Polly Bergen singing "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES (2001 Bway Revival )

[pudgeuncle]

To hell with the few phrasing liberties, she is a volcano and probably the best singer I have ever heard sing this song. There are bumpy spots but what's great is theater magic.

[egallegosr]

This Follies was my first Sondheim show "live", Me and some friends made the trip to NY just to see it, and though the critics didn't like it at all, I enjoyed very much, I was excited about seeing a play (not on video) of someone that I admire so much (Sondheim is at his best here), the night we were at the Belasco we saw an understudy doing the roll of Carlota, thank you for posting this, Ms Bergen is very very good, I know now why the Tony nomination,

Eduardo

(from Mexico)

[egallegosr]

This Follies was my first Sondheim show "live", Me and some friends made the trip to NY just to see it, and though the critics didn't like it at all, I enjoyed very much, I was excited about seeing a play (not on video) of someone that I admire so much (Sondheim is at his best here), the night we were at the Belasco we saw an understudy doing the roll of Carlota, thank you for posting this, Ms Bergen is very very good, I know now why the Tony nomination,

[Eyllek2]

I saw her performance and thought she was marvelous. In fact, she gave one of the best performances I've ever seen. It's difficult for it to translate in a filmed version close-up. My friends and I ate at Un, Deux, Trois next door after the show and when she walked in, she got tremendous applause there, too.

[PsalmHymnSamHim]

I think Carmen McCrae is a better drunk; she's always drunk in San Francisco.

Cheers

from,

del-boy.

[noahsdad61]

She tells the story better than most, I think. There's some reminiscence, but there's also disappointment and even pain, and she deserves credit for showing the "gamut, A to Z." In the end, there's a kind of victory.

[moviefoyer78]

It's Sondheim, not Puccini.

[airborne8282]

She's working about 1000 times too hard to make the song seem new, dodging tempo and rhythm even worse than the current NIGHT MUSIC cast... and that bitter section in the middle.... why? All that finger-painting on "Top billing" and almost every other lyric. Just sing it, live it, be it, act it, and stop wandering around yelling. (I hated it in the theatre too, along with that five-and-dime orchestra at top ticket prices.)

[AtLastOnTheGround]

@airborne8282

So true. This is not how Sondheim is meant to be performed. Saw ALNM, and couldn't stand all the liberties they took with the tempo and melody! Just sing the damn song!

[VRNProductions]

I never liked the change to make "I'm Still Here" a book song...But hey, Bergen's very good- nearly as good as De Carlo...

[randyslovacek]

Thank you for posting this. I was in the production, and I would sneak out through the basement several times a week to watch this from the back of the house at the Belasco. Polly was brilliant every performance. I never truly understood the song or the depth of the song until I saw her do this. The only shame is you don't see the next minute or so of applause she got every single show as she exited. It seemed to go on forever - and well deserved. She deserved that Tony nomination...

[darreyl102]

Thank you SOOOO much for posting!! the tony performance was taken down and since then i have been searching for Polly singing this! She is AMAZING!!

[nornsnornsnorns]

A glorious memory - thank you