Alchemy Theatre presents the Broadway Musical “FOLLIES” Friday through Sunday, March 6-8 and Friday and Saturday, March 13-14 at the Janice Chandler Auditorium (Cabell County BoE building / old Huntington East High School). All shows start at 7:30 p.m., except for a 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8 matinee. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door or online.
This is Alchemy Theatre’s first big musical production, following two seasons of smaller shows including “ART,” “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night,” “Love, Loss & What I Wore” and “Dark of the Moon.” The show stars many veteran performers from throughout the Tri-State, some who haven’t been on stage for decades, but are finally returning.
“This is very exciting for us,” Alchemy’s Artistic Director Mike Murdock said in a release. “Not only is this our first big musical production, but the talent we’ll be bringing back to the stage is really incredible. Local theatre-goers have seen these folks for years, but we’ve brought some of them literally out of retirement for this. They’re theatre royalty. We’re really very lucky.”
One of those performers is Robert Jackson, who plays Ben in the show. After playing leading men in shows for years, Jackson hasn’t been in a show in almost two decades. Huntington audiences may remember his past turns in “South Pacific”
and “The Music Man,” just to name a few. Jackson spent a lot of time working with Huntington Outdoor Theater and the Musical Arts Guild in their prime.
“We’ve got Robert Jackson, Mary Olson, Linda Dobbs, John Campbell and Jane Modlin, just to name a few,” Murdock said. “It’s a ‘who’s who’ of the Tri-State theatre scene for the last 30 years, and they really tell a heart-wrenching story. It’s a story
about going back and reliving glory days, and art is really imitating life in this show. It’s truly remarkable. But they aren’t the only ones. We have a really stellar cast of performers, young and old, bringing this story to life. I can’t wait.”
Directed by long-time theatre staple Bil Neal, with music direction by TK Lombardo, the show features singing, dancing, fancy showgirl costumes, ghosts, laughter, tears and more, as masters Goldman and Sondheim tell the tale of an aging group of performers reuniting for one last ‘hurrah’ in their old theater before its demolition, dredging up old feelings, good and bad.
“We’re very excited and lucky to be using the Janice Chandler Auditorium in the old Huntington East High School,” Murdock said. “The Cabell Board of Education has been very kind to us, and the memories of previous shows in that theater
itself add to the pastiche of “Follies.” It’s going to be something special. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it.”
“Follies,” with a book by James Goldman and music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim ran for over 500 performances on Broadway in New York, was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won seven. It has had two Broadway revivals, the most recent being in 2011, and several of its songs have become standards, including “Broadway Baby”, “I’m Still Here”, “Too Many Mornings”, “Could I Leave You?”, and “Losing My Mind”.
Alchemy Theatre is also offering season tickets for their 3rd season, which includes “Follies.” Season tickets are $60 each, giving five shows for the price of four. The rest of Alchemy’s season includes a summer cabaret in May called “Opening
Night”, as well as the comedy “Dixie Swim Club” in July, directed by Mary Williams, the annual West Virginia Shakespeare Festival show in Barboursville Park in September, and the World Premiere of an original Christmas romantic comedy
written by Murdock and Simon Woods called “A Cozy Christmas” in December.
For more information, please visit the Alchemy website at https://www.alchemytheatretroupe.org/ or the Alchemy Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/alchemytheatretroupe/ .
Online tickets can be purchased at https://follies.bpt.me/
