It’s important to be able to laugh at yourself.
That’s true for both people and communities — including Park City, where we’ve had a chaotic and stressful year and a half, from the coronavirus pandemic to the ongoing politicking in the City Council and mayoral campaigns.
Enter the Park City Follies, the annual musical that has audiences alternately doubled over in laughter and facepalming themselves by poking fun at the many quirks and peculiarities that make our town what it is. The show is slated to kick off a nine-night in-person run Friday at the Egyptian Theatre, a welcome return after the pandemic forced the Follies to temporarily go virtual.
Let’s face it: Us Parkites could use some good-natured self-deprecation right now. The acerbic wit the Follies is known for has a way of pulling back the curtain on the issues our community faces while reminding us that, though we have our problems, most of us wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Gathering together in the Egyptian Theatre will also in many ways represent a milestone in Park City’s recovery from the pandemic. The theater has been shuttered since March 2020 due to the pandemic, and it seems appropriate for the Main Street landmark to be opening its doors again with a quintessential Park City tradition.
Recent coronavirus case increases and the emergence of the delta variant make it apparent the pandemic is not over, and we seemingly could at some point find ourselves in a position where indoor events like this are again inadvisable. But lining the Egyptian Theatre for the Follies — as some of us have been doing for 20 years — will be akin to a community celebration.
We can’t wait to enjoy the experience with our fellow Parkites and hear a sound we’ve missed since the Follies’ last run in the spring of 2019 — laughter filling the Egyptian Theatre.
Hopefully, we’ll never have to wait so long again, even if this year’s show is — as it almost certainly will be — worth it. Regardless, we’ll savor the return of this beloved event, and the humor it will bring to a community that could sorely use it.