"Under Watkins’s wise, elegant direction — and thanks to a uniformly strong cast and great band — Follies moves with a singular grace, and it’s a joy to see generations of actors inhabiting the stage together with such a winking, knowing confidence and ease. "
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"Like a follies variety show from the 1930s, [...] 'Follies' is an extravagant kaleidoscope of song-and-dance numbers with the addition of dramatic scenes and poignant flashbacks involving the major characters."
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 The time is 1971, and theatrical impresario Dimitri Weissmann (famous for his garish Weismann Follies of yesteryear) hosts a reunion party for past performers in the crumbling theatre, which is scheduled for demolition. Amid the reminiscing, old wounds resurface as two middle-aged couples, Buddy and Sally Plummer and Ben and Phyllis Stone, confront some unpleasant truths about their past and present, and come face-to-face with the future. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.
Follies has enjoyed a number of major revivals, and several of its songs have become standards, including "Broadway Baby," "I'm Still Here," "Too Many Mornings," "Could I Leave You?" and "Losing My Mind."
Follies was originally directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett on Broadway in 1971, with choreography by Bennett. The musical was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won seven. The original production ran for 522 performances. Since then, it has received a legendary star-filled concert at Lincoln Center in 1985, a Roundabout revival on Broadway directed by Matthew Warchus in 2001, a City Center Encores! production in 2007 and numerous regional mountings, including a Paper Mill Playhouse engagement that featured Donna McKechnie and the late Ann Miller. A new Kennedy Center production opening in May 2011 will be headed by two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters.
“A beautiful, broken-hearted musical.”
The New York Times |
