Show Synopsis:
Weismann Theatre is being demolished, and all the old performers from Weismann's follies have reunited for a party. As the older actors interact, their ghostly younger counterparts show scenes from their past lives working at the theatre. Sally Durant Plummer, who has spent a lot of time in rehab clinics and mental hospitals, and Phyllis Rogers Stone, her former roommate, show up with their husbands Buddy and Ben. Ben and Sally, former lovers, both show regret for how their lives have unfolded, and are kissing each other when Buddy walks in the room. Ben tells Phyllis their marriage is over, and the four dissolve in a sort of group mental breakdown that mirrors a number from their follies days. The couples depart together, hoping to work through their issues as their younger selves are seen getting ready for a night out together.	

Character:
Hattie Walker, a tough older lady who used to work in the Follies; frustrated with her history of bad husbands.

Song Context:
Some of the former Follies girls are reminiscing about their younger selves and their idealistic dreams of stardom and love. Hattie recalls her days living and performing in New York with intentions of making it big in Broadway.

Fun Facts:
1. This song, like many in Follies, was a sort of exercise for Sondheim in pastiche - writing songs to evoke eras different from the one they were written in. 
2. A major theme in the musical is theatricality and drama - the characters relive their glory days as performers, and the audience watches the performance, giving them one last bow. The characters in this musical are desperate to entertain and perform again. 
3. Sondheim has noted that this song, and the two songs that accompany it in the show, show how ?Happiness was in your own backyard?and everybody could become a star. To see ?Broadway Baby? sung by a tough old lady, superannuated and slightly down on her luck, made our shows? point about surviving the past as clearly as any moment of the evening.?