Film & TV NewsLondon Follies Revival, Starring Imelda Staunton, Broadcast Live in Theatres November 16The lavish staging of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s legendary Broadway musical boasts a cast of 37 and a 21-piece orchestra.
By
Adam Hetrick
November 16, 2017
Imelda Staunton
Johan Persson
The National Theatre's sold-out production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s 1971 Broadway musical Follies is broadcast live in cinemas across the globe November 16.
Like the Broadway original, the London revival is performed straight through, without an intermission.
Directed by Dominic Cooke, Follies stars four-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton as Sally, Olivier and Obie winner Janie Dee as Phyllis, three-time Olivier winner Philip Quast as Ben, Peter Forbes as Buddy, and two-time Olivier winner Tracie Bennett as Carlotta Campion.
Set within a decaying theatre, Follies centers on a reunion of former follies girls who reunite to relive their past, and rehash old wounds and regrets.
The National Theatre revival is the first fully staged major London production of Follies to present the original Broadway version of the show. Sondheim and Goldman revised large parts of the show’s script and score for its 1987 London premiere, toning down the underlying bleakness of the Broadway original, and offering a more hopeful finale for its central characters.
Cooke revisited early drafts of Goldman’s script, restoring original dialogue and moments that have not been seen in the production since its 1971 Broadway run.
The London production began previews August 22 and officially opened to critical acclaim September 7. Performances are scheduled through January 3, 2018.
The cast also features Di Botcher as Hattie Walker, Dawn Hope as Stella Deems, Geraldine Fitzgerald as Solange Lafitte, Josephine Barstow as Heidi Schiller, Norma Attallah as Emily Whitman, Billy Boyle as Theodore Whitman, Gary Raymond as Dimitri Weismann, Bruce Graham as Roscoe, Alex Young as Young Sally, Zizi Strallen as Young Phyllis, Adam Rhys-Charles as Young Ben, and Fred Haig as Young Buddy.
Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning score, a mix of pastiche and complex, character-driven material features “I'm Still Here,” “Broadway Baby,” “Losing My Mind,” “The Right Girl,” and “Too Many Mornings.”
Flip through photos from the production below:
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First Look at Follies, Starring Imelda Staunton, at the National Theatre
First Look at Follies, Starring Imelda Staunton, at the National Theatre
The revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical, which began performances August 22, is set to officially open in London September 6
