outlooks on life vary greatly from their aged and jaded counterparts.
The Four Seasons concert version accurately captured this disparate feel. A staged concert version of any show can be very limiting to the actors. Without a set and props, with tuxes and evening gowns replacing many of the costumes, and dialogue that is either truncated or entirely cut, it can be difficult for any group of actors to accurately convey the story. Despite such possible obstacles, the experience and skill of the actors and intelligent choices by the design crew and director negotiated those potential problems to good effect.
The lighting design, by University of Wisconsin senior Alan Piotrowicz, effectively compensated for the lack of set and helped guide the audience through the various changes of time and space that happened throughout the show. Shadow and light replaced walls and drops, and it often created the temporal separation between the young and old protagonists that may have been missed otherwise.
Though concert stagings are often very minimal, the economical use of movement and dance by the Four Seasons production was just enough to keep the show entertaining. Director and choreographer Katrina Williams Brunner employed the use of ballroom dancers onstage to add flair at intermittent points throughout the show. Also notable was the dance number ?Who?s that Woman,? which involved all the old ?Weisman Girls? along with the visages of their former selves, as it featured a rousing tap number that elicited a strong response from the audience.
Tom Wopat ? Wisconsin native, Broadway star and famed for his role as Luke Duke on the hit TV series ?The Dukes of Hazzard? ? turned in a stellar performance as the successful businessman, egomaniac and philanderer Ben Stone. Though rumors had spread that Wopat was unprepared for his role, there was little evidence as his presence and warm, rich voice filled the house with a charm and command that was titillating to watch and hear.
Wopat?s charisma was supplemented by solid performances from his co-stars and the ensemble. L. Joe Dahl sang the role of Buddy Plummer amiably, finding both the comedic moments and the more complex uncertainties his character encounters. Christina Harrop as Young Heidi surprised and delighted the audience with her beautiful and clear tone, easily presenting herself as one of the best pure singers onstage. UW senior and acting specialist Rebecca Chicoine highlighted the versatile abilities of the ensemble with a humorous ? though brief ? performance as Marjorie, Buddy?s mistress.
What kept this show from being great, however, was a constant imbalance between the singers and the orchestra. It was often difficult to hear the singers onstage as they had to contend with a 27-piece orchestra. This is not an uncommon task for classically trained singers, but without proper amplification and sound design, singers with less technique or smaller voices can easily be drowned out in this situation. Some of the actors were mic?ed but these cut in and out and hardly reached consistent levels of output. Tamara Norden Brognano gave a very lovely and moving performance as Sally Durant Plummer that was often overpowered when the orchestra played above mezzo.
This loss of musical nuance at times hindered the actors? ability to portray the depth of Sondheim?s characters. Though this was not necessarily their fault, it frustrated the audience and kept the show from reaching its obvious potential. After all, it is the music that should be featured in a concert performance, and when this is marred in any way, the show is bound to suffer. Still, on the strength of the entire cast?s performance, ?Follies? was enjoyable, if somewhat flawed.
