Customer Reviews

Follies - The Complete Recording (1998 New Jersey Cast)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The biggest plus to this recording is that it really is a complete recording - which is so rare these days in recordings of musicals - there is perhaps 30 measures total which are cut from this recording (having followed along with the vocal score)- but they are not for space sake, only because the director felt they were unnecessary. This is also VERY useful for any directors of the show who wish to have full recordings to choreograph to.

I also found most of the renditions (especially of the solos) in this recording to be much more soulful and emotional than those on the original cast recording. One has only to listen to "Would I Leave You?" and "Too Many Mornings" to understand what I'm talking about.

The added material is a great assett as well, to anybody who is interested in the development of the show. Among others are included all three songs written for Phyllis to be sung during the loveland sequence "The Story of Jessie and Lucy" "Ah, but Underneath" and "Uptown/Downtown".

Some purists believe that the original cast recording is the only recording that needs to be in your collection - but trust me - cutting the instrumental breaks from these pieces is murder to the songs that Sondheim wrote. I HIGHLY recommend you buy this recording - it is well worth it.

It is such a pleasure to finally hear a more complete version of Follies. The instrumental dance sequences are extremely enjoyable, as are the cut songs (for the most part).

Donna McKechnie is actually quite good. True, I don't think she's as good as Dorothy Collins (from the Original Broadway Cast) or Barbara Cook (from the 1985 Concert Cast), but she is still quite good--especially on "Losing My Mind". On the other hand, the male leads leave a little to be desired; the opening notes of "Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs" is painfully out of tune. Roberts is pretty bad on "The Right Girl", and merely mediocre on "Buddy's Blues". Guittard is actually quite good in "The Road You Didn't Take" (which is refreshing, since it is one of the best songs in the musical), but he sounds unpleasantly nasally on held notes, particularly on "Live, Laugh, Love." However, all this is made up for by Dee Hoty, who is a sublime Phyllis. Her version of "Could I Leave You?" is simply delightful, and I cannot imagine anyone performing "Ah, But Underneath" with as much personality. She simply embodies that character. This is further made clear in the cut songs such as "Uptown and Downtown" and "Lucy and Jessie". Ann Miller is OK on her songs--not as good as some reviewers claim, but she is still good. Her version definitely pales when compared with DeCarlo from the Original Broadway Cast, or even Burnett from the Concert Cast. Phyllis Newman is awesome in "Who's That Woman?", and is easily the best of any of the performers of this song. She is helped by an extremely enjoyable dance interlude that had previously been cut from recordings.

The cut songs are mostly very good--except for "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "That Old Piano Roll," and "Bring on the Girls". "All Things" is a little nauseating--too much lame expressions of love a la "Too Many Mornings" can be tiring. And the other two are just not as strong as the rest of Sondheim's excellent songs in this show. A particular surprise to me was "Who Could Be Blue?/Little White House", which was very impressive, as were all of Hoty's songs (particularly "Ah But Underneath") and of course "Can That Boy Foxtrot."

The Original Cast is still superior, but don't shy away from this one just because it doesn't say 'Broadway' on it, or because it doesn't have any of the stars of the Concert Cast. Any recording of what I consider to be Sondheim's greatest musical is worth buying. And this one isn't half bad. It is a testament to the ingenuity and amazing talent of Stephen Sondheim that this two disc recording was made, even from an off-Broadway revival of a show that was a financial flop when it was first created. Follies is a musical theatre masterpiece, and one that should not be missed.

