JK Studios Folly Theater Kansas City

Folly Theater, also known as the Standard Theatre, Century Theater, and Shubert’s Missouri, is a former vaudeville hall located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and broke ground in 1900. Kansas City architect Louis S. Curtiss created the architecture of the building. Folly Theater is associated with the adjoining Edward Hotel, designed by Curtiss and later known as the Hotel Missouri. The original seating capacity of the theater was 2,400 when it opened on September 23, 1900.

Folly Theater was built by Colonel Edward Butler of St. Louis, Missouri, with a construction cost of $250,000. He built the theater for his son so he could present shows on the Empire vaudeville circuit. In 1902, the venue’s name changed to the “Century.” It featured acts from the Empire burlesque circuit, including Fannie Brice, Al Jolson, and Eddie Foy. The Century also featured prizefighting and wrestling, with notable appearances by Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey.

In 1923, the Century was bought by the Shubert brothers and was renamed “Shubert’s Missouri.” The new owners booked dramatic productions, including Shakespeare. In 1923-24, the Marx Brothers performed I’ll Say She Is for three weeks. Later in 1928, the venue was used for touring shows on an intermittent basis, and in 1932, it closed. The theater later reopened in 1941 as “The Folly.” Some of the notable performances of that time included Gypsy Rose Lee and Tempest Storm.