Follies

Why wouldn't it be set in the 1970s? It's always been set in the early 70s.

the drum, surprisingly, isn't used.

I always thought of the original Follies being in the 20's, and Sally is only meant to be late 40's so I always put it as being set somewhere in the 50's?  Not that it matters, they could set it now, a revue show could have happened any time in the 20th century really

It matters a great deal. It's not just about a reunion of former showgirls, or an analysis of two unhappy marriages. It's also about the decline/death of the American Dream in the period following World War Two. The focus is on two former showgirls who were part of the Follies' final season in 1940 for a reason: America was at the peak of her powers, was the world's shining beacon of hope - but after the war was won, America's self-image began to change. By 1970, the US had been through Korea and was embroiled in Vietnam, the moral landscape was much more complex, and what had been shiny suddenly seemed to be tarnished. The social history encompassed by the show stretches further back than 1940, of course - I'm Still Here is full of references to specific historical moments/artifacts/incidents, and none of them are arbitrary - but it's no accident that it boomerangs between those two historical points.

I think it's easy to forget it's 1970s setting as is so rarely staged properly here and we're just used to convert performances of it.
I so love Blonde Imelda!

Agree though why everyone's going mad over the set- it's a crumbling theatre - as it should be. I'm more interested to see if they deliver Loveland property - I assume they do.

The first reports are amazing but I hope it's not first preview-itis.. people desperate to be all smug and make everyone else feel they've misssed out!

Cannot wait to see this... and to hear (I hope) that score played brilliantly

Loved this. I managed to get a return for the talk before, which was an added bonus.
Personally I think Janie Dee steals it from Imelda Staunton.
I was disappointed that they didn’t use the drum revolve, although perhaps this could be something to do with a possible West End transfer?

Let me gush I'm excited goddammit!!!!!

And I am assuming, or rather hoping, that they are using the original Loveland songs, not the Cam Mac variations, which did feel to lighten the essential darkness. But ah, the memory of Diana Rigg in that production....

As I've gotten older, I've become more and more cantankerous and seem to like less and less nowadays, but holy sh!t..... Follies was fantastic!! Seriously, I was SO impressed. The set is huge. Its a big crumbling wall of a theatre, inside and out and then it becomes the auditorium, with piles of debris to the side. A huge Follies sign hangs on the wall. Its very effective. From what I've read about the original production, this seems very close to that. The ghosts of the past are very much present, always there, always watching.

Imelda Staunton might be petite, but that really doesn't stop you from believing in her character. She just seems to nail it. From her nervous chatter at the beginning to her state at the end, it all seems so believable. I really felt for her. Janie Dee plays it brilliantly too. Again, she plays the characters arc so well. I didn't even recognise Phillip Quast when he first came on.... he was good, but seemed to have run out of steam by Live, Laugh Love. Zizi Strallen in a ginger wig is the spitting image of her aunt, Bonnie Langford!

I think this is probably the 4th or 5th production I've seen of Follies and this was easily the most successful. The Loveland sequence makes a lot more sense than it has previously. I even enjoyed the new take on Buddy's Blues.

A big part of the success was because there is no interval. It allows you to follow the story and really get invested in what's happening. I didn't see a single person leave during the show.

There were a few issues for the first preview, like the dancers trousers splitting up the back and the odd forgotten line, plus a small show stop at the start of Loveland, but for a first preview, it was amazing. The man himself was there and his shoulder brushed against mine on the way out, so I think he fancied me.....

This morning I booked to see it again, later in the run and I have never done that for a show before. It was simply stunning.

I'm seeing this tonight. Yipeee!

Seeing this in December - got tickets today! Looking forward to reading more reviews in the next few days and information about changes that are being made. Do people think that this could be another award-winning performance by Staunton - a hat-trick of Sondheim musical Oliviers? I know there are always four leads according to the billing, but in terms of the female leads, I always seem to feel that Sally is the 'better' or 'meatier' role that Phyllis i.e., Phyllis seems slightly secondary to Sally. Any thoughts on this? The men's lead roles seem more balanced IMO (although, if pushed, I'd say Ben was actually the better role). It's all marginal and subjective though - looking forward to seeing this.