Follies

Tackling Sondheim’s Follies would be a challenge to any society. This evening's show showed that individually and together LAOS met that challenge and gave some sterling performances. Against the stark backdrop of an old theatre, the scene was set for a reunion of theatrical personalities which kindled memories and stirred tensions.  The musical monologues are hard on the singers and tricky for the orchestra but a strong cast of 20 principals revealed their singing talents.  The pairings of the singers were well judged and balanced with notable strengths in Gordon Gallacher as Ben Stone, as immovable as stone against the warmth of his counterpart Michelle Weston and in Iain Davidson as Buddy Plummer the tortured husband  against Tracy Rice as the seemingly unrequited Sally Durant Plummer. Also executed well were The Listen to the Rain number with Fiona Rosser and Graeme Rodger as Emily and Theodore Whitman and The God-Why-Don’t-You-Love –Me-Blues with Yolande Borthwick as Margie, and Buddy, and Sally. Individually Sheila Rodgers as Solange La Fitte, Jeanna Connell as Heidi Schiller, Helen Roxburgh as Stella Deems made their mark while Lucy Andrew as Hattie Walker lit up the stage in Broadway Baby and Dale Henry revealed the emotion in I’m Still Here. Showing their experience in their roles were David Steedman as Dimitri Weissman, Stewart Borthwick as Roscoe and Jim Nicol as Max Deems. The younger set were not to be outdone with Shelley Procek, Ashley McGeorge, Daniel Baillie, Darren Tasker and Carole Fleming bringing credit on themselves. Successful company numbers included Beautiful Girls where the past was superimposed on the present as the younger cast slid through to the front and then retreated and the Loveland sequence which was effective in dominant white and green costume. Indeed the see saw between past and present on the raised and flat of the stage and focussed by spotlight was well done.  Congratulations to all.

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