Fun and frolic
Men modeling tasteless lingerie and a Jerry Lee Lewis knockoff are among acts lined up for “Feeble Follies II.” Preparation started last month for a troupe of 30 seniors performing in the show at the Spokane Valley Senior Center on Sept. 25. The center has hosted five or six talent shows of different names in the past. Last year, two performances sold out, attracting nearly 200 people.
For those who haven’t attended, the follies is a mishmash of ridiculous lip-syncing, garish costumes and unsightly wigs.
“This turns out to be the best production we have all year. I come and just hoot and howl,” said Jane Franks, a member of the center and follies fan.
This year’s acts include several solo performances.
Charlotte Watson plays Ernestine, a persnickety telephone operator from a comedy skit on Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In,” a popular TV show in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The characterization remains true to Lily Tomlin’s original performance and Watson sniggers her way through one end of a conversation with a disgruntled phone company customer.
With a mischievous gleam in his eyes and gestures galore, Tom Watson’s impersonation of Jerry Lee Lewis has a “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
Not only is the silver-haired cast member shakin’, he lip-synchs and plays air keyboard to “Great Balls of Fire.”
“They get a chance to act like kids again,” said Madeline Luedtke, director of the follies.
Performers overcame obstacles that included the recent death of six Center members — some of them cast members from last year’s follies.
The toughest loss was Bill Mael, a well-loved member who directed last year’s follies.
“It was very tough on the production because he was a great director and he was in a lot of the skits, too,” said Margie Oswald.
Luedtke, who was Mael’s co-director last year, took the helm so the show could go on, but practices were temporarily stalled when her grown son was injured in a serious car accident.
In spite of the problems, the cast is pulling together their extravaganza in record time.
Oswald, who performs in five skits, including “It’s Your Fault that Our Kids are So Ugly,” said the show has all new material.
“Everything is done in pantomime and we lip-sync to the music,” Oswald said. “We’ve got some pretty good talent here.”
Although the first outing was a bit rough, Oswald believes things are progressing nicely and says the cast is moving to two practices a week to put the final polish on the show.
As with any amateur stage performance, there’s a scavenger hunt for props. In the next few days the cast will amass an assortment of wigs, stockings and slips.
Many of the frillier finds will grace the broad shoulders of eight men who agreed to a cross-dressing extravaganza billed as a “fashion show.”
The group will not only shave, but wear full makeup as they traverse the “runway” in racy items like pajamas and thong underwear.
In a few short months, the budding director has picked up some tricks of the trade, such as enlisting cast members by telling them they’d be great for a certain part and reminding members to drive carefully and take all their pills so they stay healthy.
While two thespians wrestled with a tape recorder during the first rehearsal, Luedtke crossed her fingers.
She knows the bugs will be ironed out before the curtain rises, but for a first-time director, it’s nonetheless nerve wracking.
“The night before this I always have nightmares.”