Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas.
New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves.
Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors).
Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.
“Guess that’s why they call him God. Stephen Sondheim’s paean to old Broadway, “Follies,” hasn’t had a full-bodied British revival since its West End premiere 30 years ago. With a cast that includes Imelda Staunton, director Dominic Cooke’s lavish, languid staging – his first-ever musical – showcases its riches, letting “Follies” stretch out in full on the vast Olivier stage. Played in designer Vicki Mortimer’s crumbling Broadway theater – its brick walls half-bulldozed, its stalls swallowed by rubble – it lets old ghosts mingle with lost souls and becomes much, much more than a mere memory play. Instead, it grows into something far more profound – a philosophical meditation on the passage of time and the agonies of aging.”– Matt Trueman, Variety
“Imelda Staunton is unforgettable in Sondheim’s showbiz stunner.” — The Guardian
