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Now: wasn't I right when I promised that the Follies in Concert Charity Gala at the London Palladium would be "a rare treat" (see the PQG report of the Rehearsal Day)?
Just as expected, the cast and creatives succeeded in putting together against time one of the most rewarding events I've ever attended. After enjoying plenty of promising 'appetizers' during my Rehearsal Day, how blissful to see how the final product had reached near-perfection, all the various elements tightly linked together like the most artful mosaic.
Indeed because I had followed the preparations for this event from its very early stages, last Sunday after the final bows I felt not only delighted for the great time I had just had, not only relieved that everything had gone blissfully well, but also proud of all the fantastic people I had got in touch with during these hectic months. Their hard work and dedication had finally paid off and they deserved every decibel of the ovations that the London Palladium audience was giving them so enthusiastically.
But back to Sondheim's show: more than ever I agree with the many experts who consider Follies one of the best musicals ever written. Its structure is so "right", indeed because it's a show within a show, which makes all the different numbers flow naturally along the story.
I also found the occasional interplay among older and younger characters totally fascinating, they made the four leads' emotional journey much more poignant. However Sondheim's lesson is quite bitter: even if by some magical spell we had the chance to interact with our older/younger selves at any given time in our lives, we would probably make the same mistakes.
The fact is that there's so much pathos flowing out from the Follies book and score, a single verse or bar can trigger an earthquake in your soul. A further element which in my opinion makes this show such a powerful one is its "rollercoaster" structure. This was particularly clear in Act Two, when the rather sugary introduction to the 'Loveland Sequence' started, cutting short one of the most tense scenes in the show. Not to mention the incredible escalation of Ben's 'Live Love Laugh' number (more about it later).
After last Sunday's show I've also reached the conclusion that the combination Philip Quast + Maria Friedman + Stephen Sondheim is one of the things that makes life worth living. Words and notes have 200% of their normal impact whenever the three of them are involved. I guess the word "empathy" is the one which best describes what so many audience members feel whenever Friedman and Quast perform Sondheim material.
And those nervous giggles coming from the audience during some of the most tense moments of the show were typical signs that many people were trying to deal with a considerable emotional stress, just like the characters onstage.
Both Philip Quast and Maria Friedman were ideally cast for their respective roles of Ben and Sally (purists will say that they were too young, but I don't think this aspect was so relevant, especially in a Concert).
From Ben's initial "stream-of-consciousness" song 'The Road you didn't Take' to the highly lyrical 'Too Many Mornings' to his final emotional breakdown during 'Live Love Laugh' (PQ would deserve a Special Olivier for that number alone), Quast led us skilfully along his character's journey, revealing the real Ben "behind the mask" little by little. Wonderful job.
Maria Friedman was the most endearing Sally, so vulnerable, so naive and yet so dignified. No matter how many renditions of her 'Losing My Mind' I've heard she always strikes right in the middle of my heart… And her final words "Another day…" when she is about to leave the party with Buddy at the end of the show was one of the saddest lines I've ever heard.
As for the other two leads, Liz Robertson was a wonderful "dragon-lady" Phyllis, her pitch seemed naturally suited to spit out those crude words in Ben's face. And Tim Flavin proved once again to be the great all-round performer that I have always admired.
Good also that the Loveland Sequence gave the four leads' young counterparts their chance to shine. While I had already had the opportunity to appreciate Summer Strallen's talents, Adam-Jon Fiorentino was a real revelation; Rachel Barrell has the voice of a nightingale, while Neil McDermott was a very lovable Young Buddy.
Shame on me, I haven't yet referred to the astonishing array of talent displayed by the various former "Follies" girls, my favourites of the evening being Kim Criswell and Josephine Barstow. One reason among many others why Follies should be performed more often is to give female performers in this age-range more chances to excel.
If you have reached this far in this review, then it means that you are really fond of this show and can afford another little effort. Log on to the Starlight website and bid for some of the Follies memorabilia currently auctioned on eBay by Starlight Children's Foundation.
Too bad that Philip Quast's impeccable tuxedo is not included, it would have fetched thousands of pounds. 
