History Theatre / Follies

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Music/{{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The theater is condemned, and shall be torn down in days, taking all of its memories with it. Showgirls of yore, now middle-aged or older, perform their old numbers, variously nostalgic, contented, or confused. Ghosts trail the performers-- the ghosts of their own younger selves.

Follies is considered to be Sondheim's masterpiece, though the play itself has had a long and bumpy road. The musical was an AcclaimedFlop when it debuted in 1971, resulting in Capitol Records releasing the soundtrack to the musical in a heavily butchered single LP release as opposed to the original two LP set as planned. A full soundtrack would not resurface until 1985, when the entire score was performed live for a charity benefit by a star studded cast, which was released on CD (sadly the VHS and later DVD release focused mainly on the recording of the concert). The success of "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Into The Woods" gave Sondheim and Goldman the leverage to revive "Follies" in the UK in the late 1980s, where the play finally found commercial success. However, Goldman (who had long disliked the play's dark tone and downer ending) insisted on rewriting the play to give it a much more upbeat tone and ending.

* MinorCharacterMajorSong: Carlotta ("I'm Still Here") and Hattie ("Broadway Baby") both count as this.

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Music/{{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The theater is condemned, and shall be torn down in days, taking all of its memories with it. Showgirls of yore, now middle-aged or older, perform their old numbers, variously nostalgic, contented, or confused. Ghosts follow the performers-- the ghosts of their own younger selves.

** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Ben has a nervous breakdown but Phylis manages to survive her trip through "Loveland" for the better having reconciled her issues and takes Ben back. Later rewrites of the play by Goldman include additional dialogue for Ben, where he flat out states that he was a jerk to Phylis because he always assumed she never loved Ben for Ben and only his money; Phylis takes Ben back and admits that marriage is hard and she refuses to give up hope that the two can reconcile.]]

* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One part LivingMemory, one part that the old theater itself is haunted by the memories of its glory days. Throughout the play, dancers in full "Follies" regalia glide, saunter, and twinkle their way across the stage, in perfect silence. When the older performers revisit their numbers, their younger selves appear and dance or sing in counterpoint These apparitions are visible only to the audience, but the characters ''do'' feel uneasy.

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Music/{{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows two couples who go to a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The women, Sally Durant Plummer and Phyllis Rogers Stone, were chorus girls who, in their youth, were courted by Buddy Plummer and Benjamin Stone, respectively, always meeting up after the curtain call. Both couples are now deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; Ben is a super-successful businessman turned philanthropist on the verge of a mid-life crisis inspired nervous breakdown; Phylis meanwhile feels abandoned (emotionally and physically, due to his refusal to have children) by Ben and has turned cold outwardly towards her husband as a result. Several of the other former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Music/{{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows two couples who go to a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The women, Sally Durant Plummer and Phyllis Rogers Stone, were performers who were courted by Buddy Plummer and Benjamin Stone, respectively, after one of their shows. Both couples are now deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; Ben is a super-successful businessman turned philanthropist on the verge of a mid-life crisis inspired nervous breakdown; Phylis meanwhile feels abandoned (emotionally and physically, due to his refusal to have children) by Ben and has turned cold outwardly towards her husband as a result. Several of the other former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.

* {{Pastiche}}: "Rain on the Roof" is a pastiche of novelty songs, "The-God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me-Blues" is a vaudeville/{{Patter Song}} pastiche, and "Broadway Baby" is a pastiche of optimistic songs of the 1920s, like "The Best Things in Life are Free". "Who's That Woman?" is in the style of Music/ColePorter's lyrics and Richard Rodger's music, "Losing My Mind" is in the style of Music/GeorgeGershwin's "The Man I Love," "I'm Still Here" is in the style of Harold Arlen, "One More Kiss" is in the style of Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Fiml, "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is in the style of Jerome Kern, "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" is in the style of Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, "Live, Laugh, Love" is in the style of Fred Astaire, "Ah, Paris" is fully in the style of Cole Porter and "Loveland" is, of course, in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies.

