Follies

New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves.

Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors). Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.

Includes introduction, behind-the-scenes features

‘Unmissable. Razzmatazz, poignancy and cracking songs.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Imelda Staunton is unforgettable in Sondheim’s showbiz stunner.’ Guardian

‘Spectacular. Outstanding.’ Financial Times

‘Stunning. An extraordinary cast.’ Time Out

‘A perfect production.’ Metro

‘Triumphant. Produces tears, cackles and goosebumps, sometimes all together.’ Sunday Times

‘Tremendous. This bittersweet musical is still a sensation.’ Observer

‘A perfect, devastating evocation of the pain of looking back’ Time Out

‘Imelda Staunton and Janie Dee are perfect leads for this huge, stunning Sondheim revival’ Time Out

‘It’s a case of knockout after knockout. The hairs on the back of my neck were begging for mercy for they got barely a moment’s peace, what with the thrilling sound of the orchestra (under Nigel Lilley’s fantastic musical direction) and the tightly drilled choreography of Bill Deamer.’ Independent

‘Follies is an elegiac, eloquent work about age and disappointment, about the agonising clash between the fires of youth and the pragmatism of late middle age. It is about illusion and reality, razzle-dazzle and darkness. And it pierces both heart and brain in Dominic Cooke’s towering revival.’ Time Out

‘One listens in wonder. The score is so rich that no sooner has a certain number registered as a favorite, another comes along to supersede it.’ New York Times