Good morning, all! By the tme I had a bite to eat, secured the apartment, and turned out the lights, it was well past midnight, so I slept late this morning. Today iincludes some research online at the NYPL so I'll walk down there around 11:30 or so.
The cast recording list sent out all the FOLLIES reviews, so I've read them all. My impression, like my impression of Frank Rich's rave for Susan Shulman's second rate TEENY TODD at Circle in the Square, is that a lot of the good reviews for this production are coming from reviewers who missed the chance 40 years ago to rave about the piece. I'm still amazed that the director selected the set and lighting designers he did, since I feel it's those areas that prevent much of this piece from ever working as well as it should; the actors set the mood, but the set and lighting push the mystery and the magic as much as the haunting score, and it's all too real and mundane an atmosphere for a theatre of ghosts; the past scenes and the ghosts don't have the stage effects to convey that they're not a part of this time and place, and the set is far too solid and unimaginative. For example, why are there three walls to this set? Shouldn't the wings of the stage mysteriously move on forever rather than give the appearance that the audience is watching a solid room under construction?
Warren Carlyle is a lovely man, and I think that a lot of the nice comments the director is getting in the press actually should go to Warren.
I also forgot how poor the sound design is; I was sitting in the second row, center, of the mezzanine and that 28-piece orchestra never sounded like a live orchestra to me to me. Instead of the sound of a live band floating out of the pit, it sounded tinny and came through loud speakers. Do any sound designers, except for Scott Lehrer who did SOUTH PACIFIC and FINIAN'S RAINBOW, know what a live band sounds like? Jonathan's work is amazing, and while everyone is raving about a full orchestra in that pit, it could all be coming from a phonograph.
So, there you have my take on FOLLIES, a great show let down once again by its creative staff.
I have no more news. I ned to dig around in my carton of 2011 receipts to find the US postal one for the carton I shipped to Dublin over a week ago. I don't believe it's shown up yet and I paid a lot in postage. I want to know where it is. There's been no word from the Man In Philadelpha over my last email, and I was sure we'd be in discussions by now over my dissatisfaction with some aspects of this job.
So, more coffee, my meds, and a trip to the library.
