Gossip

Could Follies Still Happen at Haymarket with Barnett???

Yesterday’s confirmation that The Lion in Winter and The Tempest seemed to put the nail in the coffin of hopes that Trevor Nunn will still direct Follies at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. But there may be hope yet. The Lion in Winter will finish its run 28 January 2012, and though it is the fourth offering in Nunn’s residency at the Haymarket, the press release omits saying that it’s the final one. Perhaps the long-rumoured revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1971 musical will dovetail Nunn’s tenure with an extended season in the new year.

Samuel Barnett, currently starring in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for Nunn at the Haymarket, for one hasn’t ruled it out. At this Whatsonstage.com Outing Q&A, he noted that, while several cast members from the Stoppard play are staying on at the theatre for The Tempest, he said he’d been lobbying Nunn for his next project with the director to be a musical – Follies.

While not known as a musical performer, Barnett has already demonstrated his singing ability on stage; he sung as Posner in The History Boys and has taken part in the Notes from New York concert series and in an early workshop of Matilda – The Musical.