Both definitions of Follies -- a musical review and a foolish action -- fit this revival of the Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman musical ab...

The revival of Follies is perfection. One of Stephen Sondheim's most moving scores, it features two remarkable stars -- Bernadette Peters and Jan Maxwell -- and an extraordinary musical meditation on longing and regret.

In a theater-going era when anything with assumed marquee value is trussed up for consumer consumption, it's a treat to recall something that -- for the abundance of high-quality theater craft it contains -- truly deserves enthusiastic applause.

Incorporating traumatic events on stage is tricky. In the case of The Shoemaker at the Acorn Theater, it's handled with care.