Anyway.
I just wanted to talk about a few things that I liked about the show; now I realized that not everyone reading this is as into theatre as I am, so no worries I will provide you with a brief synopsis courtesy of the official site:
Past and present, dreams and reality collide for one triumphant, haunting and unforgettable night when former members of the "Weismann's Follies" reunite on the eve of their theater's demolition. Two couples remember their glorious past and face the harsher realities of the present as the shadows of their younger selves remind them of the complicated steps they've danced—both on the stage and throughout their lives.
Basically two couples meet in a dilapidated theatre, take a not so jolly trip down memory lane and the shit hits the fan.
The title alone should give you a clue that this is more than just a show about a theatre being torn down, it has a much deeper, more haunting meaning: the follies of human beings. The ambiance of the set was truly wonderful, when you first sit down in the theatre you really feel like you're sitting in a run-down, moldy, enigmatic theatre that is about to be torn down. I definitely give a huge round of applause to the amazing creative team, because they truly did a wonderful job in creating that world. The staging was just a dream, there was always a glamourous "Weismann girl" in the shadows to remind the audience of the greatness this particular theatre once held. I think it was some of the best staging I've seen in a long time.
Another thing that was very enjoyable for me was the way that the show flowed, because the premise of the story is entirely based on the different characters' memories, it was very fragmented. For me, that was the beautiful thing about it because our minds, especially when it comes to memories, are not consistent all the time; there are times when we remember things and they are not in chronological order, for most people they're fragmented and in bits and pieces, leaving us to put them together like a puzzle. The music was woven seamlessly into the show, Sondheim's genius really shines in this because the music is just as fragmented; each song is a display of the raw emotion the character is feeling, there is no other way for them to get that feeling across except through song. It truly was wonderful.
As you've probably already seen from the links posted, Bernadette Peters is starring as Sally Durant Plummer. If you don't know who Bernadette Peters is, I suggest you click here and here....quickly read before I come find you. This is the second time I've seen her live, and to be honest I wasn't impressed the first time because I preferred her predecessor in A Little Night Music. Not hatin' I just didn't think she was right for the part. I was very, very pleased with her performance as Sally. She breathed a sense of fragility and longing into Sally, portraying her as a woman who is on the end of her rope, a woman that longs for a second chance so she can have the life she dreamed of. Sally is a character that really, really, REALLY got on my nerves...but I also pitied her immensely, even if she had a few bats in her belfry. Bernadette Peters is a legend for a reason, someone didn't just say "Oh lets slap the Legend sticker on her!" No, she earned it through her pipes and talent as an actress; this show also showcased that she can still dance too. I consider myself very lucky, and am very humbled by the fact that this is the second time I've seen her live; I'm also very happy that I got to share it with someone who had never seen her before.
Jan Maxwell....oh let me count the ways. I had never seen her live before, and knew very little about her except that she was awesome. People don't get nominated four times for a Tony just by being mediocre unless you're sleeping with or blackmailing someone in the Wing. Jan Maxwell's performance was absolutely phenomenal. She was such a commanding presence, the character of Phyllis Rogers Stone just came so naturally to her. Did I mention that she was HIT BY A CAR like a few weeks earlier? You wouldn't have known it by the way she was performing, she simply blew me away. Do yourself a favor and see what I mean.
This musical really reminded me why I'm such a fan of Sondheim, why I have no trouble going to see a Sondheim musical that I know nothing about, because usually it's a musical that speaks to human nature. Sondheim's lyrics and music are a roadmap of the human mind and spirit, each lyric is something that everyone has felt or known someone to feel. This musical wasn't any different, on the way home my friend even said "I've had one of those moments." I too have sometimes felt the way Phyllis has felt, or even (God help me) the way Sally felt; if I didn't truly know what it was to feel that way, I definitely know someone who has.
That's the beauty of the theatre, it shows other human beings what it means to be a human being.
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