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Overview

Synopsis

It is 1971, and the iconic Weismann Theater, now a crumbling shell of its former glory, is about to be demolished to provide precious New York City parking space. Broadway impresario Dimitri Weismann arranges a reunion of the actors, singers, dancers, and personalities who peopled his famous Follies in the years between the World Wars, as a farewell tribute to the doomed building. In a shabby yet sparkling atmosphere of bittersweet nostalgia, a wide variety of faded glamour girls -- the famous Follies beauties of years gone by -- laugh, reminisce, brag, boast, express regret, and perform the musical numbers which made them famous, trailed by the ghostly memories of their younger selves. Against this volatile atmosphere of drunken remembrances, a decades-old love quadrangle receives a revival when Follies dancers Sally and Phyllis, and their respective husbands, Buddy and Ben -- who used to hang around backstage, waiting for their girls -- meet again. During one night of romance and regret, two crumbling thirty-year-long marriages are put to the test. With the endless variety of Stephen Sondheim’s score, a loving and brilliant pastiche of show music from the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, and the time-travel trickery of James Goldman’s book, Follies is a glamorous and fascinating peek into a bygone era, and a clear-eyed look at the transformation of relationships over time. This show features the wistful torch song “Losing My Mind,” the wry showstopper “I’m Still Here,” and “Broadway Baby,” that determined ode to making it in show business.

Show Information

Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
1
First Produced
1971
Genres
Drama
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings, Spectacle
Time & Place
1971, the weismann theatre, new york city
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Heavy
Ideal For
College/University, Large Cast, Mature Audiences, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Elderly Characters

Context

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Buddy Plummer

Lead

Male

Baritone

Sally Durant Plummer

Lead

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano

Benjamin Stone

Lead

Male

Baritone

Phyllis Rogers Stone

Lead

Female

Alto

Young Buddy

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Young Phyllis

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Young Sally

Supporting

Female

Soprano

Young Ben

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Stella Deems

Supporting

Female

Alto

Carlotta Campion

Supporting

Female

Alto

Dimitri Weismann

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Heidi Schiller

Supporting

Female

Soprano

Hattie Walker

Supporting

Female

Alto

Emily Whitman

Featured

Female

Alto

Theodore Whitman

Featured

Male

Baritone

Max Deems

Featured

Male

Spoken

Christine Donovan

Featured

Female

Soprano, Alto

Meredith Lane

Featured

Female

Soprano, Alto

DeeDee West

Featured

Female

Soprano, Alto

Willy Wheeler

Featured

Male

Spoken

Roscoe

Featured

Male

Tenor

Vincent

Featured

Male

Spoken

Vanessa

Featured

Female

Spoken

Young Vincent

Featured

Male

Silent

Young Vanessa

Featured

Female

Silent

Young Stella

Featured

Female

Alto

Solange La Fitte

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Kevin

Featured

Male

Spoken

Young Heidi

Featured

Female

Soprano

Showgirls

Ensemble

Female

Soprano, Alto

Ensemble

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone

Songs

  • Act One
  • "Beautiful Girls" – Roscoe and Company
  • "Don't Look at Me" – Sally and Ben
  • "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" – Ben, Sally, Phyllis and Buddy, Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy
  • "Montage" ("Rain on the Roof"/"Ah, Paris!"/"Broadway Baby") – Emily, Theodore, Solange, and Hattie
  • "The Road You Didn't Take" – Ben
  • "Bolero d'Amour" – Danced by Vincent and Vanessa
  • "In Buddy's Eyes" – Sally
  • "Who's That Woman?" – Stella and Company
  • "I'm Still Here" – Carlotta
  • "Too Many Mornings" – Ben and Sally
  • "The Right Girl" – Buddy
  • "One More Kiss" – Heidi and Young Heidi
  • "Could I Leave You?" – Phyllis
  • "Loveland" – Company
  • "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" / "Love Will See Us Through" – Young Ben, Young Sally, Young Phyllis and Young Buddy
  • "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" – Buddy, "Margie", "Sally"
  • "Losing My Mind" – Sally
  • "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" – Phyllis and Company
  • "Live, Laugh, Love" – Ben and Company
  • "Chaos" – Ben and Company
  • "Finale" – Young Buddy and Young Ben

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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Guide Written By:

Emma Houlahan

Emma Houlahan

Canadian vocalist and actor now based in London.