"Follies" with soap actors

[Franko]

You're a Broadway producer with a bottomless pocketbook, a guaranteed audience (and, of course, an actual NYC venue to open this in). You can cast any soap actor (preferably living, but I'll be lenient) in Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical. Go ...!

 

Just to refresh our memories ...

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[mikelyons]

Follies with Soap Stars

 

Ben Stone (Romantic Lead): Peter Bergman

Sally Durant Plummer (Delusional Romantic Lead): Judith Light

Phyllis Rodgers Stone (Bitter Comedic Lead): Eileen Davidson

Buddy Plummer (Comedic Lead): Nick Pickard (Hollyoaks; UK, Channel 4)

Carlotta Campion ("I'm Still Here"): Susan Lucci

Emily Whitman ("Rain on the Roof"): Susan Seaforth Hayes

Theodore Whitman ("Rain on the Roof"): Bill Hayes

Hattie Walker ("Broadway Baby"): Eileen Fulton

Heidi Schiller ("One More Kiss"): Brenda Dickson

Stella Deems ("Who's That Woman?"): Victoria Wyndham 

Solange La Fitte ("Ah, Paris!"): Deidre Hall

Edited May 20, 2020 by mikelyons

[Khan]

I'm sorry, I LOVE Susan Lucci, but there's only ONE Carlotta for "Follies: Daytime Edition," and that's Darlene Conley (ex-Sally, B&B; ex-Rose, Y&R).

[mikelyons]

Oooooo!!!! I can see it LOUD & CLEAR, Bucko!

[DaytimeFan]

 

It's a shame they got Sally to belt out "I'm Still Here" on some location shoot. That felt like Darlene's song. 

[ReddFoxx]

This is a hard one. I'm trying to think of soap stars who can sing, but the only ones I can think of wouldn't necessarily fit the parts. These are some people I thought of.

 

Buddy - Wally Kurth (I could see him being able to convey Buddy's subtle desperation)

Solange - Robin Strasser (Ah Paris! is perfect for an actress like her)

Stella - Kim Zimmer

 

 

[EricMontreal22]

As many on here know, I'm a Sondheim fanatic (shocking, I know--a highlight in my life was getting to interview him as a teenager).  But this is way too hard...  I'll have to think on it

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Fun fact.  Suzanne Rogers played one of the showgirl ghosts as a replacement cast member when the show, after closing (way too early) on Broadway moved with most of the original cast for a limited run in LA. 

Also, I think people tend to think Follies should be cast older than it really is meant to be (this may be partly because modern actors, and people in general as life spans lengthen, often to age slower than they did when it premier in 1971.  Similarly why Blanche DuBois  in Streetcar is rarely now cast with a woman in her mid 30s as she originally was).  Ben, Phyllis, Buddy and Sally should all be cast around the ages of 45-50 (which to modern audiences of course does not really seem like someone past their prime).  Their characters performed right at the end of the Follies shows.  Some of the other characters can be cast significantly older...

Also, I nearly spat out my coffee at Brenda Dickson playing Heidi, the *opera singer* (and oldest of the Follies girls) and singing One More Kiss lol

[Franko]

And Ron Raines was in the most recent Broadway revival.

 

Good choices so far, everyone. I apologize if I made this too challenging an idea.

[mikelyons]

I can see it! Give her a turban, a bit of French, a glass of champagne, and let Brenda as Heidi wax poetic about the Golden Years.  (I love Brenda's Jill, so it's not a dig!)

This was incredibly hard & it made my little grey cells work hard!

I love FOLLIES, especially the original Broadway cast. I was lucky enough to see the revival on Broadway with Bernadette Peters and Ron Raines.