* LostEpisode: Has never been recorded professionally and unlike Assassins, no full bootleg versions of the play in it's various forms exist. Moreso the 1985 concert performance video version was 70% behind the scenes material with the songs that were featured in said video, largely featured without any context as the numbers were performed outside the context of the story. Furthermore, soundtrack versions of the musical have largely been incomplete or missing dialogue that explains the various plots and songs. It was not until the 2011 version's soundtrack was released that "Follies" was released in a manner that was remotely complete. However now averted since The 2013 Toulon Production was screened on TV and the 2017 National Theatre Production was screened live to Cinemas.

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows two couples who go to a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The women, Sally Durant Plummer and Phyllis Rogers Stone, were performers who were courted by Buddy Plummer and Benjamin Stone, respectively, after one of their shows. Both couples are now deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; Ben is a super-successful businessman turned philanthropist on the verge of a mid-life crisis inspired nervous breakdown; Phylis meanwhile feels abandoned (emotionally and physically, due to his refusal to have children) by Ben and has turned cold outwardly towards her husband as a result. Several of the other former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.

** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Ben has a nervous breakdown but Phylis manages to survive her trip through "Loveland" for the better having reconciled her issues and takes Ben back. Later rewrites of the play by Goldman include additional dialogue for Ben, where he flat out states that he was a jerk to Phylis because he always assumed she never loved Ben for Ben and only his money; Phylis takes Ben back and admits that marriage his hard and she refuses to give up hope that the two can reconcile.]]

* LostEpisode: Has never been recorded professionally and unlike Assassins, no full bootleg versions of the play in it's various forms exist. Moreso the 1985 concert performance video version was 70% behind the scenes material with the songs that were featured in said video, largely featured without any context as the numbers were performed outside the context of the story. Furthermore, soundtrack versions of the musical have largely been incomplete or missing dialogue that explains the various plots and songs. It was not until the 2011 version's soundtrack was released that "Follies" was released in a manner that was remotely complete.

* CutSong: "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (used in the prologue), "Can That Boy Foxtrot!" and "Uptown Downtown". The musical numbers "Ah, But Underneath" (replacing "The Story of Lucy and Jessie"), "Country House", "Make the Most of Your Music" (replacing "Live, Laugh, Love"), "Social Dancing" have been incorporated into various productions. Also {{In-Universe}}, Carlotta's song was cut from the show because it got laughs [[{{Narm}} despite being a sad song]].

* {{Pastiche}}: "Rain on the Roof" is a pastiche of novelty songs, "The-God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me-Blues" is a vaudeville/{{Patter Song}} pastiche, and "Broadway Baby" is a pastiche of optimistic songs of the 1920s, like "The Best Things in Life are Free". "Who's That Woman?" is in the style of {{Cole Porter}}'s lyrics and Richard Rodger's music, "Losing My Mind" is in the style of Music/GeorgeGershwin's "The Man I Love," "I'm Still Here" is in the style of Harold Arlen, "One More Kiss" is in the style of Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Fiml, "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is in the style of Jerome Kern, "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" is in the style of Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, "Live, Laugh, Love" is in the style of Fred Astaire, "Ah, Paris" is fully in the style of Cole Porter and "Loveland" is, of course, in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies.

* InTheStyleOf: The musical makes the most of this trope. "Who's That Woman?" is in the style of {{Cole Porter}}'s lyrics and Richard Rodger's music, "Losing My Mind" is in the style of Music/GeorgeGershwin's "The Man I Love," "I'm Still Here" is in the style of Harold Arlen, "One More Kiss" is in the style of Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Fiml, "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is in the style of Jerome Kern, "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" is in the style of Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, "Live, Laugh, Love" is in the style of Fred Astaire, "Ah, Paris" is fully in the style of Cole Porter and "Loveland" is, of course, in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies.

