So, what does everyone think the next Sondheim revival is going to be? I'm sort of torn....most of his work has been revived in the recent past....is it time to start over with his revivals? Here is a list of the shows and their most recent outings on Broadway:

West Side Story - Currently Running
Gypsy - 2008
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - 1996
Anyone Can Whistle - 1964 (No revival)
Do I Hear A Waltz? - 1965 (No revival)
Company - 2006
Follies - 2001
A Little Night Music - Currently Running
The Frogs - 2004
Pacific Overtures - 2004
Side By Side By Sondheim (Revue) - 1977 (No Revival)
Sweeney Todd - 2005
Marry Me A Little (Revue) - 1981 (Off-Broadway, No Revival)
Merrily We Roll Along - 1994 (Off-Broadway)
Sunday in the Park With George - 2008
Into the Woods - 2002
Assassins - 2004
Putting it Together (Revue) - 1999 (No Revival)
Passion - 1994 (No Revival)
Saturday Night - 2000 (Off-Broadway, No Revival)
Roadshow - 2008 (Off-Broadway, No Revival)
Sondheim on Sondheim - 2010

I think that it will probably be Merrily We Roll Along. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but Wikipedia said that Roundabout was planning on reviving it for this past season but went with Sondheim on Sondheim instead.

I think the other option is Follies. It has already been announced that Follies (staring Bernadette Peters) will be performed at the Kennedy Center next year and they have had several Broadway transfers over the past few years (including the very sucessful WSS revival). If it's starring a name like Peters, there may be a chance that they will go with the original score/script, and this could be the revival that we've all been waiting for.

Encores! also just did a (I believe) sucessful production of Anyone Can Whistle, so I'm not counting it out yet.


What about everyone else?

What do you mean, another Sondheim revival? Haven't you heard, ALNM is going to run forever! 8) Please don't take me seriously.

It's never too early for another Follies revival, is what I think. It's one of my favourite shows by Sondheim, and with star power like Bernadette Peters, maybe it would get the run it deserves.

A revival of Into The Woods that doesn't suck would be nice, too. I really do get sick of all these adevant-garde productions running around; it's already such a conceptual piece, and doesn't need the costume and set designers to be messing with it too. Is it too much to ask for a production of Into the Woods that doesn't hammer home the Freudian undertones?

The drek that is Do I Hear A Waltz? can remain unproduced, for all I care.

Is it too early to be thinking of a revival of Passion? Perhaps. It might need another five years before it passes the threshold from box office disappointment to underproduced and overlooked masterpiece in the producers' minds. I would personally love the opportunity to see this inherently theatrical piece staged, but I believe we'll have to wait until the show's detractors start singing its praises before any such thing happens.

Though Gypsy will probably get its biennial revival before any of these projects are even dreamed of. Who'll play the over the hill stage mom this time? I hear Christine Ebersole calling... Or maybe they'll be daring and cast Chris Colfer OMGLOLBBQ

EDIT- forget everything I just said; Alice Ripley in a new production of Sweeney Todd, with her in the eponymous role and Emily Skinner as Mrs. Lovett. Enough nightmare fodder yet?

I think Merrily We Roll Along, Passion, or Follies.

Merrily We Roll Along - the Roundabout rumours, and plus Maria Freidman is directing it at the Menier chocolate factory next year, so we could see a transfer.

Passion - transfer of the current Donmar production, which has gotten almost universally positive reviews. I don't think it could ever be financially viable unless there was a major star in the role (i.e., to the effect or probably greater than Catherine Zeta-Jones), so it would have to be a non-profit theatre [e.g. roundabout] putting it on, imo.

Follies - Transfer of the kennedy center production.

I don't think that they could revive Anyone Can Whistle successfully (based on the Encores! production), and I feel like the other productions of the shows above make them more likely candidates to be revived first.

I completely forgot about the Donmar production of Passion... head, meet desk...

I'm not sure if Merrily We Roll Along would work. I find it to be a bit of a mess. Though it's got some great songs in it, no doubt. I just don't see it working as a fully staged production. I'll probably get owned for saying that later. when it becomes a successful fully staged production. You can never tell with these things.

I honestly would walk on coals to see any production of Follies, though.

As long as it uses the original book. The revised book, which tries to mix the original book with the book of the sorely disappointing London Follies, is an absolute mess and should be obliterated from existence. (And until somebody can actually choreograph something that matches what Michael Bennett did for the original production, his work should be part and parcel of the deal too.)

Based on the casting notices for the Kennedy Center Follies there is speculation that they are using the revised Roundabout script.

Well, of course they are. They don't really have a choice thanks to James Goldman's witch of a widow, but the revised Roundabout script is as great a disaster as the production itself was.

But why did they mess around with the book?



God, I wish someone would do that, through. I wasn't around when Michael Bennett was alive, and I think one of my briggest theatre wishes was that there was some sort of recording of the work he did for Company and Follies.

It was thought that the show would do better commercially if it was a more upbeat. The London production even removed Ben's breakdown. FAIL.


Go play around a bit on YouTube and you'll find a few things from both shows of varying quality. To start off, here is the brilliant original "Loveland"; the completely thrilling "Who's That Woman?" and the divinely fabulous "The Story of Lucy and Jessie". The man was a genius, Follies as it was originally written is one of the greatest musicals ever created and the original production was probably one of the greatest productions ever seen on stage.

Thanks for the links!

That is an epic fail. O.O It's like they didn't know what to do on the plane flight across the Atlantic, and then started batting around ideas to ruin the show they were bringing over...

It looks like the next Sondheim revival will be Follies.
http://www.broadway.com/shows/wings/buz ... r-follies/