Reputedly inspired by a famous photograph of Glora Swanson posing among the rubble of New York's Roxy Theatre, Follies was a triumphal moment in Stephen Sondheim's career, despite the fact that (as one of the most expensively-staged musicals in history at the time) it almost bankrupted itself, and him.
Aptly described by the New York Times thus: "imagine 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf', choreographed by Busby Berkeley", this tangled web of a tale revolves around a gathering of former troupers at their old alma mater The Weisman Theatre just before it is demolished forever, their memories as they each perform their old "signature numbers" echoed by the ghosts of their younger selves swirling around, and often in, the action. Core to the tale is the bitterly crumbling entanglement of relationships involving Ben and Phyllis (who have clearly been scoring resentful and acidic barbs off eachother for the entirety of their long marriage), and Buddy and Sally (an unhappy and loveless couple; he's been having a long-term affair, and she's been carrying a desperate torch for Ben since they were all teenagers). Sounds tragic, and in parts it is - but oh! What a show it creates...
Opening with the parade of old chorines [and in its many, many revivals, real-life stars-past-their-best galore have flocked to appear in it - Dorothy Lamour, Régine, Yma Sumac, Carol Burnett, Vikki Carr, Polly Bergen, Hildegarde, Lynn Bari, Patty Duke, Stella Stevens, Juliet Prowse, Virginia Mayo, Kaye Ballard, Marni Nixon, Jo Anne Worley, Edie Adams, Blythe Danner, Pearl Carr, Linda Lavin, Vivian Blaine, Betty Garrett and Maxene Andrews among them], "Hats off, here they come!" Well, maybe not the ones you were expecting...
Now, I could probably do a whole standalone blog post featuring the awe-inspiring list of femmes d'une certaine age who have shimmied into the spotlight for this next one! The showstopper-to-beat-all-showstoppers, it's been done by the likes of Ann Miller, Julie Wilson, Shirley MacLaine, Stritchy (of course!), Yvonne DeCarlo, Christine Baranski, Elaine Paige, Dolores Gray, Millicent Martin, cabaret artistes and drag queens in their thousands [and Madam Arcati and I at many a drunken party!]...
...and this sparkling diva:
[We actually saw Miss Kitt perform this at an all-star gala fundraiser for Children in Need in 2005]But there's so much more to go yet...
[My all-time favourite take on this is, of course, the "gay" version by David Kernan, as featured here][Another from the show that has been covered by numerous divas, including the original cast member Dorothy Collins, Julia McKenzie, MegaBabs and Patti LuPone]It's quite a show! So good, we went to see it twice - well, in two different incarnations, anyhow.
The first of these was a (typically) glittering revue performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015, produced by Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel-Horwood, and featuring an all-star cast including Christine Baranski, Ruthie Henshall, Alexander Hanson, Peter Polycarpou, Stefanie Powers, Anita Dobson, Betty Buckley, Lorna Luft, Anita Harris and Roy Hudd. The second was the magnificent 2017 revival at The National Theatre starring Imelda Staunton, Janie Dee, Philip Quast, Peter Forbes, Tracie Bennett, Di Botcher, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Zizi Strallen (among others), with its breath-taking sets and costumes.
I'd go again tomorrow, if a new production was in the offing!
All you need to know about Follies, once again thanks to Everything Sondheim
RIP, Stephen Joshua Sondheim (22nd March 1930 – 26th November 2021)
[One of a series of tributes I will be posting to Mr Sondheim this week.]
Previous "Sondheim of the Day" entries:
