Shows · Follies
Follies
Opened 1971
522 performances
Musical, Revolution
Taking place at a reunion of performers who had appeared in various editions of the Weismann Follies (a fictitious counterpart of the Ziegfeld revue), the musical dealt with the reality of life as contrasted with the unreality of the theatre, a theme it explored principally through the lives of two couples, the upper-class, unhappy Phyllis and Ben Stone (Alexis Smith and John McMartin) and the middle-class, unhappy Sally and Buddy Plummer (Dorothy Collins and Gene Nelson). The second of the Stephen Sondheim-Harold Prince musicals, Follies also depicted these couples as they were in their youth, a flashback device that prompted the composer to come up with songs purposely reminiscent of the styles of some of the theatre’s great songwriters of the past. In 1985, a highly acclaimed all-star concert version was staged at Avery Fisher Hall. The musical bore a certain kinship with Company, which also was about jaded, ambivalent characters, took a Capitol OC; RCA OC (1985)/Random House (1971 )/ MTI.
- Music
- Stephen Sondheim
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Book
- James Goldman
Productions3 on Broadway
Songs12 songs
Waiting for the Girls Upstairs, Ah, Paris!, Broadway Baby, The Road You Didn’t Take, In Buddy’s Eyes, Who’s That Woman?, I’m Still Here, Too Many Mornings, The Right Girl, Could I Leave You?, Losing My Mind, The Story of Lucy and Jessie
Recordings 10 recordings
Licensing 1 entry
| US | Music Theatre International Follies matched on title alone: a lead, not a confirmed licensor |
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies). The evening follows a reunion of the Weismann Girls who performed during the interwar period. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, often accompanied by the ghosts of their younger selves. The score offers a pastiche of 1920s and 1930s musical styles, evoking a nostalgic tone. The original Broadway production, directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, with choreography by Bennett, opened April 4, 1971. The musical was nominated fo…
Something wrong here? Correct a field or report the problem. Every change is recorded in public under the contributor licence.