HERE COMES THE SPECTACULAR FOLLIES!

by Stacy Allyn Dominguez

The month of April brings us so many beautiful and wonderful things. The days are filled with sunshine and warmth with early spring flowers poking their heads up through the greening grasses on the ground. April also brings to Dallas the most anticipated event of the season, the Spectacular Follies yearly show. This year the Follies will present “Feelin’ Groovy! Our Tribute to the 60s and 70s”, featuring our stellar cast of entertainers all over the age of 55 who will sing and dance to bring joy to our audiences who love the music from two of the most fun musical decades.

How does the Follies put together this massive endeavor? Each February, the Follies holds auditions that bring out over 100 talented people who have only one wish; to be one of the cast members of the show. We see dancers, vocalists, comedians, specialty acts and the beautiful women who want to be one of the famous Follies Showgirls. Our creative artistic team, led by DeeAnne Meece, focuses on the many talents that are presented at auditions to find the best people to be part of the many production numbers, solo acts and dance ensembles. We are so fortunate that each year we find new and exciting talents to add to the cast, and also enjoy the folks who have been in the Follies in past years. We have a large group of acts who have appeared in the show since it started in 2008 and the mix of old and new cast members makes the Spectacular Follies the must-see production of the year. The cast members support each other and we call each other ‘our Follies family’.

After many years of productions at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, the Follies decided to move to a more intimate space bringing the audience closer to the performers on the stage and found that the Garland Arts Center was the perfect new home. Over the years, we’ve presented many genres of music featuring the glorious songs from the ‘Great American Songbook’ era, to tributes to Broadway, country and the classics. The divine lyrics from Gershwin, Porter, Rogers and Hart blended perfectly with Sondheim, Hammerstein and many other great writers. Each year the Follies picks a theme that delves deep into the heart of our audiences with memories from their younger days. This year, we’re bringing back the great days of disco, soul and rock.

What really makes the Spectacular Follies so special are the amazing cast members who joyfully take over the stage. Although everyone in the cast is 55, you would never notice because of the youthful enthusiasm and professionalism that each member brings to each song or dance. The vitality of the show is evident from the first beats of the live band accompanying the performers who are giving everything they’ve got, from the grand opening and all through the show to our grand finale.

This is not your average amateur show. Putting together a Follies showcase is a monthslong process of selecting the perfect cast, putting together the perfect flow of songs and dances and rehearsing for weeks to perfect each number that the audience sees.

The rehearsals are a jumble of dancers in one corner running over their moves over and over until they are in perfect formation, there are singers gathered around the piano perfecting their sound and getting each voice perfectly blended, other cast members will be chattering while getting fitted for their beautiful costumes. And then there are the Follies Showgirls, who practice the difficult choreography of their presentation. Each showgirl, from their 50s to 80s, is selected to bring glamour and poise as they glide up and down the big staircase in elaborate costumes and showstopping feather headdresses. The showgirls became the symbol and logo of the Follies and is the most anticipated part of the show. After 6 weeks, the Follies is ready to bring the show to life on stage. The two-hour production is the culmination of all the hard work leading up to opening day.

Opening Thursday, April 24 and running through Sunday, April 27, the Follies will present 5 fun filled shows at 2pm daily with a Saturday, April 26 show at 7pm. Featuring the upbeat and exhilarating look back to the days of our youth.

The Spectacular Follies is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the legacy of live theater for young and old alike. We’ve brought this mission to life since our first show in 2008 and hope to keep this going for future generations with new and exciting shows and cast members each year.

“Feelin’ Groovy! Our tribute to the 60s and 70s” will run at the Garland Arts Center (300 N. 5th Avenue, Garland Texas) for the performances. Tickets are on sale at our website: www.spectacularfollies.com. For groups of 10 or more, enjoy a 10% discount by using promo code FOLLIES10 when selecting your seats.

To learn more about the Follies story and see photos and videos of past productions, be sure to visit our website www.spectacularfollies.com or visit our Facebook page.