Broadway Baby Andrea McArdle to perform in Follies in Las Vegas

FOLLIES, Stephen Sondheim, and James Goldman’s legendary production will be brought to life in a spectacular performance featuring a 45-person cast, including 12 of Las Vegas’s original showgirls. The limited-run engagement will be a star-studded affair at Access Showroom at Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa, April 11-14.

The star-studded cast will feature 45 performers and a 30-piece orchestra in the showstopping Broadway masterpiece. One of the shining stars is Andrea McArdle, Broadway Baby, ready to stop the show.

Her career began in 1977 when Andrea originated the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, with a nomination for a Tony Award® as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. She opened the London West End production in the same role in 1978.

She was appearing in the daytime drama Search For Tomorrow when she got the call to audition for Annie. It was her first open-call audition, and she had never performed on stage before. Since then, Andrea has become known as the Broadway Baby.

“Interestingly, I was hanging out with adult performers like Joe Papps, Colleen Dewhurst, Bob Hope, Liberace, and Ethel Merman. I got to work with Helen Hayes and Mary Martin at such a young age. This wasn’t making a living; this was my dream,” explains Andrea. “I am still having fun, and I am still so passionate about performing.”

One of the performers in FOLLIE is Nicolas King, who performed as a child in Beauty and the Beast when Andrea starred as Belle. In fact, Nicolas holds the record for playing the role of Chip, the little teacup in Beauty and the Beast, longer than anyone else who has played the role on Broadway.

“He has grown up to be an amazing person, and this will be thrilling for both of us,” says Andrea. “He reminds me of my young self; he just loves every aspect of performing.”

Her introduction to Las Vegas started with a talk show. “When I was performing in Annie, I was a guest on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas to appear on the Merv Griffin Show, and I must have been his guest about 15 times,” she says. “On the Dinah Shore, I was a guest with Liberace, Cheech & Chong, and Natalie Cole.

During her expansive and successful career, Andrea has performed in the showrooms in Las Vegas. She would perform with Liberace at the then-Las Vegas Hilton and tour with him. She was friends with the late comedian Shecky Greene, who lived in Las Vegas. He would call Andrea when he was at breakfast and ask her to sing “Tomorrow” on the phone.

As for her character, Andrea embodies a performer who started as an ingenue and then grew into a mature person. “It is tough, especially for women, to reinvent themselves. For women like Hattie, she had her prime, and then it was over. At the time, women didn’t have the power they do today. Careers were so much shorter and so much more precious.”

A dozen of Las Vegas’s legendary showgirls will join the cast, including Anna Bailey, the first African American showgirl to appear on the Strip.

The seven-time Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical features music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim, including some of his most iconic songs such as “Broadway Baby” and “I’m Still Here.” In its original format, the show will be set in Las Vegas, with the closing of the Tropicana Hotel as the backdrop for the cast getting together one last time. A few slight Vegas spins will be added while maintaining the integrity and all the sparkle for which the original production is known.

FOLLIES is produced by Metropolis Theatricals Las Vegas LLC with Tom Michel, David James Robinson, and Sean Stephenson. It is also produced in partnership with the JOI Jazz Orchestra, led by Musical Director Dave Loeb, UNLV College of Fine Arts, The Showgirl Legacy Foundation, and its Historical Advisor, The Neon Museum. This production of FOLLIES is dedicated to the memory of Las Vegas music legend Bill Fayne.

FOLLIES will feature six performances at the Access Showroom at Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa (7300 North Aliante Pkwy.). Its Opening Night performance on Thursday, April 11, will be Black Tie and conclude with a champagne toast.

Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. (Black Tie Opening Night)

Friday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 13, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Tickets and other information are available by visiting ShowgirlsComeHome.com and following them on Facebook.

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