One musical I did not mention, and one I regard as a masterpiece, is Stephen Sondheim's Follies. This show pays tribute to the women who became Ziegfeld Follies singers and dancers (here they are called the Weisman girls) and is set in a theatre where they used to perform and which is due for demolition. Follies follows two couples, Phyllis and Ben and Sally and Buddy, who met and married during the Follies but who have never been satisfied with their choices or their lives.
The show is packed with stunning set pieces and songs starting with 'Hats off here they come, those Beautiful girls' . Anyone who knows Singing in the Rain will recognise the pastiche of one of the numbers in this film where we have a parade of lovely girls dressed as Winter, September, Spring and Summer. The show has double casting, a young Phyllis, Ben, Sally and Buddy to contrast with how they are now. Most of the best songs are reserved for the women, 'Broadway Baby', 'Mirror, Mirror on the Wall' and a simply heart stopping 'One last Waltz' which sounds like faux-Richard Strauss and is a quite beautiful song. However, the biggy is 'I'm Still Here'. This is sung by the main diva in the show charting divorce, scandal, alcoholism and begging on the streets, but hey 'I'm Still Here'. I saw Eartha Kitt do this night after night when my ex was in the show in the West End back in the 90s and she brought the house down every single time.
It is a show full of regrets, bitterness and nostalgia and has resonances for me. When I saw it, my two daughters were 8 and 10, we went to see the show with their Dad in it several times and they knew the words and music better than the artistes themselves by the end of the run, and it was such a lovely time in my life, so I tend to find it makes me rather sad when I see it, which is a shame as it is wonderful.
I was lucky enough to have a seat for the last night of the run in the West End and everyone was on 
top form. The entire audience was full of aficionados who had obviously seen it dozens of times, loved it and knew the songs and by the end of the evening for the big revival of Beautfiul Girls the entire audience was on their feet singing. Quite stunning. But for me, the evening did not end there. The producer, Cameron MacIntosh threw a lavish after show party on stage and I found myself mingling and drinking champagne with Eartha Kitt, Millicent Martin, Daniel Massey and other assorted luminaries who had come to see the show. Stephen Sondheim attended and I ended up chatting to him for about 10 minutes about the different versions of the show (the earlier one had a darker ending with a breakdown of one of the characters but this was deemed not acceptable for this run) and I told him I preferred the earlier ending and he was delighted to hear it. The sign of a person with good manners is their total attention and that is what Stephen Sondheim gave me. Not once did his eyes stray past me searching for someone more interesting and famous to talk to, and believe me everyone else came in that category! It was thrilling.
The best part was at the end of the party. The musical director sat at the white grand piano on the stage and started to play songs from the shows. I ended up leaning on the piano with the cast singing songs from Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific etc. It was sheer magic and I do not think I have ever spent a more wonderful, unforgettable night.
The reason I am burbling on about this is that a couple of years ago there was a revival of Follies at the Royal Festival Hall which was wonderful, and I made a promise to myself then that every time it was put on in London I would go and see it. Well, next February there is a one off gala performance at the London Palladium and I already have tickets for the stalls tucked away in my ticket box in my bedroom drawer and I cannot wait to see it again.
Sondheim also wrote Sweeny Todd, another masterpiece that my children have seen several times. Wait till I tell them that a film is being made with Johnny Depp in the title role...............