Every day I grow to love FOLLIES more and more, and this recording indeed helped my love for this wonderful show grow. The performances are fabulous. Kaye Ballard's singing voice has certainly improved with age, and her rendition of "Broadway Baby" is proof of that. Ann Miller-WOW-the fact that she really has "been there, done that" certainly adds a lot to her performance of this great song. Great "God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" from Tony Robert's Buddy. Laurence Guittard is back in another complex male Sondheim role (though un-doubtably more like-able than the pompous dragoon in Carl-Magnus). "Losing My Mind" is one of the best renditions ever, not getting pretentious as Julia MacKenzie tended to do in the London cast (though I admit it was freer than her rendition in SIDE BY SIDE). And though I love the appendix, my one reserve with the album lies there . . . where are the LONDON SONGS? I love "Make the Most of Your Music", I've never heard "Social Dancing", and "Country House" is one of my number one favorite Sondheim songs (right after "Every Day a Little Death"). Though all of that is hardly enough to detract from the granduer of this mother-of-all-FOLLIES-recordings. Ending with my catch phrase "SONDHEIM ROCKS!"

The cult musical of all cult musicals, FOLLIES has had several cast recordings and all of them (except perhaps the London recording from the 80s) have their champions. This is one of my very favorites, in that it is the most complete: it not only has all the songs used for the 1998 Paper Mill production but every song that Sondheim used in other productions, including "The Story of Lucy and Jesse" and the songs he originally wrote for the show but later replaced during its evolution. The orchestra here is terrific, and this has by far my two favorite cast members ever in the parts of the elder Stones. Laurence Guittard is genuinely moving in "Live, Love, Laugh" without stooping for pathos, while Dee Hoty to my mind owns the part of Phyllis more than even Alexis Smith and Lee Remick did (she's a stunner during her striptease number, "Ah! But Underneath," the wordplay of which shows Sondheim both at his most florid and his catchiest). Ann Miller takes some getting used to as Carlotta, as does Tony Roberts as the elder Buddy; Donna MacKechnie is a surprisingly effective Sally, and is in beautiful voice.

Maybe not the best production of Follies, nothing will ever beat the original and not as good as the 2011 revival. But still a competent production, beautifully done, though staged on a somewhat small scale, with the magnificent music performed wonderfully.
What's great about this CD is the completeness of it. Everything is on it, plus a lot of extra Sondheim associated with Follies at one time or other.
Nice cast and Ann Millers last recording is terrific.

Yet can't compare to the new Bernadette Peters/Jan Maxwell/Ron Raines/Danny Burstein revival release, which is an absolute masterpeice recording of the score, the way the original should have been.

I have to admit I am biased against this recording as it is the main reason that the 2001 Broadway revival of "Follies" was not given a cast recording. However, I have to say this is an excellent cast recording with brilliant production values and orchestrations.
The cast are all brilliant vocally, if a little lacking in enthusiasm when compared to previous cast recordings.
Laurence Guittard and Donna McKechnie define the roles of Ben and Sally. Together they give a magnificent, soaring rendition of "Too Many Mornings" while McKechnie shines in the torch ballad "Losing My Mind".
Dee Hoty is unfortunately quite forgettable in the role of Phyllis. "Could I Leave You" lacks passion, power and becomes rough and angry rather than cynical and witty. Her performance is solid and appropriate but it just cannot stack up to past renditions of this brilliant part.
Unfortunately the same must be said of Kaye Ballard as Hattie Walker, Liliane Montevecchi as Solange La Fitte and Tony Roberts as Buddy, each of whom throw away excellent songs with studied but mediocre renditions. That said, "Buddy's Blues" is excellent - with the exception of Stella Jordan's Margie, who is a little overdone.
Ann Miller is an excellent choice for faded filmstar Carlotte Campione - on paper. Her rendition of "I'm Still Here" is excellent - but hardly definitive. However, she gives a fantastic rendition of the bonus track "Can That Boy Fox-Trot", which was cut from the show in 1971.
That must be credited as the best feature of this recording, the presence of songs cut from the show over the years, especially "Pleasant Little Kingdom", "Uptown/Downtown" and the brilliant dance number "The Story of Lucy and Jessie".
Overall this is a really great cast recording - a must for any fans of "Follies" thanks to the fact that it does at last furnish the COMPLETE score with all songs that have been added and cut over the years.
The cast is excellent and deliver performances that never let their characters down. However, they do not stack up to performances given on previously released cast recordings.

