21 Aug 10 Palm Springs Follies bring live theater to popular desert getaway
When you're checking off the list of reasons why you should plan a visit to Palm Springs - sunshine, great resorts, shopping, outdoor sports and spectacular scenery - don't overlook live musical theater. We're talking specifically about the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a professionally produced show that has proven so successful that it is now in its 19th season.
The cast of the Follies is an incredibly talented group of older folks - somehow the term "senior citizens" just doesn't seem to apply here - who all had long careers performing on Broadway, on national television and in some of the best theater groups in the country. The 16 cast members have all been at the top of their profession, singing and dancing their hearts out in major productions in the country's best venues.
Now, with ages ranging from late 50's to the oldest working showgirl at 86 years young, the cast members have found a way to continue performing their physically demanding roles at a time in their lives when many people consider walking the dog a major physical accomplishment.
Make no mistake, this is not just a group of old people pretending to be young -- not by any means. These entertainers are the real deal, every bit as energetic as the dancers you saw in all those old Gene Kelly movies and performing routines so strenuous that even young people would have to get in shape to pull them off.
And no doubt these exhaustive dance numbers must take their toll. As Master of Ceremonies Riff Markowitz kidded at the end of the show: "You all need to go home now because we have to take a nap."
This year's show is a review of popular songs from the 40's, 50's and 60's. On one medley the group may be dressed in costumes and hairstyles of the World War II era, while in another part of the show it's all about Elvis and the styles of the 50's. Beatles music and other elements of the 60's are created in still another part of the show.
There are also the glitzy showgirl numbers that feature the lady cast members dressed in elaborate costumes adorned with frilly flowers and feathers and headdresses half again as tall as the ladies. Skin-tight body suits give the impression they are exposing lots of flesh covered only by a few bright ornaments placed in strategic locations. No matter the age, all of the performers are in amazing shape and proud to show it off.
The three-hour show is well-paced, broken up by guest performances that are usually famous show business names. During our visit, the guests were the Four Aces, a popular male vocal group from the 1950's that saw 30 of their songs reach the Top 40. Another guest was Brad Cummings, an extremely talented ventriloquist who kept the audience in stitches and proved to be one of the show's highlights.
At the center of this production is Markowitz, who actually is a co-founder of the Follies. Markowitz, who has a background in television production, says he learned how to work an audience when he would go out and do the warm-up before a live television taping. Today, Markowitz has the jokes and timing down pat and is an obvious stand-up talent who could go toe-toe with Leno or any of the greats. His frequent monologues are spread out over the evening and often poke fun at growing old - a subject the older-than-average audience completely understands.
But in case you were thinking this show is just for old people, it's really not. It's hilarious and entertaining for mid-teens on up, but especially for those middle-age and older. While the songs and costumes may be dated, the humor is contagious and the performances are breathtaking.
On this, our most recent visit to Palm Springs we focused on downtown Palm Springs (site of the Follies), where we enjoyed browsing the shops along North and South Palm Canyon Drive. Everything is within walking distance and one great suggestion is to plan to have lunch in one of the sidewalk cafes.
While the desert communities are famous for their mega resorts with golf courses and spacious grounds, we enjoyed a more "close-in" experience this time staying at the Holiday Inn Resort, just a mile or so from the downtown shopping area. One of just a few Holiday Inns nationally that are permitted to use the "resort" designation in its name, this hotel went through a major renovation in the last couple of years and is built around an Olympic-size swimming pool and spacious and popular pool patio area. The kids will enjoy the "Dive-in" movies presented outdoors each night in the pool area.
The resort is surrounded by palm trees and features a Moroccan style fountain. Holiday Inn Resort offers a complimentary shuttle to downtown Palm Springs and, if you want to dine on property, Billy D's Restaurant has a sports bar feel and is popular with guests who want to watch sports on one of several big-screen TV's.
The rooms at the Holiday Inn Resort also feature wide flat-screen televisions as well as other resort-style amenities such as mini-toiletries, high-quality beds and linens, refrigerators, poolside or balcony views, work stations and tables where you can dine in-room. Best of all, the prices at Holiday Inn Resort are quite competitive.
On this particular trip we had some outdoors fun in an area known as the Indian Canyons. Just a 10-minute drive from downtown Palm Springs, the Indian Canyons are several canyons preserved by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians and open - for a fee - to the general public for hiking, horseback riding and picnicking. There are four canyons altogether, each with different features.
We spent an afternoon hiking in the 15-mile-long Palm Canyon, a fascinating landscape with its indigenous flora and fauna that make it seem so far from the glitz and glamour of Palm Springs. This trail features groves of the California Fan Palm, a dramatic tree that provides shade and picturesque scenery along this moderate hike. The grade is gradual and part of the foot path is paved, winding down into the canyon for picnicking by the stream and then up the canyon where visitors can find plenty of interesting rock formations and colorful landscape to explore. Also check out the Trading Post where the tribe has many interesting Indian products and artifacts.
For more information on the Palm Springs area, phone 800-347-7746.
Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered by GMC are Rate this Article:
