The Tryon Theatre partners up with the legendary National Theatre in London to present a special cinematic release of Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical, Follies, on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at tryontheatre.com and at the Tryon Theatre box office after 6 p.m. on the night of the show.

The historic Tryon Theatre has partnered up with the London-based, National Theatre, to bring a series of classic live theatre productions from the theatre stage to the film screen. On Dec. 11, the movie theatre will be showing Follies, the classic but rarely-performed musical by Stephen Sondheim, writer of many famous musicals including Sweeney Todd and A Little Night Music. Follies was staged for the first time at the National Theatre on Nov. 16 and recorded specifically for cinematic release.

The musical is set in 1971 New York at the iconic Weismann Theatre, which has become a crumbling shell of it’s former glory and is set for demolition. Broadway impresario, Dimitri Weismann, arranges a reunion of the actors, singers, dancers and personalities who comprised his famous Follies in the years between the World Wars, as a farewell tribute to the doomed building thirty years after their final performance. The Follies girls gather together to laugh, reminisce, brag, boast, express regret, and perform the musical numbers that made them famous, trailed by the ghostly memories of their younger selves.

The outstanding production captures the glamour of the golden age of music halls and revues and has received five-star reviews across the board. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke and stars Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton playing the roles of the magnificent Follies.

Follies is the second installment in Tryon Theatre’s “National Theatre Live” five-part film series. On October 10, the movie theatre showed Tom Stoppard’s absurdist, existentialist tragicomedy, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. After Follies, the Tryon Theatre plans to show the clever comedy, Young Marx, on Jan. 9, Tennessee William’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof on Feb. 27 and the Shakespeare classic, Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, on March 27.

“Partnering up with National Theatre Live to bring some of their brilliant stage productions to our screen in Tryon marks the beginning of a new era for our movie theatre. Screening something like this version of Follies, a classic musical production that’s been optimized for cinema, is a one-of-a-kind experience that pairs perfectly with our unique venue. This is exactly the kind of creative programming that we’ve dreamed of bringing to the area. We hope to put on more cool events like this in the coming months, in addition to our weekly showings and film society series,” says Tryon Theatre Manager, Nick Wilson.

The theatre doors will open at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11, and people are invited to arrive earlier to enjoy some pre-show drinks and concession snacks with friends. Tickets for the show can be purchased online by visiting tryontheatre.com or at the box office after 6 p.m. on the night of the show. More information about Follies and upcoming National Theatre Live shows can be found at tryontheatre.com

The historic Tryon theatre was built in 1938 and is located at 45 S. Trade St. in downtown Tryon.

– submitted by The Tryon Theatre