Follies extends run by three weeks

The Broadway transfer of the Kennedy Center's all-new production of the musical Follies, directed by Eric Schaeffer, with choreography by Warren Carlyle and music direction by James Moore, extends its limited engagment by three weeks, through to 22 Jan 2011.

Follies opened at the Marquis Theatre on 12 Sep 2011, following previews from 7 Aug 2011, and was originally scheduled to close on 1 Jan 2012.

The musical opened to mostly excellent reviews: A vigorous heart ... beats at the center (NY Times); Barely connected musical numbers of varying quality (NY Post); Exhilarating experience (Record); Thrilling and terrific (Variety).

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. Reminiscing of their younger selves and the years gone by, the crumbling theater brings back memories for both couples of good times and bad.

The score contains the songs as "Broadway Baby," "I'm Still Here," "Too Many Mornings," "Could I Leave You?" and "Losing My Mind."

The cast stars Bernadette Peters as 'Sally Durant Plummer,' Jan Maxwell as 'Phyllis Rogers Stone,' Danny Burstein as 'Buddy Plummer,' Ron Raines as 'Benjamin Stone' and Elaine Paige as 'Carlotta Campion.'

The production also stars Don Correia as 'Theodore Whitman,' Christian Delcroix as 'Young Buddy,' Rosalind Elias as 'Heidi Schiller,' Colleen Fitzpatrick as 'Dee Dee West,' Lora Lee Gayer as 'Young Sally,' Michael Hayes as 'Roscoe,' Leah Horowitz as 'Young Heidi,' Jayne Houdyshell as 'Hattie Walker,' Florence Lacey as 'Sandra Crane,' Mary Beth Peil as 'Solange LaFitte,' David Sabin as 'Dimitri Weismann,' Kirsten Scott as 'Young Phyllis,' Frederick Strother as 'Max Deems,' Nick Verina as 'Young Ben,' Susan Watson as 'Emily Whitman' and Terri White as #Stella Deems.'

The $7.3 million production, with book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, recently played a six-week run in the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater from 7 May 2011 through to 19 Jun 2011.

Follies features scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Kai Harada and the original orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick.

Originally produced on Broadway by Harold Prince with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, Follies opened on 4 Apr 1971 starring Dorothy Collins, John McMartin, Gene Nelson, and Alexis Smith. It ran for 522 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre and received seven Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, David M. Rubenstein, chairman, Michael M. Kaiser, president, is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. It is the nation's busiest performing arts facility and annually hosts approximately 2,000 performances for audiences totaling nearly two million; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more.

In 2009, the Kennedy Center production of 'Ragtime' featuring direction by Marcia Milgrom Dodge transferred to Broadway. Last year, the Kennedy Center mounted Terrence McNally's 'Master Class' starring Tyne Daly, who is currently reprising the role at Manhattan Theatre Club under the direction of Stephen Wadsworth, who also directed the Kennedy Center production.