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702-739-2788 TROPICRNA HOTEL 690 P01 DEC 17 599 17:26 By Bill Sewers The crowd was degantand the mr positively electric as one en- tered the lobby area outside the Tiffany Showroom at the Tropicana hotel last Saturday night, December i i; it was evident immediately that something mo- mentous was about to take place. There were jewels, beaded gowns, tuxedos and capes. There were smiles, laughter, hugs and kisses, ail permeated by an aura of ex- citement and expectancy. This was no ordinary evening. This was, indeed, no ordinary evening, for it was the culmina- tion of a weekend of festivities that had been arranged to celebrate the 40*' birthday of the famed ?╟úFoiies Bergere?╟Ñ in Las Vega*. And those smiles, laughter, hugs, and kisses were exchanged among more than 300 ?╟╓Tolies" Alumni and many more friends, some of whom hadn?╟╓t seen each other since they had stepped off the Tropicanu stage some ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. They were now reuniting for a very special ?╟úFolies Bergere" 40* Birthday and Alumni Reunion and had assembled from all over the world - Fans, London, New York, Australia, and many more spots on the globe. When the musical overture opened a mo- mentous 9:00 p m, Tolies'* performance and the silver, rotating minor balls scattered their starry beams throughout the darkened show* room, there were cheers and applause as the venerable production danced and Can Can- ed its way into history as the longest-running production show in America. The applause, cheers, and whistles continued throughout the high-energy show * which was also punctu- ated with spontaneous and welt-deserved standing ovations for adagio couple Lea Kieckner and Z&olt Sjtorenyi, the exuberant Can Can, and of course, the performers?╟╓ final curtain, Shortly following the performance was a moving presentation of all the alumni present, called to the stage decade by decide, begin- ning with the years 1959*1969 and continu- ing to the present cast. Cuirent "Folics" pro- ducer Cinny Murphy then paid tribute to and presented special 40* Anniversary trophies to the producers who had helmed the show since its inception in Lux Vegas: Tony Azzi (the original producer who flew in from Paris tor the event), Maynard Sloat, Alan Lee (post- humously), and Alan's son Uny L(x{"p{mw, Larry, cut the Spacecart number!?╟Ñ), Girtny?╟╓s predecessor, A special award was also gra- ciously received by Jerry Jackson, who has conceived, directed, choreographed, designed costumes, and written original music for each edition of the Tropicuna icon since 1966, Those "two funny guys,?╟Ñ comedians Mariu and Daniel, presented Ginny with a large bou- quet of roses, and then, as Ginny said, "Let's party!" whereupon the stage curtains opened to reveal a huge 40?╟ú' birthday cake and y late- night buflfet. This was the second auspicious occasion for the Las Vegas edition of the .'"Folic* Bcrgcrc" this yeur, for in August the show celebrated 25,000 performances at the Tropicanu. The renowned French revue first opened its doors on the Las Vegas Strip in December of 1959 and was brought here directly from Paris, France, by then-entertainment director, Lou Walters (father of Barbara Walters). A ground-breaking move, the show also intro- Continued on page 3 y?╜i 2375 E, TROPICANA AVE, SUITE 6 2 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89119 LOME 20/NUMBER 11 DECEMBER 17,1999 to JANUARY 13,2000 TWO DOLLARS , . <IU_?√ß__ OOHLALAU THE ?╟úFOLEES** IS FORTY!