Follies (1971)
Book: James Goldman
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In short: The cult classic Follies is an unconventional, nostalgic exploration of youthful dreams and the realities of aging. Its music brings to life the golden era of theater from the 1910s through the 1950s.
I have never been hit harder by the emotional impact of a theatre piece, ever in my life. It is my single favorite theatre experience.
David h. Bell (theater director, choreographer and playwright)
Overview Follies - background and excerpts
Follies has become a cult classic. Set against the backdrop of a reunion of former showgirls, Follies explores dreams and illusions, successes and disappointments, nostalgia and reality. The title Follies not only refers to the showgirls of the famous Ziegfeld Follies revue but also to the “follies” of the main characters.
Plot Summary
Follies takes place in a dilapidated theater in New York City, where a reunion is held for the former showgirls of the Weismann’s Follies, a revue that was popular from 1919 to 1941. At the center are two couples: Sally and Buddy Plummer, and Phyllis and Ben Stone. Sally, who once loved Ben, has never let go of her feelings and struggles with her unhappy marriage to Buddy, who is himself unfaithful and dissatisfied in their relationship. Phyllis and Ben, living an outwardly glamorous and successful life, struggle with their own issues and emotional disconnection. As the characters reminisce, forced to confront the choices they’ve made and the disappointments that followed. The musical weaves together flashbacks to the “Follies” heyday with the present-day reality of the characters, showing their younger selves on stage to reveal past dreams and aspirations.
Nostalgic Concept Musical
With Company Sondheim introduced the concept musical, and Follies follows in this tradition. Unlike traditional “book musicals,” which center on a hero(ine) and a defined plot, concept musicals focus on themes and the characters’ development. In Follies there is barely a plot at all. As Sondheim put it, “It is about a party, and nothing happens in it at all, except people say hello and have a few drinks and go home. That’s the entire plot.”
So what is Follies ? It’s a bittersweet exploration of nostalgia, unfulfilled dreams, and the unavoidable reckoning with life’s truths. Sondheim amplifies the nostalgic atmosphere by incorporating pastiches—songs inspired by the theatrical styles of composers like Irving Berlin, Noël Coward, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers.
And all I ever dreamed I’d be,
the best I ever thought of me,
is every minute there to see,
in Buddy’s eyes.
The Ben I’ll never be,
who remembers him?
I got through
all of last year,
and I’m here.
Reception and Growing Appreciation
Follies sparked both admiration and criticism from the start, drawing fiercely polarized reviews. The two contrasting New York Times reviews from 1971 at the bottom of this page capture this divide well.
Sondheim’s music and lyrics were celebrated for their depth, complexity, and emotional impact, with critics praising his ability to convey nostalgia, regret, and the passage of time. The musical’s originality and daring structure were also acknowledged, though some found fault with its lack of a traditional plot, unconventional format, and darker themes.
The original production ran for 500 performances, but with its lavish sets, large cast, and extensive orchestra—“an embarrassment of riches,” in Sondheim’s words—it didn’t earn back its then-extraordinary investment of $800,000. Despite this, Follies won seven Tony Awards, including one for Sondheim’s score. The show has since produced several Broadway standards, inspired many adaptations, and enjoyed major revivals in New York and London in 1987, 2001, 2011, and 2017. In 2021, for its 50th anniversary, a reconstruction of the original production was created using archival footage, audio, and photos. In June 2024, Carnegie Hall staged a concert version.
Video excerpts (in show's order)
- “I’m still here”
One of the most iconic songs from the show, “I’m Still Here” is a pastiche and tribute to Harold Arlen (“Stormy Weather”), one of Sondheim’s favorite musicians. The song suits the theatrical character of Carlotta perfectly. Sondheim also wrote a version of this song for Shirley MacLaine in Postcards from the Edge, a film based on Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical book, starring Meryl Streep. - “Losing my mind”
Another showstopper, “Losing My Mind,” captures Sally’s obsessive love for Ben. Musically, Sondheim describes it as “stolen” from George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love,” though he wrote the lyrics in the style of Dorothy Fields. This song has been performed in countless versions. In addition to a version by Imelda Staunton, there’s also a humorous medley of “Losing My Mind” and “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” (from Company ) performed by Dorothy Loudon. - “Broadway Baby”
Like the previous songs, “Broadway Baby” is a Broadway classic. In this number, one of the former showgirls performs her old showstopper. - In “The road you didn’t take” Ben wonders if he made the right choices in life; it was performed in 2010 by the 80-year-old John McMartin, the original Ben from 1971.
