Rock Follies | Chichester Festival Theatre

4 Stars
Fabulous. This is gig theatre at its most exuberant
Guardian

4 Stars
Energetic, effervescent and hugely entertaining. A great night out
Mail on Sunday

Gallery

A fabulous blast of nostalgia, dazzlingly delivered
Chichester Observer

Turns the fun factor all the way up to 11
The Stage

Before the Spice Girls, Sugababes and The Saturdays…

It’s the 1970s and feminism is on the rise. Fed up with the male-dominated entertainment industry, Anna, Dee and Q take the future into their own hands and form a rock band – the ironically named ‘Little Ladies’. And so begins the musical helter-skelter ride of a lifetime. Can principles and ambition co-exist? And can their friendship survive in the dog-eat-dog world of rock?

With a book by Chloë Moss and original songs from the ground-breaking TV series by Howard Schuman and Andy Mackay, this punchy new musical is a rousing, riotous rollercoaster of woman power!

Dominic Cooke, former Artistic Director of the Royal Court, directs; his recent work includes Medea and Good (West End), his multi award-winning production of Sondheim’s Follies (National Theatre), and on screen, The Courier.

Carly Bawden, who appeared in CFT’s Concert in the Park in 2021 and whose theatre credits include Julie Jordan in Carousel (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Romantics Anonymous (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), wonder.land (National Theatre) and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Sheffield Crucible), plays Anna.

Angela Marie Hurst plays Dee; her West End credits include Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, The Lion King and Motown the Musical.

Zizi Strallen returns to Chichester (The Music Man Festival 2008) to play Q; her West End appearances include the title role in Mary Poppins (for which she received an Olivier Award nomination) and the NT’s Follies.

The cast also includes Samuel Barnett, whose stage credits include Olivier and Tony-nominated roles in The History Boys (also on film) and Twelfth Night; and on screen, The Lady in the Van and Twenty Twelve; and Tamsin Carroll (Barnum Festival 2013; 2:22, Hex and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in the West End).

Rock Follies is based on an original idea of the Rock Bottom Group (Diane Langton, Gaye Brown and Annabel Leventon) and Don Fraser.

Rock Follies was commissioned and developed by Fictionhouse, Longshot Films and Elpis Theatre Productions Ltd.

Songs used by kind permission of Universal Music Publishing.