National
Theatre, Olivier
9th
September, 2017, matinee
As somewhat of a Stephen Sondheim fan, I’m rather
embarrassed to admit that my prior knowledge of his early masterpiece, Follies, boiled down to just three songs
(‘Broadway Baby’, ‘Buddy’s Blues’ and ‘Losing My Mind’) and a rather sketchy
idea of the plot. Yet with this confession also came the opportunity to
experience the musical with fresh eyes, and I can’t think of a better first
experience than Dominic Cooke’s latest production at the National Theatre. A
lavish production, the reinstating of some original songs, a cast of acting
royalty, and the simple fact that Sondheim is possibly the most revered musical
theatre composer still working today – with the immeasurable clout the very
promise of this revival brings it would be easy (lazy) to write it off as a
solid gold ‘HIT’ with all the predictability of the gushy
fan-cum-wannabe-critic before even seeing it. Yet, in all honesty, this
production lives up to those expectations and delivers all the drama, humour,
tragedy, glamour, smarts, ingenuity and humanity that is synonymous with
Sondheim, with added style and pathos.
As with Company,
Assassins and even Merrily We Roll
Along, Sondheim and James Goldman (book) subvert traditional dramatic and
musical conventions relating to time, character and plot; instead of presenting
a straightforward ‘storyline’, their creation is more a collage or moodboard of
experience. Part memory play, part vaudeville revue, the seamless cohabitation
of the past and the present, the real and the fictional, the glamorous and the
mundane lays the foundations for an exploration of the binaries that govern
life, and their fractious consequences. The result evokes a haunting and
creeping melancholy that all too often cracks through the veneer of the showbiz
‘razzle-dazzle’ of the traditional ‘Follies’ chorus girls, whether that be the
fading lights of the aging starlets, the bitterness of a loveless marriage, or
the regrets over long-lost relationships that could have been. The fact that
all this is conveyed without the dramatic constraints of a beginning, middle,
and end, or even intricacy of plot (it’s deceptively simple, even uneventful),
means that we are instead challenged to really get under the skin of these
characters, and experience things through the fractured prism of their memories
and biases – which is discombobulating in its intensity.
Cooke’s production enhances the ghostliness of the
musical as the figures of the younger characters’ selves linger onstage,
perched upon staircases, or sat majestically upon the crumbling debris of the
old Weismann Follies theatre in all their elaborate finery. Vicki Mortimer’s
design is a decadent triumph, juxtaposing the lustrous bejewelled and
befeathered satin dresses of the chorus girls with the seedy and slightly
grotesque setting of the ravaged, soon-to-be-demolished theatre. The bright
lights that once heralded the darlings of the Broadway landscape now flicker
sadly, and foreshadow (in hindsight) the betrayals and dissatisfactions the
characters face, particularly towards the end when the ‘Follies’ sign
fleetingly illuminates the inner morpheme, ‘lies’.
The musical numbers are effectively staged by Cooke
and choreographer, Bill Deamer; the vaudeville-esque pastiches fizz with glitz
and a fond familiarity (‘Who’s That Woman’, in particular), while the
simplistic blocking of the character-led songs effuses fragility and emotional
honesty. Amidst a starry cast, Imelda Staunton is charismatic and gut-wrenching
as ever as Sally, who is living in the past and still holds a candle for old
flame, Ben (Philip Quast). Staunton’s ‘Losing My Mind’ is a natural highlight
and worth the ticket price alone. Peter Forbes conveys all of Buddy’s
complexities and conflictions with aplomb, his ‘The Right Girl’ is punchy and
mournful in equal measure, while ‘Buddy’s Blues’ expertly straddles the line
between pastiche, satire, and tragedy. In fact, the entire ‘Loveland’ sequence is
a masterpiece in itself. After a low key start, Janie Dee comes into her own in
the second half as Phyllis’s resentment comes to a head in deliciously caustic
fashion with her gutsy, barn-storming number, ‘Could I Leave You?’. Among the
great (in all senses of the word!) supporting cast, Tracie Bennett leaves the
biggest impression as the experienced and resilient movie star, Carlotta
Campion, threatening to steal the show with her belting solo, ‘I’m Still Here’.
After a bit of a lacklustre season for the Olivier
theatre, the National has ensured its reputation has once again skyrocketed
with this smartest of revivals. Sondheim and the National seem a natural fit,
and Follies proves why; Cooke’s
understanding of the necessity for both spectacle and character delivers a
lustrous glimpse into the underbelly of showbusiness and the spangled warrens
of the human psyche. I’ll eat my hat if Follies
doesn’t get several Olivier nods/wins come April!
Follies runs at the National
Theatre until 3rd January, 2018.
In addition, Follies
will be broadcast to cinemas as part of NT Live on 16th
November.
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Company of Follies at the National Theatre. Credit: Johan Persson |
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