In 1974 Kansas City’s Folly Theater was nearing the end of its life. Opened in 1900 as the Century, by the early 1970s it was reduced to showing X-rated movies and burlesque shows. Local photographer Bob Barrett recognized this moment in the building’s history and captured a series of remarkable images of the theater, its employees, and a number of the burlesque performers. Shortly after Barrett’s photographic excursion, local preservationists stepped in to save the Folly, transforming it into its current incarnation.
