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PrintChristmas in Folliesland
Guest Star Susan Anton Adds Holiday Cheer to Follies’ Yuletide Production
Mark Davidson
A Jewish snowman? Tiny, manic Santas who sing like chipmunks? A 90-proof grandma looking for Santa to “shake, not stir”? It may not be your notion of traditional holiday fare, but in Folliesland, anything’s possible! From now through the last chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies celebrates the winter holidays like you've never seen it before!
The moment Follies audiences step into the lobby of the historic Plaza Theatre, they enter a child’s Christmas-morning dream come true, complete with a lavish tree and exquisite ornaments inspired by Follies showgirls. The fun continues onstage where comic elements of the season meet the more traditional including a soaring rendition of “O Holy Night;” an audience sing-along; and a shimmering onstage snowfall. “Christmas In Folliesland” is a wildly improbable treat for the eye, ear, heart and funny bone.
And, for the first time ever, a Follies guest star has brought her own Christmas show to the Plaza Theatre thus doubling the Follies’ holiday offering. From “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus” to such classics as “Count Your Blessings” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, Susan Anton delivers this season’s Follies’ promise (as well as show title) to Let The Good Times Roll!
The evening performance on December 2 is the annual visit by spouses of deployed Marines from nearby Twenty-nine Palms as part of the base’s “Operation Enduring Families” program. For the past six years, Marine spouses have enjoyed a complimentary performance of the Fabulous Follies and a special introduction by Follies Man Riff Markowitz to an always-cheering audience.
The Follies schedule includes up to seven shows a week until December 13. Then, after a 13-day Christmas hiatus, the Follies resumes on December 27 and continues daily through the final week of the year. On December 31, the Follies presents two very special New Year’s Eve performances at 3:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., each with a glittering champagne reception. At the stroke of midnight (or “Rio de Janeiro midnight” for matinee-goers), the Follies Man and cast will join audiences with party hats and noisemakers to welcome the New Year under a shower of confetti.
As in previous seasons of giving, the Follies is again a drop-off location for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Program. Through December 13, anyone in the vicinity during a performance may donate a new, unwrapped toy at the bin placed outside the theatre doors. Follies fans have made the Plaza Theatre always among the top donor sites for this most worthwhile annual toy drive benefiting needy children.
The Follies also makes holiday shopping easy with convenient gift certificates, redeemable for any performance, and a wide array of gift items at its online store at www.psfollies.com/store including Susan Anton’s first-ever holiday CD and the just-released CD “Great Moments at the Follies, Volume 2.”
So if you are searching in vain for holiday spirit among the rush and crush of year-end obligations, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies offers you a haven of Christmas cheer and imagination.
