Review: Follies is Fabulous

Follies is a song and dance with time.  Perhaps this is fitting in its wild success as a musical revival.  It has, after all, just received 25 Tony Award®  nominations.  But it is this layering of the past into the present, the heart of the show itself, that makes this show so wildly entertaining and relatable. 


When two couples return to the aging theatre of their Follies past, they begin to remember where they began and the dreams that once captivated them.  We see the shadows of their youth and passions unfolding and how present-day success and failures have twisted and turned.  At first, the on-stage doubling of "present day" and "younger" actors/characters might seem a bit daunting, but it is a well-played pairing and not overly used or confusing.  The on-stage connection with past/present add to the magic of this theatre haunted by the living ghost of memory. 
Beyond the storylines of the two main couples is a cast of talented singers and dancers who are also in varying states of reminisce.  But all of this is not at all overly sentimental.  The song and dance numbers will likely make you laugh and cheer, providing a humorous pulse that keeps the show going until the end.

Follies runs at the Ahmanson Theatre until June 9th, 2012.  Visit ExperienceLA.com for more information.
-Charity Tran