Follies

On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week we made the long trip to London to see a show at the National Theatre. Follies had taken my eye back in the early autumn, I was attracted by the stellar reviews that it received, and that Marion is a great fan of Sondheim musicals. Well the effort was well worthwhile and had some unexpected bonuses.

The Olivier Theatre was completely full for a Wednesday matinee, though it has to be said the majority was of our demographic. This theatre provides a huge flexible space for the director to work with, all of which was used to the maximum effect for visual impact. The brilliance was that this did not detract from the intensely personal story of mature relationships that was being told by the actors. The theatricality complimented the story rather than overwhelming it.

Marion tells me that the singing was excellent, she of course knows whether they hit the correct notes or not better than me. The dancing was athletic, subtle, and clever powerfully carrying the story forward. Sondheim wrote the show as a single long act, and this was very effective in giving the musical coherence. Of course such a show could only be performed at a subsidised London theatre on the scale of the National Theatre. The size of the cast and the ambition of the sets are only possible in such an environment.

A confession I am not a great lover of musicals, but I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Surprisingly the logistics were also very easy and successful. We parked right under the theatre, a lift ride away from the auditorium, and because Marion has a blue badge the parking was free. We were not looking forward to the drive home from central London in the middle of the evening rush hour, however the sat-nav took us through the West End and so we were able to view the spectacular Christmas lights and catch the vibe of the shoppers in Oxford Street. Not only that we were home before eleven.

So the day was hugely and a lesson to us that London is accessible and worth the effort for great shows.