Comments on: “Like Rheingold, But With More Tunes”: Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” At The National Theatre

By: Jeffrey Rockwell

Jeffrey Rockwell — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 07:10:24 +0000

I was a student living in New York when the original production of “Follies” was running at the Winter Garden. I saw it there three times and later at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. I’ve seen large-scale stagings, stagings in 99-seat theatres, such as the one I musical-directed and conducted from behind the keyboard and another directed by the original Buddy, Gene Nelson. I know the show and its history inside out, having practically memorized the Chapin book, “Everything Was Possible,” from multiple readings. I can guarantee that after experimenting with different placements for the intermission, the original creators finally decided that it served the material best as a one-act, with a running time of two hours and twenty minutes. No other first-class professional production that I’ve seen has had the courage and insight to make the same choice until this one, and that immediately sets it apart from all others as coming closest to matching the power and impact of the original. My vivid memories of seeing it as an impressionable student have led me to argue over the years that inserting an intermission takes the audience off the hook: it interrupts the rising tensions among the characters and allows the viewer time to disengage halfway through, robbing the final moments of the bittersweet closure the characters and audience deserve. So, “Bravi’ to everyone backstage and front at the National Theatre for making all the right choices and bringing the show’s poignancy and wisdom back with respect, imagination, and every kind of skill.

By: James Murray

James Murray — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 13:10:01 +0000

I saw this last night in the cinema and (mostly) loved it. Fine performances all round marred by the dreadful imbalance between the orchestra and singers; much of the time Imelda Staunton & Janie Dee were inaudible. Things came across a little better in the big set pieces & generally the men were less affected by the poor balance. Seeing Josephine Barstow again was a trip down Memory Lane (I was a regular at ENO in the 70s & 80s) – maybe there isn’t much voice left (how many singers in their late 70s could have done better?) but her younger self – whose name escapes me – was superb. I wasn’t bothered at all by the length of the show. Many of us in the full cinema here in darkest Cornwall burst into applause after several numbers and at the end. Would love to see this ‘live’ but only if I could be sure of hearing the singers and more of the text throughout.

By: John Groves

John Groves — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 08:54:27 +0000

Fascinating – many thanks Jim: that is one of the reasons that ORC exists, so that people may share experiences. I remember the 1987 West End production with interval, but never realised until the NT production came along that it was so different from the original! I well remember Adele Leigh’s gorgeous waltz number and the Pearl Carr/Teddy Johnson duet, but after the ‘interval the show seemed to flag. I still think that the show is too long to be played complete without an interval, but I am so glad I have seen it again. It was very exhilarating!

By: Jim Smith

Jim Smith — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 20:24:11 +0000

Thanks to Mr. Groves for the most informative review. When I noticed “Follies,” National Theatre and Olivier all in the same sentence, I immediately began to salivate.
“Follies” seems to be one of those pieces, like, for instance, Bernstein’s “Candide”, that almost no one gets completely right. Are there intrinsic flaws in James Goldman’s book, or haven’t all of the elements been selected and guided properly? More on that momentarily, but first let me say, I was a bit stunned to read that NT is playing it straight through, as In the original production…
I saw the original Broadway production (which I thought was terrific) and I have zero memory of there being no intermission/interval. Yes, I know, all too well, that I am of a certain age, and episodes of unreliable recollection are frequent and troubling. But…but.. isn’t it possible that at some point in the run, it was decided to add an act break? As you can see I haven’t done my homework, but there must be an answer out there somewhere.
In late ’72, this production and cast came to LA to open the Shubert Theatre in Century City. Again, no recollection of a straight-thru show; worse, it all played like a very chilly downer. Business was poor, the run ended abruptly and years later the Shubert was razed to make way for nothing of artistic note; hello irony, my old friend.
Fade out, fade in: 1987, London, and a beautifully staged version that I thought worked really well. The issue wasn’t that an interval had been added, but that the crucial Loveland sequence had been rewritten, because, and take your pick, Cameron Macintosh felt the main characters were still the same unpleasant people they were at the outset, and/or Diana Rigg couldn’t dance. Anyway, I bought the changes, but didn’t realize until years later that they were unnecessary.
In 2011, an ex-gypsy friend told me he was going to New York to see the Kennedy Center revival of “Follies,”* because his old friend, Susan Watson was in it as Emily (Susan had created the role of Luisa in “The Fantasticks” and in 71, starred in the Broadway revival of “No, No Nanette”). I invited myself to come along…
Well, I was blown away. Director Eric Schaeffer and choreographer Warren Carlyle wove all of the elements with such emotional clarity and balance that by the time Loveland (original restored) had spilled out in its resplendence, i was overcome by the nearly unbearable poignance of it all. And I knew, conclusively, that there was nothing fatally wrong with any of it, that the alchemy was exactly right for this artistic group, and that “Follies” is yet another Sondheim masterpiece.

*Bernadette Peters, Danny Burstein, Jan Maxwell, Ron Raines, Elaine Paige (Carlotta), Rosalind Elias

By: John Groves

John Groves — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:31:58 +0000

I was also surprised at the inclusion of so many personal opinions: most were intended as background for Kevin!!!

By: John Maskell

John Maskell — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:31:09 +0000

Another excellent review but I was surprised at the inclusion of so many very personal opinions!

By: Kevin Clarke

Kevin Clarke — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 08:58:56 +0000

I guess if I can survive “Einstein on the Beach” by Philip Glass without an interval – five hours of non-stop music – I could survive 150 minutes of Sondheim too. Not to mention “Rgeingold”….