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Published on 10/13/1999 All articles from this issue

Los Altos Follies takes on 'The Big, the Bad and the Trendy'

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Special to the Town Crier

The sixth annual Los Altos Follies, an evening of musical parody that benefits the Bus Barn Stage Company, will be held Saturday with two performances at the Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.

A wine and hors d'oeuvres reception held in a tent in the theater parking lot is included with admission to the show. Performance times are 7 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.

The theme of this year's show is "The Big, the Bad and the Trendy, or, Ninety-Nine Good Reasons to Leave This Century." A cast of 10 Los Altans will perform 16 familiar songs with new lyrics written especially for the Follies by former Los Altos planning commissioner Chet Frankenfield, Vicki Reeder and former Los Altos Hills Mayor Mary van Tamelen. Jim Thurber, Jr. will accompany the cast and emcee the show.

According to Follies producer Vicki Reeder, "while the Washington sex scandals have died down, Millennium Madness has taken over. We couldn't resist writing about Y2K paranoia and Los Altos' elaborate New Year's Eve plans."

Reeder said the songs reflect the current issues of the day. "Other trendy things worth singing about include Yuppies in their gigantic SUV's, overly-zealous realtor ladies, and the latest uproar among the neighbors, two-story houses."

Songs include such sure-fire classics as "Yuppie Scum" and "90 Ways to Leave the Century," a take-off on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."

President Clinton makes a return appearance at the Follies, played by John Reed. In addition, Hillary Clinton will also appear to sing "The First Lady Blues." And Ken Starr gets razed as well. Noting that Clinton and Monica Lewinsky were featured last year, Reeder said "Hillary needed to be heard from. Hillary's lament is about how she's survived the troubles of last year and what she's going to do now."

The local city councils are always a target, says Reeder. "This year, we are bemoaning the lack of women on the Los Altos Council with a song called 'Where Are the Council Gals of Yesteryear?' "

"Last year we sold out both shows and the audiences loved it," said Bus Barn Artistic Director Barbara Cannon. "The Follies is tuneful, good-natured humor performed by a great cast. The zingers come fast, so you have to keep your ears open. The best part is that the proceeds make it possible for us to reach our fundraising goals. More than $9,000 was raised for the theater in 1998."

Tickets to the Follies and reception are $50 per person, a tax-deductible donation to the Bus Barn Stage Company. They are available at the Bus Barn box office, 941-0551.