Troupe reaches back to vaudeville, burlesque for follies at the Folly ...

A group of theater artists have joined forces with one of Kansas City?s finest historical playhouses to stage what they hope will be the beginning of a new First Friday tradition: the New Century Follies, which will revive an old art form ? or something like it ? on the stage of the Folly Theater.

Seeing that the Folly was, once upon a time, a burlesque house, this effort to take the theater back to its less-than-genteel roots has a historical vibe that feels right.Count on some singing, dancing, juggling, broad comedy and a little bump-and-grinding, among other art forms. The artists plan to draw on the traditions of burlesque, vaudeville, clowning and magic. The new group?s official mission is to ?preserve the legacy of the Folly Theater by creating and performing art that encourages new audiences to discover the power of live performance inside one of Kansas City?s historical gems.?Officially the venture is a partnership between producer Jeremy Lillig; artistic directors Annie Cherry and Damian Blake; associate producer and associate artistic director Alex Espy and the Folly. Lillig is a Kansas City playwright; Cherry is well known as a neo-burlesque performer. And Blake and Cherry appeared in a couple of memorable live shows celebrating silent-film comedy directed by Espy at Lidia?s restaurant. Brad Cox will lead the People?s Liberation Big Band. And there?ll be an open bar. One of the explicit goals is to get young people into the Folly, 300 W. 12th St. The show kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $10 at the door. For more information, go to follytheater.com. ?Juicy Stories in ?Jolly Rancher?Playwright/actor/producer David Wayne Reed, one of the founding members of the fondly remembered Late Night Theatre, gives audiences a glimpse of his unique autobiography with his performance piece, ?Jolly Rancher.? Reed, who grew up in Louisburg, Kan., recounts through a series of short stories his experiences as a farm kid creating his own entertainment: performing impromptu drag shows for visiting seed salesmen, dancing for hay crews at the end of their work day and rehearsing Shakespeare in abandoned grain silos. Reed will perform at 8 p.m. Friday with special guest Honey Tahini; 8 p.m. Saturday with special guest Amy Farrand; and 7 p.m. Sunday with the legendary Ron Megee as his special guest. All performances will be at the Fishtank Performance Studio, 1715 Wyandotte St. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased in advance at brownpapertickets.com/event/237008. For more information, go to fishtanktheater.com.?A pared-down ?Sweeney Todd?Musical Theater Heritage returns April 12 with a concert production of the Stephen Sondheim classic ?Sweeney Todd.? The dark musical about the London barber who liked to cut throats and his gal pal who baked the victims into pies features co-headliners Don Richard, a Broadway veteran and former Kansas City actor, and Cathy Barnett, one of Kansas City?s most accomplished musical-theater performers. The show runs through April 29 at the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center. For tickets call 816-842-9999 or go to musicaltheaterheritage.com.Musical ?Narnia? for the familyStarlight Theatre continues its downtown family series with ?Narnia the Musical? Friday through Sunday at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The stage show by Thomas Tierney (music) and Ted Drachman (lyrics) is based on the C.S. Lewis classic ?The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? and was declared by The New York Times to be ?the rare family musical designed for children that doesn?t talk down to them.? Michael Grayman and Andy Parkhurst of Spinning Tree Theatre are directing and choreographing. The cast includes Kip Niven, Deb Bluford, Charles Fugate and Jeff Smith. For tickets, call the Kauffman Center at 816-994-7222 or Starlight at 816-363-7827, or visit their websites: kcstarlight.com or kauffmancenter.org.

To reach Robert Trussell, call 816-234-4765 or send email to rtrussell@kcstar.com.

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