* MusicalPastiche: "Rain on the Roof" is a pastiche of novelty songs, "The-God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me-Blues" is a vaudeville/{{Patter Song}} pastiche, and "Broadway Baby" is a pastiche of optimistic songs of the 1920s, like "The Best Things in Life are Free."

* InTheStyleOf: The musical makes the most of this trope. "Who's That Woman?" is in the style of {{Cole Porter}}'s lyrics and Richard Rodger's music, "Losing My Mind" is in the style of Creator/GeorgeGershwin's "The Man I Love," "I'm Still Here" is in the style of Harold Arlen, "One More Kiss" is in the style of Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Fiml, "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is in the style of Jerome Kern, "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" is in the style of Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, "Live, Laugh, Love" is in the style of Fred Astaire, "Ah, Paris" is fully in the style of Cole Porter and "Loveland" is, of course, in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies.

* InTheStyleOf: The musical makes the most of this trope. "Who's That Woman?" is in the style of {{Cole Porter}}'s lyrics and Richard Rodger's music, "Losing My Mind" is in the style of {{George Gershwin}}'s "The Man I Love," "I'm Still Here" is in the style of Harold Arlen, "One More Kiss" is in the style of Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Fiml, "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is in the style of Jerome Kern, "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" is in the style of Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, "Live, Laugh, Love" is in the style of Fred Astaire, "Ah, Paris" is fully in the style of Cole Porter and "Loveland" is, of course, in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Carlotta Champion and "I'm Still Here".

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Phylis, especially after the UK rewrites replaced her "Loveland" number. The original states that Phylis is internally torn between a longing to be free and sexually desirable but poor and unloved (Juicy Lucy) or being rich and pampered and financially secured but emotionally dead due to being trapped in a loveless marriage (Dressy Jesse). The UK version of the play provides a completely different take on Phylis, one that is based upon the idea that Phylis has spent her entire life trying to be whatever it is her man wants her to be ("Ah But Underneath") and that her angst comes from knowing that, having spent her entire life being what everyone else wants her to be, that Phylis fears that she is a fraud and no one knew the real her, if there ever was a real Phylis beyond the facade she put on for those around her.

* ComeForTheXStayForTheY: Come for the homages/tributes to old vaudville routines and stay for music themed nervouse breakdowns of two troubled couples on the brink of madness.

* WagTheDirector:
** For the 1985 concert version, Mandy Patinkin asked to redo "The God Why Don't You Love Me Blues" song as a solo, even though the original version featured back-up singers for the characters Margie and Sally.
** Part of the reason for "Ah But Underneath" being created was to play to actress Diana Riggs' strength as a singer, as the actress had problems with her choreography for her character while doing the play.

Follies is considered to be Sondheim's masterpiece, though the play itself has had a long and bumpy road. The musical was a critical success but a commercial flop when it debuted in 1971, resulting in Capital Records releasing the soundtrack to the musical in a heavily butchered single LP release as opposed to the original two LP set as planned. A full soundtrack would not resurface until 1985, when the entire score was performed live for a charity benefit by a star studded cast, which was released on CD (sadly the VHS and later DVD release focused mainly on the recording of the concert). The success of "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Into The Woods" gave Sondheim and Goldman the leverage to revive "Follies" in the UK in the late 1980s, where the play finally found commercial success. However, Goldman (who had long disliked the play's dark tone and downer ending) insisted one rewriting the play to give it a much more upbeat tone and ending.

* TheAce: Ben Stone is considered this though deep down he feels like a total and complete fraud

* ComeForXStayForY: Come for the homages/tributes to old vaudville routines and stay for music themed nervouse breakdowns of two troubled couples on the brink of madness.
* CoolOldLady: Hattie Walker, and Carlotta Champion. An argument can be made for Heidi Schiller, Stella Deems, and Solange as well, but {YMMV}.

* WagTheDirector: For the 1985 concert version, Mandy Patinkin asked to redo "The God Why Don't You Love Me Blues" song as a solo, even though the original version featured back-up singers for the characters Margie and Sally.

