Follies (musical)

Follies (musical)
Name	Follies
Caption	Original Broadway poster
Music	Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim
Book	James Goldman
Productions	1971 Broadway

Follies (musical)

Follies is a 1971 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The work premiered on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in a production produced by Hal Prince and Richard Barr, directed by Harold Prince with choreography by Michael Bennett, featuring performers such as Yvonne De Carlo, Marti Webb, and Janet Summerin. The show explores themes of memory, regret, and nostalgia through a reunion of former performers from the fictional Weismann's Follies revue, juxtaposing present-day reality with lavish past reminiscences and confrontations among characters modeled on archetypes of the Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville, and Tin Pan Alley eras. Follies is noted for its complex score, intricate book, and innovations in theatrical design contributed by collaborators like Richard Hayman, John F. Wharton, Tony Walton, and later revivals involving artists such as Trevor Nunn and Matthew Bourne.

Background and Development

Sondheim first conceived of a revue-inspired piece after collaborating with Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein on concert and theatrical projects, drawing narrative impetus from Goldman's adaptation of a script treatment about a reunion of past entertainers reminiscent of Florenz Ziegfeld, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter. Early development involved workshops at the New York Shakespeare Festival and consultations with producers Cheryl Crawford and Thomas Z. Shepard, as well as dramaturgical input from Graham Greene-era sensibilities and structural advice echoing Eugene O'Neill's episodic techniques. The creative team debated tonal balance between pastiche and pathos, integrating influences from George Gershwin and Kurt Weill while aiming for psychological realism comparable to works by Arthur Miller and Samuel Beckett.

Productions and Stagings

The original Broadway production opened in 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre produced by Richard Barr and Cheryl Crawford with direction by Harold Prince and choreography by Michael Bennett. Subsequent significant productions include the 1987 Glyndebourne-adjacent British staging by Mike Leigh-influenced directors, the 2001 revival at Theater Royal, Drury Lane staged by Matthew Bourne, the 2007 Chichester Festival Theatre transfer directed by Nicholas Hytner, and the acclaimed 2011 Broadway revival directed by Eric Schaeffer featuring performers linked to Lincoln Center Theater and Roundabout Theatre Company. International productions toured through West End, Tokyo, Sydney, and Toronto houses, with adaptations often invoking designers from The Royal Shakespeare Company, Bristol Old Vic, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club traditions. Concert versions and gala performances have included casts from The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and tribute stagings honoring the legacies of Sondheim and Prince.

Plot Synopsis

Set in a dilapidated Broadway theater slated for demolition, the plot centers on former showgirls who gather for a reunion of the defunct Weismann's Follies on the eve of its demolition. Two married couples — former lovers turned spouses — confront buried resentments and yearnings reminiscent of their early careers in revues influenced by Ziegfeld spectacles and Vaudeville circuits. Ghostly embodiments of their younger selves appear as choruses and soloists, channeling past stars associated with Florenz Ziegfeld, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, and Sophie Tucker, while songs and tableaux evoke Broadway milieu, Tin Pan Alley intimacy, and cabaret excess. The narrative arcs culminate in a frayed reconciliation and ambiguous fates, reflecting modernist themes comparable to works staged at The Public Theater and conceptualized alongside contemporaneous musicals like Company and A Little Night Music.

Musical Numbers and Score

The score, by Stephen Sondheim, interweaves pastiche numbers, torch songs, and ensemble showpieces, notable songs including "Losing My Mind", "Broadway Baby", "Could I Leave You?", and "I'm Still Here", each echoing antecedents from Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Kurt Weill. Orchestration and arrangement contributions from collaborators linked to Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York Philharmonic, and arrangers associated with Leonard Bernstein informed the harmonic textures, while lyric devices draw on intertextual references to Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, and Johnny Mercer. Musical staging often employs pastiche choreography referencing Fosse-style isolations and classic Busby Berkeley patterns, with key ensemble numbers staged as spectral revues that reference the aesthetics of Ziegfeld Follies revues and Curtains Up-era showbiz tableaux.

Critical Reception and Legacy

Initial critical response at its Broadway premiere was polarized, with some critics from outlets associated with The New York Times and Variety praising its ambition and others citing structural opacity similar to debates around Company and Pacific Overtures. Over ensuing decades, scholarly reassessment by historians affiliated with Yale School of Drama, Columbia University, and New York University foregrounded its influence on modern musical theater narratives and postmodern pastiche, noting its impact on later works staged by Stephen Sondheim protégés and directors from Royal Court Theatre and The Old Vic. The musical has been referenced in retrospectives at Lincoln Center and influenced revivals, academic symposia at Juilliard School, and interdisciplinary studies linking theater to memory studies pursued at Harvard University and Princeton University.

Recordings and Adaptations

Commercial recordings include the original 1971 Broadway cast album produced in collaboration with labels tied to Columbia Records and remastered editions released by companies associated with Sony Music and archival projects at National Public Radio affiliates. Notable filmed and televised adaptations involve concert stagings at venues like Sadler's Wells Theatre and televised tributes on platforms affiliated with PBS and BBC Television, while unauthorized bootlegs circulated among collectors in networks tracing to Discogs and SecondHandSongs. Cast recordings from major revivals feature performers linked to Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, and Royal National Theatre, supplemented by orchestral suites performed by ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra and chamber recordings archived at institutions like The Library of Congress.

Category:1971 musicals Category:Musicals by Stephen Sondheim Category:Broadway musicals