Follies

‘Follies’ presents substantial challenges for an amateur company in both staging and interpretation and the director dealt with both aspects well. A minimum of scenery is needed for this musical which is set in a theatre due for closure, and at the opening the atmosphere of a deserted unused building was achieved with the help of the of a smoke machine and subdued lighting. A curved staircase made for impressive entrances from the show girls and allowed  attractive groupings in the company numbers. The situations portrayed in the story are so very true to real life, and were dealt with sensitively by the cast. Acting and singing was of a high calibre and the costumes were splendid. The characters are looking back in time and it was difficult to follow the storyline at the start as there wasn’t a synopsis in the programme, but the story soon became clearer. Sondheim’s music is notoriously difficult to sing but the company singing was commendable, and apart from a short section of underscored dialogue the orchestra was excellent. There were some particularly good individual performances, notably from Lynne Menzies (Carlotta), Mandy Grealis (Phyllis) and Sue Prior (Sally) They were admirably supported by the other principals and chorus members. Company choreography was good with a first class tap dance in ‘Phyllis’s Folly’ but more was needed in the solo songs.

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