Another Chance To Catch “Follies” At SIFF Center This Weekend

March 7, 2018• byMichael Strangeways

Here is a post strictly for Musical Theater Geeks/Sondheim Branch.

WE ARE LEGION!

If you missed the live telecast of the National Theatre’s production of Sondheim’s immortal 1971 musical, FOLLIES, then you get two more chances to see it this weekend as SIFF will rebroadcast it at their SIFF Film Center on the Seattle Center campus at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, March 10/11. It’s all part of the very popular “National Theatre Live” program which broadcasts highly acclaimed theater productions from Britain’s National Theatre complex on the South Bank of the Thames in London, to cinemas all over the world.

It’s timely because this revival at the National just received 10 Olivier Award nominations (Britain’s version of the Tony Awards) including nods for both its leading ladies, Imelda Staunton and Janie Dee.

This production closed in January after being extended but there are plans to bring the highly acclaimed production back in 2019 with hopes it could transfer to New York after that.

Here’s some more info on the production and this weekend’s screenings at SIFF Film Center (which can be tricky to find if you haven’t been there before. It is located on the Northwest side of Seattle Center in the old ‘Northwest Rooms’ section. The Film Center is located right above the huge public restrooms by the fountain, if that helps, and around it would be The Vera Project to the immediate west and Seattle Rep to the north. And, it’s actually about 3 blocks due east of SIFF’s Uptown Cinema over on Queen Anne Avenue.)

Opens March 10, 2018

New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs, and lie about themselves.

Please note: Follies contains two 15 second incidents of strobe lighting.

Vouchers are not accepted for this performance.

SHOWTIMES

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2018

SIFF Film Center

5:00 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018

SIFF Film Center

5:00 PM

“Follies” is a dazzling musical by Stephen Sondheim, performed for the first time on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee, and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (“The Comedy of Errors”). It promises to be a visual and musical extravaganza.

Director Biography

Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy, and Olivier awards, Stephen Sondheim’s previous work includes “A Little Night Music”, “Sweeney Todd”, and “Sunday in the Park with George”.

Director:Dominic Cooke
Principal Cast:Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee, Imelda Staunton
Year:2017
Running Time:150 minutes
Language:English

About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.