by Stacy Allyn Dominguez
Coming to the Granville Arts Center in Garland from April 25 – 28, the Spectacular Follies roars back for its 13th season.
The Spectacular Follies is coming back to Garland with an all-new, on-stage show, “Stayin’ Alive! Our 70s Flashback”, featuring the music, dancing and comedy of 1970s. Paying a nostalgic tribute to the lively and exciting music from one of the most enjoyed decades of entertainment, the audience will be transported to these glory days and will be singing along and dancing the night away as our cast recreates the energy of the most varied time period of music – from Disco to Rock, the Follies will bring back the era that changed music forever with all your favorite hit songs.
Who can forget the clothing that defined the 70s? Popular styles of that era included bell bottom pants, frayed jeans, midi skirts, maxi dresses, tie-dye, peasant blouses, ponchos, chokers, headbands, scarves, and the ever-popular platform shoes and hot pants.
During the 70s, music changed direction many times. With the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, musicians and audiences alike were looking for the next new thing. Coming into Its own in the 70s, bands moved toward progressive rock, New Wave, Punk Rock, Blues rock and very popular, soft rock and pop. And mid-70s, who didn’t love going to the neighborhood Disco to dance the bump, the hustle or move to the infectious beats of the Village People?
Broadway got into the action as well, with productions like Grease, Pippin, Applause, Follies, Company, Godspell and Jesus Christ, Superstar. Later in the decade, Evita, Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Annie and The Wiz captivated theater goers with new style of staging and brought new young stars to the stage.
Our exciting and talented cast, made up of entertainers over the age of 55, will bring back the memories that Baby Boomers experienced in the days of the Bee Gees, Abba, Sonny & Cher, Glen Campbell, John Denver, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Captain and Tennille and, of course, Donnie and Marie Osmond. Who could forget Carole King, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Chicago or the Eagles and their influence on popular culture?
The Spectacular Follies has been presenting showcases to the Metroplex since 2008 when founder, Ned Startzel called Rose-Mary Rumbley and Mark Carroll, two famous Dallas entertainers, and the three came up with an idea to stage a senior showcase to highlight the talents of local seniors who love live theater and wanted to continue to perform. The Spectacular Follies debuted on stage and was an instant success and has become a yearly theatrical event.
The Follies is not a senior amateur show, our cast of talented performers come from many different professional backgrounds such as Las Vegas, Broadway, Hollywood and other places across the country and all enjoy performing and showing their talents to other seniors in the area.
The Follies presents dancers, vocalists, comedians and the highlight of the Follies, the famous Follies Showgirls, who appear in lavish costumes with over-the-top feather headdresses. To popular demand, The Follies will again present a patriotic tribute to America finale honoring our military veterans with song, dance and flag waving.
The Spectacular Follies entertains hundreds of senior aged audience members at the daily matinees for an afternoon of fun and a chance to relive the days of live theater. The mix of seniors, middle aged and young children make the Follies a true wholesome family destination that everyone can share together.
The Spectacular Follies is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the traditions and legacy of the American performing arts for future generations, provide community outreach that inspires all age groups, educate by example and reinforce the vibrancy of seniors by presenting high quality performances at every performance.
“Stayin’ Alive! Our 70s Flashback” will run 5 performances at the Granville Arts Center (300 N. 5th Avenue, Garland, Texas), from Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28 with matinees daily at 2pm. There will also be an evening show on Saturday, April 27 at 7pm.
• For tickets to The Spectacular Follies, visit our website www.spectacularfollies.com.
• Via phone by calling the Granville Arts Center Box Office at 972-205-2790 (open Thursday-Saturday, 12-4 p.m. and beginning two hours prior to curtain on performance days)
• In-person at the Granville Arts Center Box Office (open Thursday-Saturday, 12-4 p.m. and beginning two hours prior to curtain on performance days
For Groups of 10 or more, use promo code FOLLIES10 for a 10% discount.
To learn more of the Follies story and see photos of our shows, visit our Facebook page. For additional information, please contact Mary Dowling at 214-808-2944.
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