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Accent _E .. :: -v .:: DEBRA 1NESS rehearses ?╟ The Country Gal,?╟Ñ one of the new ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ numbers. WE?╟╓LL ALWAYS HAVE aris JERRY JACKSON?╟╓S detail work ranges from keeping his dancers in line, above, to making sure every last Eiffel bulb is lit, below, ?╟ Folies?╟╓ action Jackson does it all By Melissa Schorr LAS VEGAS SUN You could say Jerry Jackson has a bit of a delegation hang-up. Jackson, the man credited with cre- ating, directing, writing, choreograph- ing, composing and costume-designing the 17th edition of the ?╟úFolies Bergere,?╟Ñ is constantly asked why he works so hard. 'The reason is that when 1 commu- nicate my ideas to someone else, it's abstract, and there is always transla- tion,?╟Ñ he says, as if it were a dirty word. ?╟úSo I have to go in and supervise the way the fitting goes, the place- ment of flowers, the jeweling. Whatever is required.?╟Ñ Some may hypothesize that the reason ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ has endured is be- cause it is a classic, a brand name, an institution. They are sadly misguided. ?╟úOne of the reasons my shows last is that I get a higher percentage of what's in my mind,?╟Ñ says Jackson, He may have a point. Jackson has directed the last three editions ot the ?╟úFolies,?╟Ñ and thus at least partially re- sponsible for its continued longevity. The other reason, he says, is his de- pendence upon authenticity, When he wants to do a clogging number, he studies with the National Clogging Chapter. When he wants to do a Japanese number, he spends hours in the Japanese American li- brary in Los Angeles. When he tapes period music for a dance number, he uses instruments from the era. ?╟úThe audience can?╟╓t put their finger on why the show looks good, but they sense it,?╟Ñ he says. ?╟úYou must never underrate the audience, never play down to them.?╟Ñ Jackson certainly has a director?╟╓s eye for detail ?╟÷ God help the crew SEE JACKSON, 12E ETHAN MILLER / LAS VEGAS SUN At 38, ?╟ Folies?╟╓ isn?╟╓t getting older, she?╟╓s getting better By Melissa Schorr US VEGAS SUN ?╟úHallelujah. It?╟╓s about time,?╟Ñ says one former dancer, upon hearing that his old stomping ground, ?╟úFolies Bergere,?╟Ñ was in the throes of an overhaul. Poor ?╟úFolies.?╟Ñ She knows what they?╟╓re saying behind her back: ?╟úLook at her, up there night af- ter night at her age, making a spectacle of herself.?╟Ñ True, the last time she had a touch-up was sometime during the Reagan admin-. istration. And her once-racy Parisian sex-kitten act is downright dowdy compared to to- day?╟╓s in-your-lap Cheetah?╟╓s. In fact, the grande dame of imported Paris reviews has watched her Las Vegas peers slowly vanish around her, with ?╟úLido de Paris?╟Ñ washing away, ?╟úViva Les Girls?╟Ñ dying off and ?╟úCasino de Paris?╟Ñ go- ing bust. She?╟╓s eyed those flashy young things, called ?╟úEFX?╟Ñ and ?╟úStarlight,?╟Ñ as they shimmy their way up, trying to elbow her out of thejway. Over the years, she?╟╓s suffered a few wrinkles, jtoo. She?╟╓s been forced to watch her waistline, cutting out the two-free- drinks policy and finally the dinner show. -------------------Her hearing?╟╓s been off The new Tolies?╟╓ ?√ß WHEN: Opens tonight with a show at 11; then it?╟╓s 8 and 10:30 nightly (dark Thursday). ?√ß WHERE: Tropi- cana's Tiffany Theater ?√ß TICKETS; $45 table, $55 VIP booth. Call 739-2411. a touch since switch- ing from live to syn- ?╟≤?╟? thesized music. But like any woman of a certain ?╟ú age, the 38-year-old ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ refuses to grow old gracefully ?╟÷ she?╟╓s going to fight it every step of the way. So ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ arranged for a quickie vacation, darkening the theater for the last -----------------three weeks, and called in the best nip-and-tuck man in the business: director Jerry Jackson. Jackson and ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ go way back. He orchestrated the 100th anniversary edi- tion of her sister show in Paris in 1966, as well as the last two editions here, in 75 and?╟╓83. Canceling his Christmas vacation back home to Oklahoma, Jackson wrote like a madman. He reauditioned the cast and assembled a new group of lead singers and dancers. He tweaked and tightened, taking a little off here and putting it there. He kept her best features intact, of course: the crowd pleasing ?╟úCan-Can?╟Ñ number with girls still dive-bombing off the balcony, the adagio Astaire-Rogers waltz, the ?╟╓50s ?╟úJuke Box?╟Ñ number. He ransacked her closet, pulling out a few retro items: that darling 70s set now back in style, those lights and fans and heels that never went out. He added 19 new production numbers, scrapping some outdated ?╟╓80s pop tunes in favor of some other outdated ?╟╓80s tunes. But ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ trusted his judgment. When he was finished, the operation was rumored to be a success. It was ?╟újust shy of a miracle,?╟Ñ gasped a showgirl just two years younger than ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ herself. Tonight, the bandages come off. If Jackson has succeeded, you?╟╓ll hardly recognize the old gal. She will be ?╟÷ as soon as the swelling goes down, of course ?╟÷ ?╟úSexier Than Ever.?╟Ñ