GREAT PERFORMANCES: "FOLLIES": FOUR DAYS IN NEW YORK {"FOLLIES" IN CONCERT} (TV)
Summary
One in this series on the performing arts. Narrated by Roy Scheider and introduced by Stephen Sondheim, this documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Follies." The performance was recorded at Lincoln Center in New York City on September 6 and 7, 1985, and features Paul Gemignani conducting the New York Philharmonic, with Lee Remick, George Hearn, Barbara Cook, and Mandy Patinkin as the four principal characters. Sondheim discusses the musical and its marginal success during its original Broadway run in 1971, and explains that because it has since become a "cult" favorite, he and producer Thomas Z. Shepard and director Herb Ross decided to stage a concert to record it. The program includes rehearsal footage (Patinkin, Erie Mills, and Licia Albanese, among others); candid shots of the cast; Scheider narrating brief profiles of the performers; interviews with Remick, Cook, Hearn, Elaine Stritch, Phyllis Newman, Liliane Montevecchi, Adolph Green and Betty Comden, Carol Burnett, Gemignani, Shepard, and Ross. In concert excerpts, the following songs are performed: "I'm Still Here" (Burnett); "Beautiful Girls" (AndrŽ Gregory, Arthur Rubin, and company); "In Buddy's Eyes" (Cook); "Who's That Woman?" (Newman and others); "Could I Leave You" (Remick); "Buddy's Blues" (Patinkin); "Losing My Mind" (Cook); "The Story of Lucie and Jessie" (Remick); "Live, Laugh, Love" (Hearn and others); portions of "Rain on the Roof" (Comden and Green), "Ah, Paris" (Montevecchi); "Broadway Baby" (Stritch); "Too Many Mornings" (Cook and Hearn); "One More Kiss" (Albanese and Mills); and "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" (Howard McGillin, Daisy Prince, and others). The program concludes with scenes of the cast celebrating backstage.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: March 14, 1986 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:29:58
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:25295
- GENRE: Music; Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Music, popular (songs, etc.); Musical revues, comedies, etc. - Excerpts; She Made It Collection (Carol Burnett); Women's Collection - Music
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1974-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Follies":
- Prince, Harold (See also: Prince, Hal) … Producer, Produced originally on Broadway by
- Stephen Sondheim … Composer, Lyricist, Music and lyrics by, Host
- James Goldman … Writer, Book and continuity by
- New York Philharmonic, The … Symphony Orchestra
- Albert K. Webster … Music (Misc. Credits), Managing Director
- Licia Albanese … Cast
- Carol Burnett … Cast
- Liz Callaway … Cast
- Betty Comden … Cast
- Barbara Cook … Cast
- Adolph Green … Cast
- Andre Gregory … Cast
- George Hearn … Cast
- Howard McGillin … Cast
- Erie Mills … Cast
- Liliane Montevecchi … Cast
- Phyllis Newman … Cast
- Mandy Patinkin … Cast
- Daisy Prince … Cast
- Lee Remick … Cast
- Arthur Rubin … Cast
- Elaine Stritch … Cast
- Jim Walton … Cast
- Karen Fraction … Dancer
- Jamie M. Pisano … Dancer
- Elvera Sciarra … Dancer
- Ronn Carroll … Choir/Chorus
- Susan Cella … Choir/Chorus
- Robert Henderson … Choir/Chorus
- Frank Kopyc … Choir/Chorus
- Marti Morris … Choir/Chorus
- Ted Sperling … Choir/Chorus
- Susan Terry … Choir/Chorus
- Sandra Wheeler … Choir/Chorus
- For the concert:
- Thomas Z. Shepard … Producer
- Herbert Ross … Director
- Paul Lazarus … Direction (Misc.), Associate Director
- Paul Gemignani … Conductor, Music Director
- Jonathan Tunick … Music (Misc. Credits), Orchestration by
- John Berkman … Music (Misc. Credits), Dance music by
- Danny Daniels … Choreographer
- For the documentary:
- Leslie Megahey … Executive Producer
- Ellen M. Krass … Producer
- Barbara Ragan … Associate Producer
- Michael Houldey … Director
- Roy Scheider … Narrator