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re: AGES OF CHARACTERS?

Posted by: AlanScott 11:23 pm EST 01/15/15
In reply to: AGES OF CHARACTERS? - StaunchKarakter 11:13 pm EST 01/15/15

This is a repost something I've posted here in the past:

In the published script, Sally is described as being 49. Phyllis is presumably around the same age, or possibly a year older, given that she says that she can expect to live until 1995, which in 1971 would have made her 50 or 51. Buddy is described as being 53 and Ben is presumably about the same age. Thirty years before, they were both in law school while the women were in the Follies, so it makes sense that they are now about 52-53.

Carlotta is described as being 50, the Deems as being in their middle fifties, Heidi as being in her eighties, Hattie in her mid-seventies. Solange claims to be 66 but is clearly older. Weissman, according to the script, "must be eighty, though he looks no more than sixty-five."

Most of the original principals were on the young side for the characters, especially Collins (44) and McMartin (41).

Carlotta, if you think about the show as taking place in 1971, would probably have to be at least 53 or so. But it wouldn't make sense for her to be too much older than Sally and Phyllis.

For the record, here are the ages of most of the original major players (of the older characters) at the time of the original production's opening:

John McMartin 41
Dorothy Collins 44
Alexis Smith 49
Gene Nelson 51
Yvonne De Carlo 48
Justine Johnston 49
Mary McCarty 47
Ethel Shutta 74
Fifi D'Orsay 65 (she would turn 66 a couple of weeks into the run)
Arnold Moss 61.


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Previous: re: AGES OF CHARACTERS? - mermaniac 12:38 pm EST 01/16/15
Next: McCarty's and DeCarlo's (youthful) ages shock us today - Delvino 07:53 am EST 01/16/15

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