International NewsLondon's New Follies Will be Performed Without an IntermissionThe National Theatre revival will return to the original production's one-act structure—at least initially.
By
Logan Culwell-Block
August 21, 2017
Janie Dee, Philip Quast, Imelda Staunton, and Peter Forbes
Photograph by Perou, designed by the NT Graphic Design Studio
The National Theatre's upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies will be performed without an intermission when it begins preview performances August 22. That decision is subject to change, however, prior to the official opening September 6, according to a representative for the London venue.
Imelda Staunton
Johan Persson
If this new revival continues to be performed as a one-act, it will be the first major production of the work to do so since the 1971 original Broadway production. Subsequent editions have typically inserted an intermission after the song “Too Many Mornings.”
The 2012 Broadway revival, helmed by Eric Schaeffer and starring Bernadette Peters, held at least one preview performance without intermission, but opened and played the majority of its run with two acts.
The production also returns to Goldman's original book, with just a few “very minor additions” from later versions. This will be the first fully-staged major London staging to present the original book; London's first staging in 1987 was presented with dramatic revisions, including extensive book re-writes and the cutting of “The Road You Didn’t Take.” Those changes have not been authorized for use in any subsequent production.
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the National Theatre's Follies features a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21. Imelda Staunton stars as Sally alongside Phillip Quast, Janie Dee, Peter Forbes, and Tracie Bennett. Bill Deamer choreographs. Tickets are available at NationalTheatre.org.uk.
The revival will also be broadcast in cinemas across the globe beginning November 16.
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