About the work
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman, premiered on Broadway in 1971 in the legendary staging by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett. In a theatre about to be demolished, former revue girls gather for one last reunion. Between dazzling pastiche numbers in the style of old Broadway shows and unsparing character songs, the work unfolds a layered meditation on transience, regret and disappointed dreams.
Plot
On the occasion of the demolition of a venerable theatre, the producer Dimitri Weismann gathers once more the stars of his former "Follies" revues. At the centre are two unhappily married couples: Sally and Buddy, and Phyllis and Ben, whose paths crossed in this theatre in their youth. As memory summons the younger versions of themselves onto the stage as ghosts, old loves, hurts and unfulfilled longings break open. The evening culminates in a surreal "Loveland" sequence in which each character acts out their inner collapse in a great number of their own – before reality returns in the sobering light of morning.
Cultural significance
Follies is regarded as one of the most ambitious and most discussed works of American music theatre and a key example of the "concept musical". Songs such as "I'm Still Here", "Losing My Mind", "Broadway Baby" and "Could I Leave You?" belong to the core repertoire of the genre. Sondheim's interweaving of nostalgic showbiz glamour and psychological depth made the show a cult legend that – despite, or precisely because of, its scale and melancholy – is staged anew again and again and revered by collectors and critics.