Jennifer Coolidge and More Join FOLLIES in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

The Daily Mail writes that Jennifer Coolidge has signed on to play 'Hattie Walker' in FOLLIES in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on April 28, 2015. Also joining the lineup are Stefanie Powers as 'Solange Lafitte', with Alistair Brammer, Alexander Hanson and Laura Pitt-Pulford.

Coolidge last appeared on Broadway in 2010's ELLING and before that in THE WOMEN, which earned her a 2002 Drama Desk nomination. Among her recent TV credits are GLEE, 2 BROKE GIRLS, GRAVITY FALLS, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER and more. She is well known for her role as 'Stifler's Mom' in the AMERICAN PIE movies.

Coolidge and company will join an all-star cast, including Christine Baranski (Into The Woods, The Good Wife, Mamma Mia), Ruthie Henshall (Chicago - original Roxy, LES MISERABLES), Anita Dobson (Eastenders, Chicago), Anita Harris (Carry On films, CATS), Roy Hudd (Oliver! - Fagin, Coronation Street, Good Old Days) and Russell Watson (the UK's best-selling classical artist; winner of four Classical BRIT awards).

FOLLIES in Concert will be directed by Craig Revel Horwood (Strictly Come Dancing), choreographed by Andrew Wright and supported by the City of London Philharmonic Orchestra.

With a wealth of well-known songs, including "Losing My Mind", "Broadway Baby" and "I'm Still Here", this iconic and much-loved show is being performed in celebration of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim's 85th birthday this year.

The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies), that played in that theatre between the World Wars. It focuses on two couples, Buddy and Sally Durant Plummer and Benjamin and Phyllis Rogers Stone, who are attending the reunion. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls in the Follies. Both couples are deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.

The Broadway production opened on April 4, 1971, directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett, and with choreography by Bennett. The musical was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won seven. The original production, which ultimately lost its entire investment, ran for 522 performances.

For tickets and more information about the concert, click here.

Photo Credit: Venetian Las Vegas

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!