EXTRAVAGANZA
Ninth annual Oklahoma Senior Follies will run June 1-2 at OCU
Oklahoma Senior Follies will present its 2019 show “Curtains Up!” at 7 p.m. June 1 and at 2 p.m. June 2 at Oklahoma City University's Kirkpatrick Auditorium, 2501 N Blackwelder Ave.
The 9th Annual Ziegfeld Follies-style variety show will feature dance and musical performances, as well as comedy acts. Attendees also will be treated to special performances by well-known operatic soprano and Oklahoma native Leona Mitchell and by American fiddle player Byron Berline, who also calls Oklahoma home.
“We have a cast of 43 people who perform in this show,” said Jim Palmer, president of the board
of directors of the Oklahoma senior follies. “A lot have performed in the Follies before, but we find new talent among local seniors every year.”
The show also will feature its annual parade of Beauties and the Senior Follies King, each recognized for his or her contributions to the community.
The King of the 2019 Senior Follies is Bill Lance, secretary of commerce of the Chickasaw Nation.
This year's Beauties include Ann Lacey, Kitti Asberry, Jan Moran, Kay Manning, Patti Mellow and Mary Jane Calvey.
“This year we have a small staged act where they wear costumes that look kind of like the Ziegfeld Follies. One of our Beauties is in her 90s,” said Carol Sander, board secretary of the Oklahoma Senior Follies. “We just try to pick people to honor and will have fun doing it.”
In addition to the annual performance at Oklahoma City University, which serves as the organization's primary fundraiser, cast members perform at senior centers and assisted living centers throughout the year.
Founded in 2011 by Bobbie Burbridge Lane, the mission of Oklahoma Senior Follies is to celebrate the state's premier senior performers of stage, screen, television and radio, while raising funds to support seniorcentric services.
This year's beneficiary is the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.
Tickets are available at okseniorfollies.com or at 866-966-1777.