Visit any theatre and someone will tell you about their resident ghost. But what do you do if you’re opening a brand-new theatre, like Cygnet just did? You bring in your own ghosts, of course. Enter Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies”, a musical haunted not by the supernatural, but by memories, music, and the shimmering shadows of past glamour.

It’s true, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (aka “The Joan”) sits in the footprint of a historic Naval Training Center building in Liberty Station, so perhaps a navy ghost could be lurking. But the phantoms onstage at Cygnet are far more dazzling, the showgirls of yesteryear, shimmering in sequins and still capable of making hearts flutter.

Set in 1971, “Follies” imagines a reunion of Weismann’s Follies chorus girls, who worked the stage from the 1920s through the 1940s, now gathering for one last hurrah before their theatre is demolished. Silver-haired director Dimitri Weismann (Will Doyle) plays host as former chorines arrive for cocktails, canapés, and nostalgia.

Sandy Campbell, David Humphrey, Audrey Deubig, Drew Bradford Photo by Karli Cadel Photography

Among the attendees are Phoenix housewife Sally (Sandy Campbell) and her husband Buddy (Russell Garrett), along with East Coast elites Phyllis Stone (Karole Foreman) and Benjamin Stone (David S. Humphrey). Once upon a time, these couples were inseparable best friends. Now, decades later, Sally still burns with an unrequited flame for Ben, whose marriage to Phyllis has cracks under their picture-perfect public veneer.

Others return, each with their own mix of bravado and wistfulness: Carlotta (Leigh Scarritt), the star who made it big on screen; Stella (Melinda Gilb), now a saucy Floridian retiree; Hattie (Patti Goodwin), married and remarried many times over; the vibrant Solange (Anise Ritchie), the regal soprano Heidi (Dagmar Krause Fields), and the cheerful song-and-dance duo Theodore and Emily (Eddie Yaroch and Naughton). Each performer brings their slice of showbiz history back to life.

Yet, the theatre was hardly empty. Shadowing the older performers are their younger selves, bright-eyed chorusgirls in feathers and sequins, frozen in time, watching their older counterparts. Sometimes they replay long-buried moments, and at others, they observe with a mix of admiration and disbelief at what they have become. It’s one of “Follies'” most haunting conceits, and Cygnet’s staging leans into it beautifully.

The heart of the show lies with the tangled quartet of Sally, Buddy, Phyllis, and Ben, their youthful passion soured into middle-aged disappointment. Shadowed by their younger doubles, we see how one night of romance or rejection rippled across decades. Sandy Campbell’s Sally teeters on the edge of fragility, while Russell Garrett brings manic energy to Buddy, masking heartbreak beneath his vaudevillian grin. David Humphrey gives Ben a seemingly peaceful acceptance of the path he chose in Act 1's “The Road You Didn’t Take," a facade that comes tumbling down in Act 2. At the same time, Karole Foreman delivers a powerhouse Phyllis, culminating in a blistering “Could I Leave You?"

Leigh Scarritt, Kaia BuglerPhoto by Karli Cadel Photography

Still, the show is packed with gems across its ensemble. Leigh Scarritt’s world-weary Carlotta belts “I’m Still Here” with gutsy defiance; Melinda Gilb leads “Who’s That Woman?” with saucy charm; Patti Goodwin reminisces in her optimism in “Broadway Baby”; and Fields, paired with Abby DePuy, has a beautifully wistful “One More Kiss.”

Director Sean Murray gives the sprawling piece a strong heartbeat, balancing melancholy with bursts of razzle-dazzle. Katie Banville’s choreography smartly layers the present and the past, letting the younger ghosts execute more elaborate versions of the same steps their older selves attempt. The effect is both dazzling and devastating. If one image lingers, it may be Alyssa Anne Austin, gliding through the theatre in a towering headdress as the ghosts first emerge, a vision of glamour that chills as much as it enchants.

Design elements all heighten the spectral mood. Elisa Benzoni’s costumes are a sumptuous parade: glittering showgirl ensembles, creamy period suits for the younger selves, and vivid 1970s cocktail wear for the older counterparts. Peter Herman’s hair and makeup complete each transformation with polish. Andrew Hull’s scenic design conjures a crumbling Broadway house, with its proscenium arch cracked, tarnished seashell footlights, and few remaining theatre seats. Amanda Zieve’s lighting bathes the ghosts in nostalgic warmth while casting the older figures in cooler hues, as their reality itself is less forgiving.

Abby DePuy, Dagmar Krause Fields Photo by Karli Cadel Photography

Musically, Patrick Marion leads a hidden six-piece band that makes Sondheim’s intricate score soar, even if the balance occasionally overwhelms in the brand-new space..

Like its characters, “Follies” is a creature of its time. The first act ambles through introductions and reunions, sometimes feeling aimless. The second act, dominated by the dreamlike “Loveland” sequence, swings into vaudevillian grandeur, refracting each central couple’s romantic failures into mini-musicals-within-the-musical. For some audiences, it’s a showstopper; for others, a head-scratcher.

Fifty years on, “Follies” remains a glittering ghost story about theatre itself, what it means to chase applause, and to live forever in memory. With Cygnet’s production, “The Joan” gets its first haunting, and it’s a glamorous one.