Sondheim's "Follies" Trivia Quiz

Answer: A murder mystery

The book for "Follies" was written by James Goldman ("The Lion in Winter"), who started off writing it as a a murder mystery. However it never really came off and eventually, at the instigation of director Hal Prince, it evolved into a story about some former "Follies" performers (and their spouses) reflecting on their past lives while attempting to come to terms with the present.

Answer: Gloria Swanson

Prince was inspired by a photograph of Swanson standing, with outstretched arms, amid the rubble of the demolished Roxy Theater (the Roxy had opened in the twenties with a film starring Swanson entitled "The Loves of Sunya").

Answer: The theater is being demolished.

Weisman tells them that, since the Follies ended, the theater "...has been a home to ballet, rep, movies, blue movies, and now, in a final burst of glory, it's to be...a parking lot!"

Answer: Phyllis

Sally and Buddy haven't fundamentally changed much. Ben has changed somewhat from his younger, more idealistic self and is undergoing a severe midlife crisis. However Phyllis, once a vulnerable, sweet, and romantic girl, has become hard-bitten and cynical, largely because of her unhappy marriage to Ben.

Answer: Margie

Buddy sings about Margie in both of his songs, "The Right Girl" and "Buddy's Blues". In both these songs, it is clear that he really still loves Sally.

Answer: Emily and Stuart Whitman

"Rain on the Roof", a brief, lighthearted number about a couple getting romantic while stuck indoors during a rainstorm, is sung by husband and wife duo Emily and Stuart Whitman. It is the first of a group of three numbers which are performed together; the other two are "Ah, Paree!" and "Broadway Baby".

Answer: Her cat, a bed, and a chair.

"Broadway Baby", a song about a young hopeful starting on the rough road to fame and fortune, is sung by a sixtyish veteran performer named Hattie Walker. She sings "At my tiny flat, there's just my cat, a bed, and a chair. Still, I'll stick it 'til I'm on a bill all over Times Square!"

Answer: "The Road You Didn't Take" and "In Buddy's Eyes"

In "The Road You Didn't Take", Ben tries to convince himself, and Sally, that he is happier living his rather empty, materialistic, and shallow life than if he had stayed the same idealistic, romantic person that he once was. Sally, likewise, sings "In Buddy's Eyes" to convince herself, and Ben, that she is happier in her loveless marriage to the adoring Buddy than if she had married Ben.

Answer: Who's That Woman?

In this number, sung by Stella Deems, the women attempt (with some difficulty) to perform one of the Follies' more difficult dance numbers while, in the background, the "ghosts" of their younger selves effortlessly perform the difficult choreography. This devastating contrast between age and youth was unparalleled in the history of Broadway choreography and was a high point in Michael Bennett's distinguished career.

Answer: I'm Still Here

This song, detailing the ups and downs in the life of a star, has become a theme song for a number of show business legends, including Shirley McLaine, Barbra Streisand, Ann Miller, Polly Bergen, Elaine Stritch, and Carol Burnett. Incidentally, the "Foxtrot" number later took on a life of its own in various Sondheim retrospectives and concerts and makes a surprise appearance in the 1996 movie "The Birdcage", where Nathan Lane is heard singing a snatch of it as part of his "drag queen" act.

Answer: Heidi Schiller

Heidi, an eighty year old former operetta soprano, begins singing a Romberg-type number, "One More Kiss". She is joined by her younger, fresher-voiced "ghost" and the song becomes a very touching duet, with the old and young voice intertwining.

Answer: Green

In the middle of this beautiful duet between Ben and Sally, Sally dreamily sings "I should have worn green. I wore green the last time; the time I was happy."

Answer: You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through

"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is a duet between Young Ben and Young Phyllis. "Love Will See Us Through" is a duet between Young Buddy and Young Sally. Both couples are about to start their lives together. Eventually, the two duets merge into a quartet.

Answer: George Gershwin

Most of the "Follies" numbers in the show are an affectionate pastiche of the styles of past composers. "Losing My Mind" is in the style of such Gershwin standards as "The Man I Love" and "But Not For Me".

Answer: The 'God, Why Don't You Love Me?' Blues

Buddy has the "God, why don't you love me? Oh you do? I'll see ya later" blues." Basically, he is unable to love Margie, who worships him, and can't stop loving Sally, who is in love with Ben.

Answer: The contrast between Phyllis as she was and as she is now.

"Lucy" is Phyllis' younger self ("Lucy is juicy, but terribly drab.", or "Lucy is lacy, but dull as a smock"), while "Jesse" is Phyllis as she is now ("Jesse is dressy, but cold as a slab", or "Jesse is racy, but hard as a rock"). She would like to reconcile the two and become a happier person.

Answer: Could I Leave You?

"Could I Leave You?", sung by Phyllis as she contemplates leaving her unhappy marriage, contains some of Sondheim's most biting lyrics set to a lilting, Ravel-style waltz melody.

Answer: Live, Laugh, Love!

This starts as a carefree, top-hat-and-tails type number, but gradually turns serious as Ben realizes that his life is meaningless and empty. It ends with him calling out desperately for Phyllis, who had said earlier that she was leaving him.

Answer: Irving Berlin

This song is intended to be the "Weisman Follies" version of "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", written by Berlin for the Ziegfeld Follies.

Answer: 1971

Follies premiered on April 4, 1971, at the Winter Garden Theater, starring (among others) John McMartin (Ben), Alexis Smith (Phyllis), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), Yvonne de Carlo (Carlotta), Ethel Shutta (Hattie), Justine Johnson (Heidi), Fifi d'Orsay (Solange) and Mary McCarty (Stella).