The Folly of Paris is a modern and darkly comic feminist re-telling of the Greek myth “The Judgement of Paris,” in which a royal wedding guest list perpetrates an unforgivable snub, no one listens to Hera because she’s a woman, and Paris awards a golden apple allegedly to the Goddess he deems most beautiful, but really to whoever offers the most tantalizing bribe. Accompanied by and artfully choreographed to Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, movement the first I. Poco Sostenuto – Vivace, Folly is an intensely crafted, rapid-pace, non-stop multi-layered comedy offering an audience as much on the third viewing as it does on the first. 

Starring Tony-nominated Christopher Sieber (Spamalot; Matilda the Musical; Shrek the Musical); Tara Westwood (Fleishman is in Trouble; The Grudge; The Blacklist);  U.K.-born Broadway actress Holly James in her first on-screen role (theater credits Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, American Psycho); and CG (The Bear; Queer as Folk), Folly takes its casting cues from Bridgerton and Hamilton in populating an ancient story with a brilliantly ensembled diverse cast, assembled by up-and-coming casting director (and Gorgoness team member) Shannon Corey.

In the vein of Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Folly offers a fresh, view-driven take on the myth-driven comedy.  Drawing inspiration from comic greats ranging from Monty Python to the Muppets, writer/director Laura Lionetta pays homage to classic cinematic comedy with vintage cinematic tools such as choreographed action across foreground/midground/background and clever reveals.  Keeping with the style announced in her first film, The Strawberry Jam (2022), Laura Lionetta presents in Folly a truly visual story that could be told nowhere but on the screen.