National Theatre Live: Follies

Love musicals and am a great admirer of Stephen Sondheim, have been for a while since 'Sweeney Todd'. Love his melodies, and disagree with those who hated the film version of 'Into the Woods' (am not one of those) who said that there were no memorable songs in that musical or that they were repetitive, happen to think 'Into the Woods' is one of his best musicals. Also love his immensely clever lyric writing.

Both of which can be found in another one of his best works 'Follies'. A musical with delicious spectacle and entertainment value, a large amount of emotional impact, memorable characters, beautiful melodies and clever lyrics. Everything a good, great even, musical ought to be. It is a shame that 'Follies' is not performed more often, and it has nothing to do with its quality as a musical but more that it is difficult to stage and perform. 'Follies' embraces the challenge of staging and performing this challenging musical and succeeds with flying colours, it is as great a production of 'Follies' as one can get.

The production is not quite perfect. Was not overly fond of the staging of the gorgeous "Losing My Mind", an emotional torch song but staged in a way that missed the point distractingly.

On the other hand, there are so many excellent qualities. The production looks great with sumptuous but not too fussy and never garish production and costume design (wasn't overly fond of Imelda Staunton's Sally's wig though), theatrical but not overly nostalgic. "Losing My Mind" aside, the direction does a truly great job making the proceedings always energetic and entertaining and the spectacle as eye-catching as possible without any overblown camp. All while never losing the emotion and intensity of the drama and the complexity of the characters, cleverly emphasising the duality of them without falling into confusion.

It's beautifully performed musically, the orchestral playing has power, character and nuance and the conducting was alert yet also sensitive. Really liked that songs that are not really among my favourites from the show but were surprising highlights here in this production.

'Follies' has terrific performances all round. Imelda Staunton's performance as Sally was filled with depth and emotion, she may have not been right physically strictly speaking for the role but everything else about her performance more than makes up for it. Despite preferring "Losing My Mind" usually, the staging and interpretation in "In Buddy's Eyes" moved me much more and much more akin to what the song is really about. The Ben of Phillip Quast goes from condescending to tortured more than believably and he sounds as great as ever. Janie Dee is deliciously sardonic and Tracie Bennett delights in her increasing defiance. Peter Forbes is no less inferior.

On the whole, great. 9/10

Orchestra is much too loud and persistent. Two hours without an intermission left my ears ringing.

The cinematic filming of this show doesn't actually mask what's problematic about the show itself (eg - inconsistent pacing, scenes that go on too long, perhaps one or two too many musical numbers, and occasionally clunky dialogue); but on the other hand, the enormously skillful camerawork and direction magnify the show's joys and pleasures and brings clarity and depth to the interrelationships of the characters and the endlessly interesting dynamic of the past echoing in on the present. This has always been Mr. Sondheim's show that lends itself most readily to a film -- after all, it is, at heart, a show biz tale -- but the ideal treatment would be to have the first twenty or so minutes of the movie actually take place at the time when the characters were their young selves so we could see, first hand, the dynamics in play ,.... and then fast forward to the reunion. (But then again, who asked me?! :-)

This was the latest West End show to come to a movie theater near me last night. I saw it in London in 1987 – twice – with Dolores Gray and then Eartha Kitt singing the show's 'anthem' "I'm Still Here". This new production goes back to Stephen Sondheim's original vision: a single extended act and a character development study (wow – in a musical?) rather than a plot-driven drama.

A crumbling brick wall on a revolving stage creates the minimalist set, with a fire escape replacing the grand staircase down which the chorus girls would have paraded in the heyday of the Ziegfeld-style Follies decades earlier. At this 1970s reunion (the theatre is soon to be torn down) the focus is on two couples whose marriages have gone very stale: Sally and Buddy and Phyllis and Ben. Sally was in love with Ben (still is) but she married Buddy, who is a serial philanderer, as is Ben and also Phyllis. These four interact with their younger selves in crisp scenes and songs. If this show were a cocktail – and it very much is - it could only be a whisky sour.

FOLLIES makes a kind of 'companion piece' to Sondheim's earlier show COMPANY, which took an equally cynical view of several marriages from the viewpoint of a 'confirmed bachelor' (the character wasn't gay, although that was how gay men used to be referred to!). Some of the songs and production numbers in FOLLIES are re-runs of pastiche vaudeville numbers with the players shadowed by and even dancing with their younger selves .

But it's the bitterest lyrics – 'torch songs' - that stand out, show-casing failed relationships and the disappointments life dishes out. 'Could I Leave You?' is sung by Phyllis (Janie Dee who kept reminding me of Sigourney Weaver). 'Losing My Mind' is Sally's big number – Imelda Staunton came into her own with this, though I felt she was underplaying the character in the first half of the show.

The absolute show-stopper (equivalent to 'The Ladies Who Lunch' in COMANY) is 'I'm Still Here' sung by retired stage siren Carlotta (Tracie Bennett). The best ever performance of the song, for me, was Carol Burnett's in a concert version of FOLLIES from the Lincoln Center in 1985. Shirley MacLaine sang it memorably in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, playing a character meant to be Debbie Reynolds. In this new production Tracie Bennett comes close to eclipsing everybody else. Ms Bennett memorably recreated Judy Garland on stage some years ago – a pity she won't be in the next year's new bio-pic (Renee Zellweger). Much as Elaine Stritch lit up the stage with 'Ladies Who Lunch' in the 1972 COMPANY, Tracie Bennett stole the show for me last night.

And what a show this is! Catch a repeat when they show an 'Encore' at your local multiplex.