Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)

Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)

The scene: an abandoned theater, where a group of performers--alumni from the fictional musical revue The Weismann Follies--is holding a reunion shortly before the building is to be turned to rubble. The long-retired players relive their careers through Stephen Sondheim's brilliant pastiches of past songwriters, sometimes accompanied in song or dance by the ghosts of their previous selves. At the same time, four of the people (two married couples) are remembering their pasts and wondering whether they chose their spouses--and the course of their lives--correctly. The 1971 original cast of Follies included many former Broadway and Hollywood stars--Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson, Alexis Smith, Mary McCarty--and the pedigree and sheer size of the cast kept the show from profitability despite a decent run (and also keep it from being frequently revived).
This recording of Stephen Sondheim's legendary show has become something of a legend itself. The score included 22 songs, but because the cost of recording a two-LP set was considered prohibitive, a number of songs were omitted and others were abridged. As a result, this too-brief 58 minutes can't be considered the final statement on Follies (for more music, try the uneven but sometimes electric 1985 concert recording or the 1998 New Jersey revival), but listen to Yvonne DeCarlo sing the anthem "I'm Still Here" or Collins sing the heartbreaking "Losing My Mind" and you'll know that the original cast had a special magic that has yet to be surpassed. --David Horiuchi
Country USA
Brand Blue Note
Manufacturer Angel
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 1699561
Model 2017707
ReleaseDate 1992-11-21
UnitCount 1
Format Cast Recording
UPCs 077776466620
EANs 0077776466620

Country	USA
Brand	Blue Note
Manufacturer	Angel
Binding	Audio CD
ItemPartNumber	1699561
Model	2017707
ReleaseDate	1992-11-21
UnitCount	1
Format	Cast Recording
UPCs	077776466620
EANs	0077776466620

Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)

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