"Follies" pics- Page 4

[Scripps2]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 5:57pm

Thanks for posting the photos Doodle - I appreciate the opportunity to see them.

I saw the European premiere of Follies about three years before the London production in a very unassuming small theatre on a run down Council Estate on the outskirts of Manchester in the North of England. This obviously used the original book and score and, although it was done on a small budget, it had a huge impact on the audience: it remained faithful to the ideas and principles of the Broadway production. I can actually remember more about it than I can the London production. It generated such a buzz that there were major actors and actresses and even a government minister in the audience at the (two) performances I saw. The cast would be largely unknown to an American audience although Sally was played by the late Mary Millar who played the tarty sister in Keeping Up Appearances. The same theatre had done the European premiere of Merrily the year before and would do the same for Pacific Overtures the next year.

The London Follies was an anti-climax despite the lavish physical production, but even the London Follies was better than no London Follies. One of the critics at the time observed that those involved had mis-interpreted the show’s reputation by rewriting it – I think they actually said “Jerry Hermanising it” but I don’t have the press cuttings to hand to check. And anyway, that’s an old debate now. The London book gets criticised for being too warm and optimistic; the Broadway book gets criticised for being too harsh and cruel. As another of the London critics observed at the time (and again this isn’t a direct quote) “the fixing of Follies isn’t over yet and may never be – sit back and enjoy”. That’s probably too facile a conclusion for this thread – having seen Manchester's small scale carbon of the Broadway production I’m pinning my colours to the original book and score (though I could be tempted to substitute Uptown Downtown for Lucy and Jessie).