6/11/2011 Follies at Kennedy Center

Last weekend we journeyed to Washington to see the latest incarnation of Follies by Stephen Sondheim. This is my favorite musical and I have seen the past three major productions: Encores, Broadway Revival, and Papermill production. By far, up to this point I really liked the Encores production, the others I had problems with the casting. The Kennedy Center production was the most satisfying overall. From the set and lighting designs, to the exquisite costumes, to the wonderful casting, this production worked on all levels for me. Bernadette is a revelation, as she usually is. Jan Maxwell was a marvelous Phyllis. Ron Raines sang Ben beautifully, but I felt that because of his stature, his was a little miscast. Danny Burstein blew me away as Buddy! He sang and danced the role amazingly well. What a couple of years he has had, first as Billis in South Pacific and then his role in Women on the Verge. I had a chance to greet him after the show and congratulate him on his performance. He was very gracious. The other cast members were also memorable including Linda Lavin, Terry White, Elaine Elias, and Elaine Paige. Our friend David got Elaine's biography signed for us, and gave us a copy of Everything Was Possible (the book about the making of the original show in 1971) that was signed by Ted Chapin.  My only complaints were Regine's performance was pretty weak, and the ghosts of showgirls that were constantly present, got in the way of the action in a couple of scenes. Eric Schaeffer did an impressive job in directing Follies and we can only hope that producers will bring this $7 million dollar production to Broadway.

On this same trip we also saw the Cuban National Ballet perform Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center. I enjoyed the performance, but did not get to see their prima ballerina since she danced the show the night before. We journeyed to the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. to see the latest incarnation of Side by Side by Sondheim. It was a disappointment to me, except for the performance of  Nancy Anderson. We recently saw her in both productions of Yank (at Gallery Players in Brooklyn and York Theatre in Manhattan.) The other production was at the Studio Theatre. The play was Venus in Fur by David Ives. When this play was done in New York, Nina Arianda did the lead role and went on to do Born Yesterday and gain a Tony nomination. The cast at Studio was excellent and I enjoyed the give and take of the play very much.

We did see one major art exhibit also. It was the Gaughin exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Most of the art works were from his time spent in Polynesia. I was impressed that not only was he a great artist, but a sculptor doing work in wood and ceramic. I am glad we saw the exhibit.

The other interesting event that happened while we were in Washington involves our friend David Tannous. Bill had met David about a year ago when he attended Giant at Signature Theatre for the second time. David was sitting next to Bill and they started talking. David is like us, he is an avid theatre goer. But he knows not only theatre, but art and all other aspects of the performing arts. He has become our liaison to the theatre scene in Washington. A local group decided to sponsor once a year an award to go to a deserving audience member in the D.C. area. David was nominated by two different theatre groups and won. We are very pleased for him, and since we do travel to Washington on somewhat of a regular basis, are glad to have made friends with him. He keeps us well informed about the Washington scene. Congratulations, David.