Seniors shine in follies

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Definitely an entertainment deserving of its name, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies strikes again.

The amazingly unique troupe performing several nights and many afternoons every week in this ever-popular "feel-of-the-'20s" resort city ranges in age from "newcomers" in their mid-50s to "seasoned" Follies members in their mid-to-late 80s.

Actually, they have all graced stages and movie screens with their singing and dancing. They are all veterans of stages from Broadway to Las Vegas, and some were key performers throughout the 1930s and '40s.

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies sheds a whole new light on the term "senior citizen." These are show-business professionals from way back who wear their celebrity proudly, whether doing cartwheels and splits, singing marvelously, or proving, with their stunningly youthful figures, that they are every inch a match for the incredibly elaborate feathered-and-sequined costumes, as well as their towering yet delicate headresses, which are reminiscent of yesteryear's Ziegfield Follies.

Running from the first of November through late May, the Fabulous Follies is one of the prime reasons to visit Palm Springs. The array of talent displayed in this three-hour show will set your head spinning for months.

Voluptuous Judy Bell, now 67, belts out ballads in her sexy contralto, which sends shivers down the spine and sends audience members to their feet. And petite Beverly Allen, now at age 87, amazingly lithe and light as a feather, continues to out tapdance any young starlet 70 years her junior.

The parade of lovelies is always a showstopper, but so is everything else — from the handsome tuxedoed males lifting, whirling and tossing the long-legged chorus girls, to the unique and hilarious ventriloquist with a smart-alec parrot or the jaw-dropping juggler with spinning plates, both of whom push their art beyond anything you may have ever seen.

There's also a top-notch live orchestra, and the always changing and visually arresting choreography, and the elaborate and eye-catching variety of sets and special effects.

Then there's the master of ceremonies, Riff Markowitz. A senior citizen himself, not only is he the wise and clever impresario who put this whole thing together more than 14 years ago, but his suave manner and never-ending supply of perfectly timed jokes (both planned and improvised) make him a first-rate emcee who never lets his audience down.

But that's not all. There are always the guest stars — in the past, Donald O'Connor, the Mills Brothers, Kay Starr, Howard Keel, Frankie Laine, and this year's highlight, the Four Aces.

A major singing group throughout the 1950s, the Four Aces delight audiences with their inimitable renditions of hits that flooded the airwaves more than half a century ago — "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" and "Stranger in Paradise." The Four Aces will perform Wednesday through May 22, when this season's show ends and preparations begin for the 2005 Winter Show, which will open on Nov. l.

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