This is the best recording of Follies out there. It isnt totally complete. There are a few songs from the London version I wish they would've added and at least one song that didnt make it into the original, but this is probably as good as its going to get. I never got to see the original (if only) I was still a youngster then, but I loved the original recording (botch that it is/was) I loved the show and love it even more now that I'm closer in age to the characters. I still think this is Sondheim's best score and its one of my favorite musicals ever. I'd still recommend getting the original because some of the performers here arent quite as good (Kay Ballard is no Ethel Shutta and Dorothy Collins version of Losing My Mind is still the best). But there's little to not love on this. Dee Hoty is a great Phyllis and Tony Roberts and Laurence Guittard are very good also as Buddy and Ben. And who wouldnt love the great Ann Miller singing I'm Still Here? Most of the 2nd Cd is devoted to songs that were cut from the show and they are as good or better than the originals. A must for Follies fans and lovers of great musicals. I only wish I could've been there for the original!

I admit it -- I am a "Follies" freak. Ever since I heard the New York concert recording back in 1986, I fell in love with this show. And now, at last, here is a recording that does full justice to this haunting, riveting score. No cuts, no substitutions, just the entire score (and then some) recorded for the first time ever. Even the admittedly trivial "Bolero d'Amour" is included. And the cast leaves little to be desired. Lawrence Guittard may not be as vocally free as he was in his "Little Night Music" and "Oklahoma" days, but he is a strong, intellectual Ben. Tony Roberts is a more angry, tortured Buddy than most, but it works. Dee Hoty offers us the best-sung Phyllis available, as well as a sympathetic characterization, and Donna McKechnie sounds as fresh and lovely as she did over twenty years ago in "A Chorus Line." As for the rest of the cast, there are truly no weak links. Ann Miller is a joy in "I'm Still Here;" rather than a hardened survivor, she sounds like she's enjoyed every minute of her journey. Liliane Montevecchi and Phyllis Newman both improve on their performances from the 1986 recording, and Kaye Ballard knows how to do "Broadway Baby" justice. As a bonus, we are also given an appendix of numbers, most with full orchestrations: "Can that Boy Foxtrot," "Uptown, Downtown," "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "Pleasant Little Kingdom," and more. If you love "Follies" this recording will rekindle that romance. If you don't know the show, buy this recording and prepare to be blown away.

This is the definitive two-disc recording of Follies. It not only includes every song in the Original Broadway Production score but also several songs cut and/or replaced during the original production. Don't let the fact that it didn't come from a Broadway Company/Revival deter you. For fans of Stephen Sondheim and Follies, this is what you want.

For Sondheim fans, it includes all three versions of Phyllis's Follies number (Uptown/Downtown, The Ballad of Lucy and Jessie, and Ah, But Underneath). Ah, But Underneath is the only song from the London Production of Follies, though. Also recorded is Can That Boy Fox Trot which was replaced by I'm Still Here. There are also several more obscure songs that I have only seen mentioned in Sondheim's "Finishing the Hat" (and that includes several detailed histories of Sondheim and/or Follies). All in all, if you have any great interest in the full score, this is the CD set you want.

This particular recording of Sondheim's Follies is amazing. First of all, the utter completeness of it. "That Old Piano Roll", and "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" are both cut songs from the original, but this recording includes them, among others, which is great to hear. Even a cut song, when written by Sondheim is genius.
Then there is the cast. Kaye Ballard and Donna McKechnie are no strangers to Sondheim's work, the latter appearing as the dancing girlfriend in Company. Kaye Ballard's Broadway Baby is wonderful to hear as well. Of course there is also Michael Gruber (who some will recognize as Munkustrap from CATS) who plays Young Ben. And who could forget the gorgeous hoofer of MGM musicals, Ann Miller. She tap danced her way into the hearts of audiences in MGM films, including Kiss Me Kate. She reminds us that she's "Still Here". I definately recommend this particular version to all Sondheim fans!