The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's Follies will star Blythe Danner, Gregory Harrison, Judith Ivey and Treat Williams, it was announced today. Also confirmed in the cast are Polly Bergen, Marge Champion, Betty Garrett, Larry Keith, Joan Roberts, Donald Saddler and Carol Woods. Many of these names have been connected to the project for weeks, but this is the first offical word on casting.
Directed by Matthew Warchus (Art, True West) and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall (Kiss Me Kate) Follies will begin previews at the Belasco Theatre on March 8, 2001. The official press opening is scheduled for April 5.
According to production sources, the cast of Follies breaks down as follows: Blythe Danner (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Gregory Harrison (Ben Stone), Judith Ivey (Sally Durant Plummer) and Treat Williams (Buddy Plummer). Also featured are Polly Bergen (Carlotta Campion), Marge Champion (Emily Whitman), Betty Garrett (Hattie Walker), Larry Keith (Dimitri Weismann), Joan Roberts (Heidi Schiller), Donald Saddler (Theodore Whitman) and Carol Woods (Stella Deems).
Several roles, including that of Solange LaFitte, remain to be cast.
The creative team for the show comprises set designer Mark Thompson, costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, sound designer Jonathan Deans, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and musical direction by Eric Stern. Frank Scardino is the show's executive producer. A musical favorite, Follies will be staged at the Belasco where the crumbling Weismann Theatre will be recreated, on the eve of its demolition. There, ghosts and showgirls from the theatre's legendary past reunite and reflect on their lives. When Follies opened on at the Winter Garden on April 4, 1971 the production was directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett. Follies earned seven 1972 Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical.
Tickets range $45-$90 and are now available through Telecharge at (212) 239-6200. The Belasco Theatre box office, located at 111 W. 44 St., will open on January 22. For additional information visit www.folliesonbroadway.com or www.roundabouttheatre.org.
*
Blythe Danner last appeared at the Roundabout in The Deep Blue Sea and in Harold Pinter's Moonlight with Jason Robards. She received a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in Butterflies Are Free and received Tony nominations for her roles as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire and as Emma in Harold Pinter's Betrayal.
Gregory Harrison last appeared on Broadway in Kander and Ebb’s Steel Pier. West coast stage credits include The Fantasticks, The Promise, The Subject Was Roses, Festival, Child's Play, Picnic and Billy Budd. Nominated for an L.A. Drama Critics Best Actor Award for the west coast premiere of Carnal Knowledge, Gregory received that award for his portrayal of Lachie in The Hasty Heart (Ahmanson Theatre). In 1990 he was honored with an L.A. Ovation Award for Outstanding Contribution to L.A. Theater. TV series include “Ed,” “Safe Harbor,” “Sisters,” "Logan's Run," "Falcon Crest," "The Family Man," "New York News" and "Trapper John, M.D."
Judith Ivey's Broadway credits include Voices in the Dark, Tony and Drama Desk Awards for both Steaming and Hurlyburly, Bedroom Farce, Piaf, Precious Sons, Blithe Spirit and Park Your Car in Harvard Yard. Her other credits include: (Off-Broadway) The Vagina Monologues, The Moonshot Tape (Obie Award), and Noel Coward's Suite in Two Keys.
Treat Williams adds Follies to a career rich in musicals, having starred on Broadway in Grease and The Pirates of Penzance as well as in the film version of "Hair." In addition to Broadway roles in Over Here, Once in a Lifetime and Off-Broadway credits including Captains Courageous at MTC, Some Men Need Help and David Mamet's Oh, Hell(at Lincoln Center) and Oleanna, Williams has starred in such films as "Prince of the City," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Smooth Talk" and "The Deep End of the Ocean."
Polly Bergen began her motion picture career at Paramount Studios opposite Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in the film "At War With The Army. " She has appeared in the films "Cape Fear," "The Caretakers" (Golden Globe nomination), "Move Over Darling," "Kisses for My President," "A Guide for the Married Man," "Making Mr. Right," "Mother Mother,""Cry Baby" and "Once Upon a Time…When We Were Colored." Ms. Bergen had her own variety show for NBC-TV, “The Polly Bergen Show.” Bergen is currently making her first New York cabaret appearance in 32 years at Feinstein’s at the Regency.