- The unhappy Ben turns to his former love, Sally, who has always been in love with him, in “Too many mornings” .
- Phyllis sings “Could I leave you?” after Ben tells her he wants a divorce. The Dutch version, “Weggaan,” performed by Esther Maas, is also featured from Putting it Together.
- The younger versions of the two couples are featured in “You’re gonna love tomorrow”.
- Finally, “Country House” is included—a later addition to the show, which has seen many revisions and versions. Sondheim wrote “Country House” as a replacement for “The Road You Didn’t Take” for the London production in 1987, highlighting the cracks in Ben and Phyllis’s marriage.
Stephen Sondheim about Follies
“Adoring the Broadway canon as I did, the seductive aspect of the show was the opportunity to write two kinds of songs: character songs for the four principals and pastiches for the other performers, in styles ranging from 1918 to the 1940s […] Here was a chance for me to pay homage without attitude to the genre I loved, the past I had known only through recordings and sheet music. […]
The axiom that “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. is a valuable truism in the theater, but Follies is a show that’s a bit crippled by its size, ambition and mysteriousness and thus always worth the effort of experimentation – if only it were produced more often.”
More Follies: audio and video
Cast albums
Full shows/concerts
Go to More Sondheim for our Sondheim Archives.
Follies in the Netherlands
Most recent large production
Koninklijk Ballet van Vlaanderen – concertversion
Première: December 7th, 2000, Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht
Cast: Hans Peter Janssens (Ben), Loeki Knol (Sally), Frans Mulder (Buddy), Jasperina de Jong (Phyllis) and others
Translation: Allard Blom
Director: Caroline Frerichs
Audio and video
Reviews of Follies
Original production (1971)
“Follies is intermissionless and exhausting, an extravaganza that becomes tedious for two simple reasons: Its extravagances have nothing to do with its pebble of a plot; and the plot, which could be wrapped up in approximately two songs, dawdles through 22 before it declares itself done – Walter Kerr, The New York Times (1971)
“Neither Clive Barnes nor Walter Kerr liked Follies and they are this newspaper’s drama critics. I am not about to say that they were “wrong,” and right and wrong, rave and pan are the least of theater criticism anyway. I do believe, though, that every artwork is either good or it isn’t, and I am convinced that Follies is monumental theater. Not because I say so but because it is there for anybody to see. Moreover, its importance as a kind of theater transcends its interest as an example of a musical. I mean to notice this in The New York Times because if this truly great work is not recognized in these pages, then a part of reality will have gone unrecorded there. Follies is not just another hit show. Had it not succeeded so tremendously at what it was trying to do, the attempt alone—the very idea—would have made it a landmark musical. At a time when our musical theater is in a frightful state, devoid of even its traditional pro fessionalism, this production has moved it to a new plateau, has reminded us that the musical is a theater form. For those who take the musical theater as seriously as it deserves, this show will henceforth be the standard. Aspirations to opera are now obviously absurd. The musical stage is unique and capable of the mighty. […]
Sondheim’s qualities as a theater composer can hardly be overstated. He is constantly extending his vision, a composer applying a trained imagination to a stage he in timately understands. […] Sondheim’s music is modern even when it is nostalgic and Tunick understands this. Moreover, by writing his own, virtually perfect, lyrics, Sondheim matches the words to the (musical and intellectual) personality of his music as no partner lyricist could possibly do. Even so, Follies is truly awesome and, if it is not consistently good, it is always great – Martin Gottfried, The New York Times (1971).
West End revival (2017)
“Follies is like a distinctive taste that you either love or hate. I have always – slightly against my better judgment – adored this exorbitant classic of a musical. […] The musical can be performed as a camp extravaganza, but as I watched Dominic Cooke’s stupendous revival (the first full production since 1987), I was reflecting that while James Goldman’s book is thin, Stephen Sondheim has his cake and eats it: his lyrics are sad and entertaining, sentimental and truthful. His music is as nuanced as the lives it describes.” – Kate Kellaway, The Guardian (2017)
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