The musical had its origins when David Kernan was asked by Cleo Laine and her husband John Dankworth to put together a revue as a benefit for The Stables, a theatre they owned in Wavendon.

The medley from Company follows, and Act 1 closes with Follies, with the Narrator pointing out the different musical styles Sondheim has used in these songs, such as Vaudeville ("Buddy's Blues").

[1] Hal Prince produced the Broadway version, and persuaded Actors' Equity Association to allow the original British cast to transfer with the show.

[3] A revised production produced by John Edward Thomas (Little Women and Lizzie the Musical) and directed by Rob Marshall made its debut September 29, 1989, at Playhouse Square's State Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.

The cast featured Paige O'Hara, Marsha Waterbury, and Kurt Peterson, with music direction by Brad Garside.

A production at the Seymour Centre in Sydney ran in 2011, and starred Amelia Cormack, Margi De Ferranti, Enda Markey, and Jessica Rowe as the Narrator.

Headlined by Ruthie Henshall[8] and starring an array of Australia's leading musical theatre talent, including Rachael Beck, Geraldine Turner, Peter Cousens, Enda Markey (who also produced), Lucy Durack, Ben Lewis, Stephen Mahy, Amanda Muggleton, Michael Falzon, Virginia Gay, and many more.