Q&A with Chicago Shakespeare's FOLLIES Director, Gary Griffin

"Follies" is a show many people say they saw the original. If that were the case, of course, the show would still be running. Originally produced in 1971, "Follies" attempted to capture a form of entertainment on the brink of extinction.  It's plot, about a reunion of middle-aged former chorus girls meeting up on the eve of their old stomping grounds being torn down, burst on the Broadway scene at the exact time when the golden age of the Broadway musical was being pronounced dead.

A glitzy new production of the show is currently earning raves on Broadway. Closer to home, a more intimate production is playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Broadway World Chicago chatted briefly with director Gary Griffin about  his show.

The show seems to have a love it or hate it vibe. Which of those camps do you fall into?

I first saw "Follies" when I was very young and I remember thinking that it was the kind of show that I would appreciate more when I was older. As a guy who loves musical theater I have always loved the ambition of it. Now that I am in my 50s and have experienced the challenges and struggles of middle age, the show feels much more personal and frightening.

James Goldman continued to tweak the book up until his death. Stephen Sondheim occasionally tinkers with music and lyrics. Did you make any changes to things?

The score is as it was originally presented on Broadway. The script and text that is now being used in the current Broadway production is considered the "official "version. The changes made to the official book for the show were in the interest of economy and help the show.  

The original Broadway production was a flop. There are two productions of note right now [the Broadway and ChicaGo Productions]. What is it about the show that seems to make it more relevant now?

I'm not sure why it has just come round again. Our thinking at Chicago Shakespeare is that it is our 25^th anniversary and "Follies" is a show that makes you look at your past and where you are going. The show affords us an opportunity to visit a time that was somewhat idealistic.  We certainly aren't at the same place with regard to women's rights and marriage. Beyond the social aspects, the characters all seems to be asking if their dreams were good dreams and if they have truly lived those dreams. In modern cultural terms,  I think a lot of us feel we elected a president and there was a lot of idealism surrounding that choice and yet there was  a struggle to realize those dreams. What is the American dream, now? What did we want when we started? Phyllis has a line early in the show: "I wanted something 30 years ago when I came here, but I forgot to write it down and God knows what it was." That's really at the heart of this cautionary tale and should be applicable to a modern audience.   

It was also written at a time when the future of the Broadway musical was in question. How does that compare to now?

[Laughs]Has there ever been a time when we haven't questioned its survival? Every time a new show comes around like "The Book of Mormon" people wonder if that show is what the Broadway musical will now be. There isn't a person alive who can't say they aren't doing the kind of musicals they grew up with. The Broadway musical is ever changing. If the material is good, it will still mean something to you regardless of your generation.  The one constant is that musical theater holds a power over us. It is rooted in both our dreams and our realities. The form will survive. It can and will re-invent itself.

Any concerns about competing with a big budget Broadway production?

I've been through this with "West Side Story" a couple of years ago. Frankly, I think it is fantastic that there are two productions of "Follies." Both of us have our challenges and opportunities. If a show is great, it can be proven by the simple fact that there is more than one way to do it.

Have you seen the New York production yet?

I plan on catching it now that we're open. I felt to see it before would have been confusing. As a director you don't ever want to look at someone else's production and think to yourself." Because I cant doX, I am somehow handicapped." When working on a show, you have to own it. You challenge yourself and ask questions, but ultimately, it's your show.

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