STAGE REVIEW : Starlight Shines With a First-Rate Sondheim ‘Follies’

Haunting, daunting and ravishing. That’s what “Follies” is at the San Diego Civic Theatre.

Stephen Sondheim’s tender ode to old entertainers and their memories marks a turning point for Starlight Musical Theatre, which has made its reputation on dependable if unremarkable productions of old warhorses like “Carousel,” which will make its fourth outing at Starlight in July.

Though Starlight, in its 45 years, had never tackled Sondheim, Sondheim aficionados need not worry. Top-notch casting, which ranks among Starlight’s best, and sensitive direction by William Pullinsi, makes this story of retired performers haunted by memories of their youth a vibrant portrait of life that summons up tears and smiles, simultaneously.

As for Starlight patrons for whom a good show still means a sentimental story with hummable tunes, let “Follies” be your bridge to a fresh way of looking at the evolving American musical. The show is nearly 20 years old but new to San Diego.

Sondheim is not asking you to do away with old-fashioned entertainment in this show. He celebrates it by having the entertainers do period-style numbers such as “One More Kiss,” “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” and “Love Will See Us Through.”

But the difference between this show and the old standbys is that, instead of using art to while away your time, Sondheim fashions “Follies” into a great mirror that helps you look at your own life--past, present and future.

James Goldman’s script is ostensibly about four long-retired performers--Ben, his wife Phyllis, Buddy and his wife, Sally, all of whom grow to question their choices.

The group is brought together at a final reunion with dozens of other singers and dancers who used to perform at the Weissman before the theater is to be demolished.

The crumbling Weissman, often thought to be modeled on the old Ziegfeld Theatre, reflects the way our own bodies fade and will eventually fail over time. The poignancy comes from seeing the youth of these players’ dream-selves, played by young actors, juxtaposed with the aging ones.

Ben (played with ironic panache by Dennis Kelly) reaches out his arms for Sally (portrayed with exquisite radiance by Teri Ralston). But it is the young, dream-self of Sally (the irresistibly ingenuous Christine Hewitt) who comes to him for her kiss while the older Sally stands a few feet back with arms outstretched; thus we know that Ben is reaching out for the Sally of his youth, not of his present.

Vincent and Vanessa (rendered with stylish flair by Starlight’s co-artistic directors Don and Bonnie Ward) do a dance shadowed by their younger selves (the graceful Reina Bolles and Jason Gonzales). It tugs at the heart to see the young pair occasionally switch partners with their older and now-slowed counterparts in Danny Herman’s graceful choreography.

Among the many sumptuous delights of “Follies” comes from seeing seasoned performers sing some of Sondheim’s best show-stopping numbers. It is worth catching the show just to hear the incomparable Marilyn Maye pour warm milk and honey over that marvelously bittersweet and funny ode, “I’m Still Here.”

Silver-haired Helen Geller, too, can stop traffic with her “Broadway Baby.” Gloria Marinacci Allen brings fragility and unexpected depth of power to “One More Kiss” with Leslie Beauvais, complementing her beautifully as the young Heidi who joins her in a duet.

Ron Beattie as Buddy, the performer turned salesman, sells “The Right Girl” and “Buddy’s Blues” with a force that is uncannily at one with the character he plays. Old San Diego favorites Ole Kittleson and Pat White summon up old times with the old-fashioned number “Rain on the Roof.”

In “Follies,” the crumbling set on which the Ghosts of Showgirls Past walk the boards plays as large a role as any of the characters; Ken Holamon’s design, originally designed and built by and for the San Jose Civic Light Opera, brings the story of passing time home with a one-two punch.

The one glaring hole in the technical support came from a sound system that brought unintentional humor when it crackled as some of the performers embraced.

But despite such minor technical glitches, the only real folly in this “Follies” would lie in missing it.

“FOLLIES”

Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Goldman. Director, William Pullinsi. Music director/conductor, Nick Vendon. Choreography, Danny Herman. Sets, Ken Holamon. Costumes, Tara. Lighting, Barbara Dubois. Sound, Bill Lewis. Stage manager, Jimmy Ray Hutton. With Teri Ralston, Dennis Kelly, Ami Silvestre, Ron Beattie, Marilyn Maye, Gloria Marinacci Allen, Helen Geller, Marie Moneen, Norma Stone, Pat White, Ole Kittleson, Fred Inkley, Christine Hewitt, Jennifer Austin, Jack Harrington, Jacqueline Giles, Richard Bulda, Don Ward, Bonnie Ward, Jason Gonzales, Reina Bolles, Norma Stone, Tom Datz, Matt Nelson, Christine Phelps, Jerry Eiting, Robert Feeney, William Quiett, Eric Kunze and Leslie Beauvais. At 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, with Saturday-Sunday matinees at 2, through June 3. Tickets are $15-$26. At 202 C Street, San Diego, (619) 544-7827.