The Gentlemen of the Follies!

At age 24

At 57 years of age, John Kendrick is now in his third season with the Fabulous Follies. He grew up in upstate New York, around Binghamton and Ithaca, on the carnival circuit, which planted the show business bug in him early. As a teenager, he moved from midways and fairs to the stage, principally musical productions.

Inspired by television's Route 66, John packed up his Impala convertible and headed west, landing in Las Vegas. For the next 12 years, he sang and danced in the Lido de Paris at the Stardust Hotel while also performing on many TV variety specials headlined by such stars as Sammy Davis, Jr., Siegfried & Roy, Juliet Prowse and Ann-Margret.

After moving to Palm Springs in 1989, John owned and operated a bed-and-breakfast, from which he is now semi-retired. He has taken leave from being a hotelier to return to his favorite occupation, performing in front of an audience.

What is your favorite Follies memory? "When I first started at the Follies, I was fascinated by the early show biz stories of Follies veterans. I had actually seen many of them perform in other shows, so it is a real treat to now be sharing a dressing room with them."

MORE FUN FACTS:

• His verve and vigor are reflected in his off-stage pursuits: riding in the front car of roller-coasters, zip-lining on a wire through the woods, roller-blading. And, of course, taking dance classes.
• He likes to take songs from the early '30s and sing them in more lyrical and emotional style than originally intended.
• His favorite dancers, stylistically, are:  tap, Ann Miller; ballroom, Fred Astaire; jazz, Gene Kelly; ballet, Mikhail Baryshnikov; toe tap and fire baton, Eleanor Powell.
• John's hero(ine): Helene Yelverton. "She was my first dance teacher many years ago in New York, and now she and her husband, Bill, have evolved into best friends and inspirational examples of how to embrace your senior years."
• One night, as the line captain for the Lido de Paris, he watched the show from spotlight booths perched high in the ceiling. Siegfried & Roy, the stars, inadvertently showed him the secret to their magical illusions because he was looking down at the top of their heads and "could see everything.  If you ever want to saw a lady in half or make an elephant disappear, I'm your man."
• The overriding philosophy of his life: "Take something that overwhelms you and break it down into baby steps so that you can do them one at a time."