Noel wrote: "Older folk sometimes tell me that when I get closer to the age of Ben, Buddy, Sally and Phyllis, I'll have an easier time empathizing with them. If middle-age is anything like what's portrayed in Follies, shoot me now!"
As one of those older folk, I was about to tell you the same thing, but I saw the show as a 22 year old and was spellbound. I don't know about the adults in your life, but both my parents had expressed regrets about roads taken and not taken while I was growing up. I used to ask them about their choices all the time. FOLLIES vibrates with that longing and angst (and reminded me in many ways about my parents' wishes and regrets), but that doesn't mean all older folks are filled with nothing but regret. In fact, people like Hattie and Carlotta seem to have enjoyed every moment of their lives, hard and frustrating as they might have been.
I've never seen a more dazzling musical that worked on so many levels, that stirred up SO many emotions, and left me with something to think about as I walked out of the Winter Garden as FOLLIES did. I don't suspect there will ever be another musical in my lifetime that will mean more to me.
