FOLLIES, the 1971 musical by James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim, centers on a reunion of aging showgirls—reminiscent of the Ziegfeld Follies—gathering on the eve of their old theater’s demolition. It remains one of the most groundbreaking works in the American musical theater. Yet despite its stature, FOLLIES is rarely revived. Its sprawling cast, lavish scenic and costume demands, and full orchestral score make it prohibitively expensive for most companies to produce.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Theatre Harrisburg has partnered with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra for a special two-performance concert presentation of the musical. Having previously staged FOLLIES in 1981 and 1999, the company embraces the concert format as a way to avoid the financial burden while placing Stephen Sondheim’s magnificent score at center stage.
From the opening chords—dissonant brass sighs tinged with ghostly melancholy—it is immediately clear that the audience is in excellent hands under the baton of Stuart Malina and the superb Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Opportunities to hear a classic Broadway score performed with the full orchestration for which it was originally conceived are increasingly rare, making this production especially rewarding. Malina, whose experience spans conducting, orchestration, and acting, leads with dramatic awareness, sensitivity and assurance.
Perhaps the less obvious achievement of the production is the vocal direction. Under the skilled guidance of vocal director Mitchell Sensenig-Wilshire, the entire cast delivers Sondheim’s soaring melodies and razor-sharp lyrics with clarity and emotional precision. This is fine vocal work, equal to the quality of the symphony orchestra which accompanies it.
At the heart of FOLLIES are two couples: Buddy and Sally Plummer, and Ben and Phyllis Stone. Sally and Phyllis, once glamorous showgirls, married their stage-door Johnnies only to find themselves years later confronting lives marked by compromise, regret, and disillusionment. Director and choreographer Brian Massey has assembled an exceptional cast to navigate these emotional complexities. Maria Petrilak’s Sally beautifully captures the character’s yearning to rekindle her romance alongside her growing fragility and desperation. Eric Mansilla’s Buddy embodies the weary ache of unrequited devotion. Jennifer Hughes gives Phyllis a polished sophistication that barely conceals profound resentment and emptiness, while Michael Kohler’s Ben projects effortless success masking emotional hallowness.
All four leads are outstanding vocalists. Among the evening’s highlights are Petrilak’s haunting rendition of “In Buddy’s Eyes,” her poignant duet with Kohler on “Too Many Mornings,” Hughes’s incisive “Lucy and Jessie,” and Mansilla’s frenetic “Buddy’s Blues.” As the younger incarnations of the four principal characters, Bernadette Bratina, Olivia Kane, Timothy Lupia, and Brad Leer offer a dazzling and joyful “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow.” Other standout moments include Maria Albani leading “Who’s That Woman?”—a thrilling production number pairing veteran showgirls with their younger selves —and Theresa Croteau’s stirring performance of the anthem of resilience, “I’m Still Here.”
At its core, FOLLIES is about the divergent and often compromised paths people travel through life. The setting—the final night on stage before a once-grand theater is demolished—serves as a potent metaphor for loss and the passage of time. In this concert staging, the absence of a fully realized physical environment is occasionally felt. Nevertheless, Matthew Mitra’s lighting design and Paul Foltz’s costumes do admirable work in establishing period, atmosphere, and emotional tone.
Theatre Harrisburg and the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra deserve enormous praise for this deeply rewarding collaboration. Opportunities to experience Sondheim’s complete score of FOLLIES are rare; to hear it performed with such musical richness and emotional power is rarer still.
FOLLIES CONCERT VERSION
Book by
JAMES GOLDMAN
Music and Lyrics by
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Produced Originally on Broadway by
Harold Prince
Orchestrations By
Jonathan Tunik
By special arrangement with
Cameron Mackintosh
PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HARRISBURG
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO STUART MALINA
THEATRE HARRISBURG
513 Hurlock St.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 232-5501
Review submitted by:
Franklin Joseph
Author’s Bio:
Franklin Joseph is an avid theatre goer who takes delight in the active theatre and arts community of the southeast Pennsylvania region.
