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On Broadway

By Gene Jones, IJA President - New York, NY

Juggler Michael Davis rise from ashes of "Follies"

Unfortunately, this brief review of Broadway Follies will be a post mortem, since the show closed on opening night. Although a doctor's examination is rarely helpful to a deceased patient, hopefully this autopsy will prove somewhat therapeutic to future projects in this theatrical vein.

On paper, Broadway Follies appeared to be a sure hit. It featured an abundance of novelty acts with impressive credits. However, the novelty wore off within moments of the opening curtain.

For curious readers, here is what you missed: A corny opening production number, a frenzied mess of a dog act, an aging yet engaging British music hall singer, Shields & Yarnell as robots, gauche dancers with rubber knees, an oddball magic act and duck, more Shields & Yarnell as robots, Gaylord the trained horse and juggler Michael Davis.

It seems that the producers of Broadway Follies must have imagined that they had a unique enough potpourri of acts to carry this production. However, the show suffered from a disastrous lack of direction and continuity.

Even worse was the almost nonexistent set design that often left the stage looking like a vacant lot. Like someone with a broken foot who was given a splint for his arm, the show limped along aimlessly with one great exception.

That exception was Michael Davis, the juggle. Davis was the lone shining light in Broadway Follies. He totally upstaged all other acts, including "Shields & Yarnell, establishing himself not only as a juggler but also as a comedian.

During the course of Follies, Davis made no less than four appearances on stage during which he told jokes, played guitar, sang a song, balanced hats and canes, juggled and managed to be chased by a dog. Davis did a three ball routine and five balls ending in a neck catch. He also juggled hatchets and cleavers before finishing by juggling a bowling ball with an apple and raw egg, all of which ended up in his mouth.

Just in case some readers become skeptical of this praise of the lone juggler in Follies due to suspicion of professional bias, bear in mind that Michael Davis was immediately recruited to join the cast of Sugar Babies when Broadway Follies closed.

In all fairness to the cast of Broadway Follies, there were a few bright moments. Gaylord the horse proved himself to be a brilliant comedian, and Shields & Yarnell did perform one exceptional mime piece entitled, "The Toyshop."

The meteoric demise of Broadway Follies should not be construed as an indicator that variety shows cannot succeed anymore - it is merely an indictment of this poorly conceived venture. Just as the circus needs its ringmaster, a variety show needs a master of ceremonies or it resembles a chicken with its head cut off.

If any lasting observation can be made about Broadway Follies, it is that juggling has finally upstaged mime on the legitimate stage, and that Michael Davis is on his way to great success... in Sugar Babies!