The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies was a Ziegfeld Follies style dance and musical review show that played at the historic Plaza TheatreinPalm Springs, California, United States,[1] seasonally from November to mid-May.[2] The Follies was founded in 1990 by Riff Markowitz and Mary Jardin.[3] Impresario Markowitz also served as the show's managing director and emcee. The show was often credited with helping to revitalize and maintain the downtown area by bringing in patrons from around the globe.[4] The Follies was unique in that it only featured performers 55 and older and holds Guinness World Records for this claim to fame.[5] It was the subject of a short documentary titled Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies which was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject Documentary.[6] A segment that aired on Seattle television station KOMO-TV that featured the Follies received an Emmy in 1997.[7] The shows attracted approximately 170,000 attendees yearly.[8]: 206 On June 5, 2013, co-founders Markowitz and Jardin announced they would close the Follies on May 18, 2014.[9]
The Follies had a cast of both featured and guest performers.
Featured Follies performers included:
Guest performers (headliners) included:[15]
Headliners included:[8]: 207 [2][16]
Musician Johnny Harris served as the conductor for the entire run of the show.[23]
Connie Furr Soloman served as the primary costume designer for seasons 11–16.
