| No, early in 1971 Follies was just the new Sondheim show coming in, There was anticipation in some quarters, yes, for the preceding Company had been well worth seeing. IF ticket-buyers cared about a story-line, a show-people reunion party on a bare stage in an old theater did not promise opulence, no matter accomplished names in the cast, The Loveland sequence thrilled. The four lead characters are not very appealing, but the show was satisfying, bittersweet , took 7 Tony Awards from 11 nominations, yet could not run too far beyond 500 performances and had to close at a loss. At the time the show was not Holy Writ. But it has had legs, in the past 50 years, well, superb show it can be, it has become Holy Writ to many fans. And for many, Follies is in the top 10 or top 5 of musicals in the canon. |
