Alexis Smith sings “Could I Leave You“ from FOLLIES

Follies opened on Broadway on April 4, 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre, directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett. It starred Alexis Smith (Phyllis), John McMartin (Benjamin), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), and Yvonne De Carlo, along with several veterans of the Broadway and vaudeville stage. Even though the production ran for well over a year (522 performances), it was not considered a success, and lost money. This was due partly to the rather bleak nature of the show itself, particularly Goldman’s book. Frank Rich, for many years The New York Times’s chief drama critic, wrote on the occasion of the 1985 concert performance that audiences at the original production were baffled and restless.[2] Goldman subsequently revised his work right up to his death, which occurred shortly before the 1998 Paper Mill production. Sondheim too has added and removed songs that he judged to be problematic in various productions. The plum supporting role of Ca