Last Minute Golf Palm Springs

When you are checking the list of reasons why you should plan a visit to Palm Springs - Sun, resorts, shopping, outdoor sports and spectacular scenery - not to overlook the musical theater. We're talking specifically about the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a show produced by professionals who have been so successful that it is now in its 19th season.

The distribution of the Follies is an incredibly talented group of older people - somehow the word "seniors" does not seem to apply here - who all had a long career performing on Broadway, on national television and in some the best theater groups in the country. The 16 cast members were all on top of their profession, singing and dancing with all their heart in major productions in the best halls in the country.

Now, with ages ranging from late 50s to the oldest showgirl working with 86 young years, the cast members have found a way to continue to perform their roles in a physically demanding time of life when many people consider walking the dog a physics major accomplishment.

Make no mistake, this is not just a group of elderly people pretending to be young - not by any means. These artists are the real deal, just as energetic as the dancers that you saw in those old movies with Gene Kelly and interpretive routines so hard that even young people should get in shape to remove them.

And without doubt these dance numbers should feel full. As master of ceremonies Riff Markowitz kidded at the end of the show: ". You all need to go home because we have to take a nap"

The event this year is a review of popular songs of the 40, 50 and 60. From a medley of the group may be wearing costumes and hairstyles of the time the Second World War, while in another part of the show is all about Elvis and styles of the 50s. music of the Beatles and other 60s, are created in yet another part of the show.

There are also numbers that have the glitzy showgirl cast members dressed in elaborate costumes lady adorned with flowers and feathers and frilly headdresses half again as large as the ladies. slinky halter to give the impression they do run a lot of flesh covered by a few bright ornaments placed at strategic locations. Regardless of age, all performers are in great shape and incredibly proud to show it.

The three-hour show is well paced, broken by the performances are usually invited famous names in show business. During our visit, the guests were the Four Aces, a popular male vocal group of the 1950s which saw 30 of their songs reach the Top 40. Another guest was Brad Cummings, a very talented ventriloquist who kept the audience in stitches and proved to be one of the show highlights.

At the center of this production is Markowitz, who is actually a co-founder of the Follies. Markowitz, who has a background in television production, said he had learned to work an audience when he went out and did the warm-up before recording live television. Today, Markowitz jokes and when the fingertips and is an obvious stand-up talent who could go toe feet with Leno or one of the greatest. His monologues are frequently distributed on the night and often laugh to age - a subject more than the average public understands.

But in case you thought this show is for older people, it really is not. It's hilarious and entertaining for the mid-teens, but especially for those middle-aged and older. Although the songs and costumes can be dated, the humor is contagious and the performances are breathtaking.

On this, our most recent visit to Palm Springs we focused on the city of Palm Springs (site of Follies), where we enjoyed browsing the shops along North and South Palm Canyon Drive. Everything is within walking distance and a large suggestio.