The Standard Theatre opened with 2,400 seats on September 23, 1900, featuring
burlesque and vaudeville. It was built by Colonel Edward Butler of
St. Louis, Missouri, at a cost of $250,000, for his son to present shows on the Empire vaudeville circuit. In 1901, a fire at the nearby Coates Opera House caused opera and comic opera performances to be moved to the Standard, featuring such performers as
Sarah Bernhardt,
Richard Mansfield, and
Maude Adams. The theater's name changed to the "Century" in 1902. The Century featured acts from the Empire burlesque circuit, including
Al Jolson,
Fannie Brice, and
Eddie Foy. In addition to theater acts, the Century featured prizefighting and wrestling, with appearances by
Jack Johnson and
Jack Dempsey. Johnson stayed in the manager's apartment, as hotels refused to rent him a room. The
Shubert brothers bought the Century in 1923 and renamed it "Shubert's Missouri" after extensive renovations by Shubert architect
Herbert J. Krapp. The Shuberts booked dramatic productions including
Shakespeare and
O'Neill plays. The
Marx Brothers performed ''I'll Say She Is'' for three weeks in 1923–24, the long run convincing the Shuberts to continue operating the theater. In 1974 the theater's then owners, Annbar Associates and Elk Realty of New York announced that if a new buyer could not be identified by the end of the year, the theater would be demolished to make way for a parking lot. A group of local historic preservation activists, including
Joan Dillon and
William N. Deramus III, formed a nonprofit, the Performing Arts Foundation, to raise the money to purchase and restore the theater. The theater was offered for sale for $950,000. Performing Arts Foundation raised $350,000 in contributions and through negotiation convinced Annbar Associates to offer the remaining $600,000 of the purchase price as a donation. In the Folly's centennial year of 2000, a new lobby, restrooms, and second-floor Shareholders' Room were added. In 2005, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Folly's reopening, the auditorium's original color scheme was restored. Plans are now under way, and approval has been granted by the Kansas City Landmarks Commission, to install a marquee sign that closely mimics the original Folly signage. The Performing Arts Foundation of Kansas City, d.b.a. The Folly Theater, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation whose mission is "to preserve Kansas City's oldest historic theater as a premier performance venue by presenting, producing, and hosting a wide range of quality events for the community". The Folly produces a Jazz Series, a Kids Series, and "Cyprus Avenue Live!" performances by artists ranging from blues to rock and country. It hosts the Harriman-Jewell Series of classical performers, the Friends of Chamber Music series, the
Heartland Men's Chorus, and KC Burlesque's Kansas City Burlesque Festival, the first burlesque performance revival of The Folly Theater. ==Description==