If there is just time in your schedule for one cultural activity this weekend, here is your best bet this weekend in LA (8/3-8/5)
Follies – National Theatre Live at Jim Bridges Theatre/UCLA
Stephen Sondheim & James Goldman’s musical Follies is one of the great musicals of the 20th century. It features such classic songs as “In Buddy’s Eyes,” “Losing My Mind,” “Broadway Baby” and “I’m Still Here.”
The National Theatre in London put on a highly-acclaimed production of this musical. Thankfully they film a lot of their productions and they have done so with Follies. There will be one showing of that film on Sunday at 3 PM at the James Bridges Theatre at UCLA.
Follies tells the story of a reunion of the showgirls who have come back one last time to say goodbye to the theatre where they all had performed. They are woman who not only have the ghosts of their careers to face, but the challenges of their lives and loves that they have yet to reconcile.
It starred the amazing Imelda Staunton (best known to film audiences for Vera Drake) as Sally. Staunton memorably played Mama Rose in Gypsy (see on PBS), Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? As if the brilliance of this show isn’t reason enough to check out this screening of the London production on Sunday, Staunton’s performance is all the reason you need to be motivated to spend part of your Sunday at UCLA.
Also starring in this production are Philip Quast as Benjamin Stone, Peter Forbes as Buddy Plummer, Janie Dee as Phyllis Rogers Stone and Tracie Bennett as Carlotta Campion. Follies was directed for the stage by Dominic Cooke. The filmed presentation as directed by Tim Van Someren.
All Photos by Johan Persson/Courtesy of National Theatre Live