Olivier Award winner Elaine Paige will play Carlotta Campion in the forthcoming Broadway transfer of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, reprising her role from the starry Kennedy Center production earlier this year. She joins previously announced returning stars Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein and Ron Raines. Directed by Eric Schaeffer, the limited engagement will begin performances on August 7 at the Marquis Theatre, with an opening night set for September 12.
Paige won an Olivier Award for creating the title role in Evita on the London stage, where she also created the role of Grizabella in Cats and starred in Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Chess, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard (as Norma Desmond, a role she also played on Broadway), The King and I and, most recently, The Drowsy Chaperone.
Follies features a book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Sondheim, and contains well-known songs including “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” “Too Many Mornings,” “Could I Leave You?” and “Losing My Mind.” When former members of the Weismann Follies reunite on the eve of their theater's demolition, two couples remember their past and face the harsher realities of the present. The shadows of their younger selves remind them of the complicated steps they've danced, both on the stage and throughout their lives.
The production will feature choreography by Warren Carlyle, music direction by James Moore, scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Kai Harada. A 28-piece orchestra will perform Jonathan Tunick's original orchestrations.