Follies

Author(s): Dave

Location: Australia

"Follies"

Directed by Stephen Frears
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Goldman
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton

Main Cast

Phyllis Rogers Stone – Michelle Pfeiffer
Young Phyllis – Amanda Bynes
Sally Durant Plummer – Meryl Streep
Young Sally – Brittany Snow
Benjamin Stone – Victor Garber
Young Ben – Blake Bashoff
Buddy Plummer – Kevin Spacey
Young Buddy – Zac Efron
Carlotta Campion – Glenn Close
Hattie Walker – Angela Lansbury
Solange LaFitte – Catherine Deneuve
Dimitri Weissman – Anthony Hopkins
Emily Whitman – Lily Tomlin
Theodore Whitman – John McMartin
Stella Deems – Ann-Margret
Sam Deems – Len Cariou
Heidi Schiller – Christine Ebersole

Tagline: "Everything was possible and nothing made sense"

Synopsis: It’s 1970 and, after thirty years of standing derelict, Broadway’s mighty Weissman Theatre, home of the iconic Weissman Follies, is coming down to make way for a parking lot. The night before it’s demolition, reclusive producer Dimitri Weissman has called together his impressive cast of past performers for their first and final reunion on the ruined stage of the theatre.

Showgirls, Stars, and the Stage Door Johnnies who were there to cheer them on all reconvene on the site of so much former revelry only to find that the dilapidated theatre holds memories for them that might have been better left unexplored.

Phyllis Rogers Stone’s cold aloofness hides a bitter yearning to recapture the lost dreams and passions of her youth. She has long been estranged from her successful husband, renowned lawyer and diplomat Benjamin Stone, and blames his success directly for the hollow, materialistic figure she has become. For his part, Ben Stone feels deprived of the warmth and love of the relationship he might have enjoyed had he married Sally Durant Plummer, Phyllis’ best friend during her Showgirl days.

Sally, now a bored and frumpish housewife has flown all the way from Phoenix to remind Ben of their past feelings for one another, with her husband Buddy in hot pursuit. Buddy is an unsuccessful oil-rig salesman who introduced the studious Ben to the delights of the Follies girls in the 1940’s. His marriage to Sally has been a disaster and though she patently despises him Buddy still loves his wife.

As the two couples explore their emotions they are confronted with the harsh realities of their younger selves in the familiar but faded settings of the once glorious Weissman Theatre. Around them are other former members of the Follies whose lives have also been profoundly affected by their youthful stardom. Old song and dance numbers are revived and the theatre comes alive with the ghosts of so many unfulfilled hopes and dreams that are finally expressed after decades of suppression.

The night progresses swiftly into a glittering climax of explosive confrontations and painful realisations. Accompanied by the legendary score of Stephen Sondheim, Follies is a blinding insight into the excess, the hope and the vitality that was pre-World War Two America and dangers of living in the past.

What the Press would say:

Director Stephen Frears has managed the impossible! The Stephen Sondheim musical “Follies”, infamous for confusing and alienating audiences with its depressing subject matter, has converted to screen with a flawless majesty and grace that must be witnessed to be believed. Christopher Hampton has outdone himself with an adapted screenplay that serves to bring cohesion to a muddle of characters and songs that emerges onto the screen as a driving and powerful exposition of the loss of the American dream of the 1930’s and the effect this loss has had on modern American society.

A legendary ensemble cast powerfully portrays some of the most eccentric characters ever created – rendered all the more enticing by the similarities between character and actor. Michelle Pfieffer and Victor Garber give an excellent and unexpectedly skewering portrayal of the bitter society couple, while Meryl Streep has defied her own seemingly limitless limits with her heart-rending performance as the lovelorn, desperate Sally Durant Plummer. Kevin Spacey is a stand out as her pathetic husband Buddy.

Watch too for Grande Dame, Angela Lansbury who damn near steals the movie with her uncharacteristically acerbic Hattie Walker and her rendition of the show-stopping number “Broadway Baby”. Glenn Close’s performance as the faded film and stage star Carlotta Campione is also an ironic treat.

Much like the characters to be found within, “Follies” has taken over thirty years to grow and discover just exactly what its purpose is and how best to deliver it to a modern audience. Though it could have become (as with so many movie musicals today) little more than a fast paced set and costume extravaganza, a sensational cast and astonishingly insightful direction and attention to detail by Frears have created something Hollywood has not seen in many a year: a legend.

Best Picture
Best Director – Stephen Frears
Best Adapted Screenplay – Christopher Hampton
Best Actress – Meryl Streep
Best Actress – Michelle Pfeiffer
Best Actor – Victor Garber
Best Actor – Kevin Spacey
Best Supporting Actress – Angela Lansbury
Best Supporting Actress – Glenn Close
Best Supporting Actor – Anthony Hopkins
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Make-up
Best Sound-Mixing