2011-11-11 Follies in Chicago

Bill and I traveled to Chicago last weekend to see the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's production of Follies. It starred Brent Barrett as Ben, Caroline O'Connor as Phyllis, Robert Petkoff as Buddy, and Susan Moniz as Sally. The theatre is basically a three quarter round theatre. The orchestra was placed on the stage and became an integral part of the musical, much unlike other productions of Follies (not counting the concert versions of course.) The director Gary Griffin used all areas of the theatre including aisle leading away from the stage. I felt his staging was really excellent. He has directed on Broadway (the Color Purple and the Apple Tree) and is the resident director in Chicago.

We have seen Brent Barrett a few times. He has done Phantom on Broadway and in Vegas, Kiss Me Kate on Broadway and London, Chicago the Musical, and Annie Get Your Gun with Reba McIntyre. Years ago we saw Caroline O'connor in Mack and Mabel. She is from Australia and our friend Peter Eyres is a friend of hers. Robert Petkoff played Tateh in the revival of Ragtime on Broadway. And Susan Moniz is a Chicago actress who was very impressive as Sally. All of the performances were top notch. Caroline's version of Lucy and Jesse was danced the best I have ever seen it.

One of my main objections with the current Broadway revival is in the staging. The cast comes to the middle of the stage, sing their song, and then go off into the wings. This is supposed to be a party and in the Chicago production, they are directed to pretty much be a part of the action at most times. Gary Griffin uses waiters and some props to play up this fact, and it works extremely well. I do miss the glamour of the Broadway version in the costuming, however. And there are not as many ghosts of the Follies girls wandering around. All in all it was a very satisfying evening.

Bill and I waited after the show in the lobby and we were able to meet up with Caroline and Brent and chat with them briefly. I purchased a CD of Caroline's that she recorded in Australia. She had done the premier of the play "End of the Rainbow," a play that went to London and is due in New York next year. The album is based on the Judy Garland songs used in the show. She was kind enough to autograph the CD for me.

We spent three days total in Chicago. A highlight was touring the Art Institute of Chicago, to see the new modern wing, and catch up on the rest of the impressive collection. Across from the Institute is Millennium Park, which we had not seen since it had been completed. This park is beautifully landscaped and has the Millennium Stage as its focal point. The foliage was at its peak in Chicago, and it was such a beautiful clear day there, so I was able to take a lot of pictures of the wonderful skyline and Chicago's amazing architecture. I am looking forward to returning to Chicago soon.