2021 Park City Follies
Covid restrictions forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition as well as The Egyptian Theatre to go dark. Park City Follies 2021 will be the first live performance when the theatre reopens in August.
Terry Moffit, and the writing team were honored when Randy Barton, theatre manager, asked them to be the first show to open the theater. “We were also terrified,” she explained. “Even though we’d been meeting on and off, and over Zoom, we basically had three months to do what normally takes us nine or ten.”
They were 97% ready for the 20th anniversary show that was supposed to be on stage in April of 2020. “A few of our sketches and videos are pretty timeless so we are bringing them to this show,” says Moffit. “Other than that, the story line, the songs, and several videos are brand new and we worked on them this summer.”
Don’t even try to guess the major theme. “Everyone thinks it will be all Pandemic,” admits Moffit, “but we talked it over and decided we were happy to have last year behind us. Businesses went under, people lost jobs, lost loved ones, how do you poke fun at that? Our show has a "hint" of Covid in that it is a big reason we are seeing so many newcomers in town. They came somewhere to escape city life and discovered Park City. And now they won't go the hell home!!!”
Opening night is only a month away and the cast is not yet in rehearsal. The amazing, magical, jaw-dropping fact is that the Follies cast has only two weeks of rehearsal before they open! “Many take off from their day jobs to commit to nine nights of practice and nine shows. It's an incredible commitment by a solid cast that loves giving back and we really enjoy each other. After two online shows which were much appreciated, our cast and the Creative Team realized the heart and soul of the show is the energy of a live cast. No two nights are every the same.”
Rest assured that most of the cast is back. “People beg to come back. People can't wait to come back,” says Moffit. “We have cast members who have been here all 20 years. These are people from all walks of life that show up, every year, and give it their all. We can't thank them enough for bringing our words and songs to life.“
This is a true labor of love for the Creative Team who have worked together for years. “We laugh. We argue. Everyone thinks their stuff is funny. We interrupt. We email in the middle of the night,” says Moffit. “I couldn't ask for a more creative, clever, committed crew to work with. And I'm so happy when every seat is filled and that rolling laughter starts. That feels really, really good.”
Park City Follies runs August 27 to September 5. Purchase tickets at https://egyptiantheatrecompany.org/