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| Vol. XVII, Issue VII December 2007 |
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 Greetings, Darlin's,
Speaking of defying gravity, my Long-Legged Lovelies and Follies Gentlemen are masters at it! I gave them last week off to spoil their grandchildren, but they return tomorrow to perform nine shows before the onset of 2008. So if you need a break from returning that chartreuse sweater Cousin Myrtle was so sure you’d love, we’ll be waiting for you at the historic Plaza Theatre. This week is your last chance to catch our Winter Holiday spectacular and the inimitable Miss Kaye Ballard. Both take their final bows on New Year’s Eve (and make way for our new “Salute to Cole Porter” and the Four Aces, beginning January 9). I think of New Year’s Eve as the “grown-up holiday,” a reward for all the work we adults do to make Christmas and Chanukah for the children. Funny hats. Rude-noise makers. Tossing trash around and calling it “confetti.” What could be more grown-up than that? So New Year’s Eve at the Follies is our most glittering night of the season, with two champagne receptions preceding performances at 3:30 and 9 p.m. Both shows offer the same song-and-dance and party favors. And a lot of our patrons prefer the early performance: we count down the arrival of New Year’s somewhere in Tibet and still get home in time to watch Ryan Seacrest pretend he’s Guy Lombardo. You’ll find other news of the Follies below, but I’d better get started on what will be a very hectic week. Now if I can just figure out how to turn on this darned Xbox…
Dorothy Kloss and Hank Brunjes were interviewed in a segment produced by KQED Radio's Deidre Crawford for The California Report, a daily program carried by more than 30 National Public Radio stations around the state. The interviews were originally broadcast by KQED in San Francisco on December 21, but other stations may air them at other times. (For the nearest station carrying The California Report, check here. Those who missed the live broadcast may listen through their computers via the show’s archive here). Last May’s symposium, Living Better Longer, co-sponsored by the Follies and the UCLA Center on Aging, was filmed by PBS-TV station
Dancing Star Takes Stroll Down Tin Pan Alley!  Kym Johnson dances with ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone on the ABC hit.Three-season Dancing With the Stars ballroom professional Kym Johnson and her mother, Barbara, spent Thanksgiving this year at the Plaza Theatre, attending a performance by the veteran dancers of the Follies. Johnson took time out from rehearsing the season finale of the ABC hit, where she has partnered Jerry Springer, ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone and, most recently, sports magnate Mark Cuban.
According to Johnson, “We were in Palm Springs earlier in the week, but the Follies wasn’t open and I had to go back to L.A. for rehearsal. So my mother and I drove back today just to see the show. And it was worth the extra trip! I loved it and I’m thrilled to know there’s a great show where I can dance when I reach retirement age!” The admiration was obviously mutual when Johnson met the Follies cast after the show amid the flashing of cameras and a hearty exchange of compliments. “There’s nothing more important to a performer than the respect of one’s peers,” observed Follies Company Dance Manager Leila Burgess. “Naturally we’re thrilled when a dancer of Kym’s stature praises our work.” “She’s a fellow Australian, so of course Kym is my favorite dancer on my favorite show,” says two-season Follies Long-Legged Lovely Wendy Barry, age 70. “She has great technique and that famous Aussie spunk. You wait and see: she’ll still be dancing when she’s my age!”
Red Hatters Flood Follies! The rare torrential downpour that drenched Palm Springs on Friday, November 30, failed to dampen the spirits of 530 Red Hat Society members who flocked to a performance of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. Led by the Society’s founder and president, “Exalted Queen Mother” Sue Ellen Cooper, the Red Hatters braved wind, rain and unseasonably cold temperatures to fill the historic Plaza Theatre with their trademark red and purple finery. In return, they were treated to an evening of musical comedy, including a special “Red Hat” costume modeled by Follies showgirl Natascha Ahlborn.
With its company of performers aged 56 to 84-years-young, the Follies is a natural destination for the Red Hat Society, whose more than 1 million members in over 30 countries are devoted to “fun after 50 for women in all walks of life.” And Red Hatters can be found at most Follies performances, but the November 30 gathering was by far the largest assemblage of Society members ever seen at the Plaza Theatre. Or, indeed, in Palm Springs.
After the weekend, Cooper recalled, “I was deeply moved to be told, by no less than three women, that membership in the Red Hat Society has helped them find something they had given up for lost: their ability to enjoy life after devastating personal loss. This is a far greater treasure than any material object could ever be, don’t you think? We often joke about how we Red Hatters don’t ‘do’ anything, but that’s not really true. By reaching out to other women and investing in each others’ lives, we make a profound difference in the lives of many women.”
Marine Spouses Deployed to Follies! Nearly 40 Marine spouses enjoyed a night out in Palm Springs on December 5, including dinner at Kaiser Grille Restaurant, courtesy of its owner Lee Morcus, and a performance of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. “We are blessed and grateful that Operation Enduring Families and organizations like Kaiser Grille and the Follies do such a great job of supporting the spouses and children of Marines,” said Kristie Mitchell, the wife of a 28-year veteran of the Corps and an ex-Marine herself. “And that’s so important to our troops overseas, because the last thing a soldier on patrol in Iraq needs is to be distracted by worry about his wife and kids back home.” The Marine spouses were preceded at the Follies by their base commander, Brigadier General Melvin Spiese, his wife, Filomena Spiese, and members of his staff, who attended the December 1 performance before viewing the annual Festival of Lights parade. General and Mrs. Spiese plan to bring their three children—all military personnel themselves—to the Follies in the future, describing it as a show “for all ages,” but with special meaning for servicemen and women. “We at the Follies are well aware of the sacrifices that Marines and members of the other branches of the armed forces—along with their families—make for all of us, so we’re always looking for ways to repay them,” explained Follies co-founder Mary Jardin.
Calling All Wheelers and Slow Walkers! A recent letter from a patron illustrates our commitment:
Accessible Vacations identifies travel opportunities all over North America, with specific attention to issues such as wheelchair accessibility.
The Follies Reservations Department is open seven days a week and can be reached by calling 760-327-0225, or by visiting the Box Office located at the entrance to the historic Plaza Theatre. Or you can purchase tickets online 24 hours a day at www.psfollies.com. Purchasing tickets online or at the box office allows you to see your exact seat location at the time of booking.
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‘Tis the day after Christmas and, once again, Santa worked miracles to delight the wee ones. He and his sleigh defied the Laws of Gravity. He evaded state-of-the-art home security systems and somehow got around the paucity of chimneys in Florida. He survived a pro-reindeer protest by PETA that inevitably turned ugly. But, if you ask me, the greatest miracle of all is how Santa ever convinced his elves to stop making jack-in-the-boxes and start making Xboxes!
UCLA Center on Aging director Dr. Gary Small, onstage with the Follies Man.
The Follies Man introduces Natascha Ahlborn, who wears a costume specially designed for just such an occasion.
Exalted Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper backstage with Follies cast.
From left to right: Follies Co-founder Mary Jardin, Filomena Spiese and Brigadier General Melvin Spiese.
In related news, the Follies is one of many attractions profiled in a new book by Candy B. Harrington, specially directed at travelers with special needs. The book is entitled Accessible Vacations: 101 Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, and is available in bookstores, from online booksellers and direct from the publisher, Demos Medical Publishing, at 800-532-8663.
