Let’s start this out with a song from a musical near and dear to my heart:
Follies, Stephen Sondheim’s fourth musical as a composer-lyricist, went up on Broadway in 1971, in an extravagantly budgeted production that after 522 performances was still unable to recoup its initial investment. Critics were divided sharply on the show, which examined the dark side of nostalgia at a time when Broadway itself was at its most nostalgic, but even its naysayers were awed by the production’s lavish costumes and sets, elaborate choreography (by Michael Bennett, of A Chorus Line fame), star-studded cast, and eloquent lyrics by my man, Stephen Sondheim. It was one of the first productions recorded for posterity by the Lincoln Theater Archives in New York, although technical limitations and logistic difficulties meant that it had to be recorded without sound, with substantial gaps in the video.
However, the good people at youtube have been working tirelessly with bootleg video and sound to ensure that we the people get as close to an authentic viewing experience as possible of this landmark show. ❤
Who’s That Woman?, or, the Mirror Song
Of all the show’s production numbers, Who’s That Woman is probably the neatest representation of both the metaphoric conceit behind Follies, and how and why it wowed so many viewers. On the one level, the pathos of watching women in their forties and fifties sheepishly rehearse an old dance routine while shadows of their drop-dead-gorgeous younger selves literally upstage them from behind; on the other, a six-and-a-half-minute long tap-and-dance extravaganza, which evokes the fabulous follies of the 1920s and 30s even as it subverts them. It’s exciting, and triumphant, and therein kind of devastating.
Original 1971 staging – the video has pretty awful sound, color and detail, but the performances are ace, and it is the original.
1998 Papermill revival staging – much better video and sound, but the cameraman stupidly focused his camera on only the front row of dancers, thereby depriving us of half the number. (I see lots of feet! Sparkly, sparkly feet.)
1972 (?) Los Angeles revival staging – Considerably better video and sound than the Broadway tape, but the color and detail are still lacking; on the other hand, the camera is right where it’s supposed to be, and the leading lady has a great voice.
And since none of these tapes have especially great audio, here’s a slightly less fuzzy recording of (a shortened version of) the song from the original cast recording. The entire cast recording, which is great, can be purchased from Amazon here.
(Other clips from the original production include:
The Right Girl
Loveland
Buddy’s Blues
The Story of Lucy and Jessie)
Unhummable 