"Live Laugh Love" - Follies - HS

...from 2003 high school production
--another clip for the Follies fans!--

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• live_laugh_love
• follies
• sondheim
• musical
• FLHS

[zalop5]

they guy singing 4 ben (the main character) sucks

[leojrevlis]

Thanks SOOO much for sharing that thought! You're English is superb.

[gsparkway324]

@leojrevlis Kafer was excited about the line, especially because it was one he considered "vulgar"

[kenitobaby75]

@jjarndyce What's so embarrasing about it? This is a professional production! If these kids can do it, could you do the same? Could you play any one of these characters, and get the same recognition, and applause??? Could your highschool put on a professional production like "Follies", and look like a broadway show? Your point is useless. The show is not too rough for kids because...just look at the video!! I did not see any rough spots at all. How heartless can you be?

[kenitobaby75]

@chasedr1 Are you kidding? You said they gave it a good shot??? This is unbelievable!!!

[erniehead]

Come on guys... Follies in high school? This is pretty damn impressive not to mention gutsy. I've seen far worse done to The Music Man in high school. It takes a huge amount of talent and chutzpah to do Sondheim BADLY. This isokay, but it ian't Broadway or the Met either. Give em cred!!!!

[Racehazard]

I've worked with approx. 15 different schools (in some musical capacity), and watched many, many school productions. This is excellent. Follies IS material for high school! I believe the pupils here will have gained enourmous musical and extramusical benefits from performing this musical.

[AtLastOnTheGround]

There seems to be a trend with this high school. These videos show an elaborate, fantastic set, great costumes, and exceptional staging --

But it seems like the director was so preoccupied with the aesthetics that she failed to coach the singing and acting. These kids are on the right path, but for the love of God, FOLLIES is really not material for a high school with only mediocre talent... Even if it DOES have the money to get the glitz of the show.

[ZB2002]

jjarndyce were you there to quiz the cast on how much they learned from the production? You speck with such balls on what you think is best for a high school cast. What have you done in regard to direction of high school musicals to make such statements? I will mention to the director that he should do Disney's HIgh School Musical next year. I'm sure the kids will learn a lot from the sterotype characters in that script. .

[jjarndyce]

Basically, I have/had one point: the show is way, way too rough for high school kids and I see no point in applauding the little troopers for having the guts to do it. Far better that teens take on something manageable and do it well. I'M NOT INTERESTED in the terrific learning experience it was for the kids. I don't care if Sondheim's grandmother loved it. There is inherently something feeble and embarrassing in teenagers doing Sondheim, and FOLLIES most of all.

[daveseaman31362]

This is a remarkable educational outcome. I don't unsderstand why you think you're John Lahr and this is the Colonial theatre. Your review of this is no better than what the Boston Herald said of the original production in previews-what we measure here is what these kids, from acotrs, orchestra, tech and front of house, learned from this Sondheimn/Weidman masterpiece. And the kid who played Ben Stone did a terrific job.

[ZB2002]

In addition, whoever made the comment on who Ben Stone is supposed to be. Let me remind you, this sequence takes place in Ben's mind. It's a nightmare. Also in the audience of this production was a close friend of Sondheim who praised the production of these HIGH SCHOOL kids. The show also won several HS theatre awards and Ben was nominated for Best Actor by the Paper Mill Playhouse.