Guest Stars
Jan 5, 2012 - Mar 10, 2012
Mar 13, 2012 - May 20, 2012
Variety Acts
Nov 1, 2011 - May 20, 2012
Note:
Guest stars and variety acts subject to change.
The Crystals
RENOWNED GIRL GROUP MAKES FOLLIES DEBUT
The Crystals Bring Hits to Plaza Theatre Stage
When legendary record producer Phil Spector signed The Crystals in 1961, not one was yet out of high school. Their first recording, "There's No Other (Like My Baby)," became an instant hit and catapulted them straight to the Apollo Theatre.
In 1962, Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Uptown" gave the girls their second radio hit. Ethnically flavored with flamenco guitar and castanets, this more up-tempo tune featured the girls once again emoting convincingly over a boy, though this time with class issues woven into the story.
"He's a Rebel" is perhaps the Crystals' best-remembered song, and one of the most enduring of the girl group genre. The song had originally been offered to The Shirelles, who turned it down because of the anti-establishment lyrics. It marked a shift in girl group thematic material, where the singer loves a "bad boy," a theme that would be amplified by later groups. It was also a #1 hit for The Crystals.
The group's next release was the classic "Da Doo Ron Ron," which even featured Cher on backup vocals, long before she became a pop diva. The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK, as was their follow-up single "Then He Kissed Me."
The group disbanded in 1967, but reunited in 1971 and has been performing ever since. While scaling back from five members to three, the group is now comprised of Dee Dee Kenniebrew, who was there from the very first recording; Patricia Pritchett-Lewis; and Melissa Antoinette Grant.
Today, the Crystals are acknowledged as one of the defining acts of the early-1960s girl group era and hold the notable distinction of having recorded two of the Top 50 most popular records in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Follies is truly proud to present this classic act along with their timeless melodies to inaugurate its spectacular 20th anniversary season.
Original "Crystal" Carries On Tradition
Nearly 50 years ago and at the tender age of 15, Dee Dee Kenniebrew began singing professionally with The Crystals. At that time, her high school classmates included such future stars as Gregory Hines, Patty Duke and Bernadette Peters . . . definitely good company to learn from! She continued to hone her craft while working with such celebrated performers as Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick and James Brown.
"Many people look at me now, and remark about how young I look, as well my onstage energy," say Kenniebrew. "They wonder if I'm the same Dee Dee they remember as a kid? I tell them, ‘Yes it's me! I'm still here . . . and as long as you keep coming to see me, I'll keep goin'!'"