* ToGoodToLast: The original Broadway run of "Follies".

Follies is considered to be Sondheim's MagnumOpus by many critics, though the play itself has had a long and bumpy road. The musical was a critical success but a commercial flop when it debuted in 1971, resulting in Capital Records releasing the soundtrack to the musical in a heavily butchered single LP release as opposed to the original two LP set as planned. A full soundtrack would not resurface until 1985, when the entire score was performed live for a charity benefit by a star studded cast, which was released on CD (sadly the VHS and later DVD release focused mainly on the recording of the concert). The success of "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Into The Woods" gave Sondheim and Goldman the leverage to revive "Follies" in the UK in the late 1980s, where the play finally found commercial success. However, Goldman (who had long disliked the play's dark tone and downer ending) insisted one rewriting the play to give it a much more upbeat tone and ending.

* MagnumOpus: For Sondheim

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Phylis, especially after the UK rewrites replaced her "Loveland" number. The original states that Phylis is internally torn between a longing to be free and sexually desirable but poor and unloved (Juicy Lucy) or being rich and pampered and financially secured but emotionally dead due to being trapped in a loveless marriage (Dressy Jesse). The UK version of the play provides a completely different take on Phylis, one that is based upon the idea that Phylis has spent her entire life basically trying to be whatever it is her man wants her to be ("Ah But Underneath") and that her angst comes from knowing that, having spent her entire life being what everyone else wants her to be, that Phylis fears that she is a fraud and no one knew the real her, if there ever was a real Phylis beyond the facade she put on for those around her.

** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Ben has a nervous breakdown but Phylis manages to survive her trip through "Loveland" for the better having reconciled her issues and takes Ben back. Later rewrites of the play by Goldman include additional dialogue for Ben, where he flat out states that he was a jerk to Phylis because he always assumed she never loved Ben for Ben and only his money; Phylis takes Ben back and admits that marriage his hard and basically she refuses to give up hope that the two can reconcile.]]

* DespairEventHorizon: The ending for [[spoiler: Sally; the original script and the 2011 revival event explicitly states that her final line is one, as far as stating that the line (and it's variation) "Oh Dear God; it it tomorrow" should be spoken in a manner totally and UTTERLY devoid of all hope).

Follies is considered to be Sondheim's MagnumOpus by many critics, though the play itself has had a long and bumpy road. The musical was a critical success but a commercial flop when it debuted in 1971, resulting in Capital Records releasing the soundtrack to the musical in a heavily butchered single LP release as opposed to the original two LP set. A full soundtrack would not resurface until 1985, when the entire score was performed live for a charity benefit by a star studded cast, which was released on CD (sadly the VHS and later DVD release focused mainly on the recording of the concert). The success of "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Into The Woods" gave Sondheim and Goldman the leverage to revive "Follies" in the UK in the late 1980s, where the play finally found commercial success. However, Goldman (who had long disliked the play's dark tone and downer ending) insisted one rewriting the play to give it a much more upbeat tone and ending.

''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and a book by James Goldman. It follows two couples who go to a reunion of a Broadway theater where the "Weismann's Follies" were shown. The women, Sally Durant Plummer and Phyllis Rogers Stone, were performers who were courted by Buddy Plummer and Benjamin Stone, respectively, after one of their shows. Both couples are now deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the other former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.

* TheAce: Ben Stone thinks he's this, though he's really just a pretentious snob.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Buddy loves Sally, Sally loves Ben, Ben loves himself, and Phyllis loves no one.

* BettyAndVeronica: For Sally, Buddy as Betty and Ben as Veronica.

* [[spoiler: {{Downer Ending}}: The couples go home without solving any of their problems, promising to do it later. Then, young Buddy and young Ben call to their girls upstairs.]]

* TriumphantReprise: The piano part of "Beautiful Girls" comes back in "Loveland" with a full orchestra. [[Irony Though the situation it reappears in certainly isn't triumphant.]]