The Hamilton Follies could never shake itself of the vitamin supplement Geritol and all the geriatric stereotypes that went with it.

And that was the essence of the problem for the seniors' variety show that used to be called Geritol Follies, said Follies' board president Carol Van Caulart. The group was seen to be out of fashion and unable to compete with more modern entertainment choices.

So after years of diminishing crowds - and barely surviving a debt crisis - the board announced Tuesday it was drawing the curtain on more than 40 years of history in Hamilton.

"You cannot produce shows forever with a dwindling audience when the money is not coming in," Van Caulart said.

But within hours of the announcement, members of the organization vowed to keep the Hamilton Follies going. They've called a meeting for Thursday.

"We're in shock about this. We're trying to get legal advice . We think there are all kinds of things that can be done to keep it going," said Kelly Fawcett, a member who has performed at Follies variety shows. "We can tweak it to make it more appealing to audiences."

But a statement from the board was unequivocal. "The audience is no longer interested in the type of variety show the Follies presents . not enough people have been attending the shows over the past number of years to make the organization sustainable into the future."

Van Caulart said the group has tried changing its format, improving the quality of its performances as well as rebranding itself and getting rid of the name Geritol. But nothing helped.

The follies was the brainchild of Christine Hamilton who got the idea for the 60-plus entertainment troupe in 1974 while working at the Senior Citizens' Centre at the YWCA.

The concept was a huge success, bringing scores of seniors to the stage who never would have had the opportunity otherwise while packing crowds into Hamilton Place to see them.

At one point, the non-profit group was profitable enough to donate tens of thousands of dollars for student bursaries. The Follies even went on road trips to Scotland and the U.S.

But by 2013, the group was on the brink of receivership with more than $100,000 in debts. Nearly $50,000 was owed for Hamilton Place rent, something that was eventually forgiven by the City of Hamilton.

Van Caulart said over the last couple of years the board slashed costs, managing to get back into the black.

But the results of the June show made it clear, she said, that the Follies was still not sustainable. The first of three shows brought out nearly 700 people to Mohawk College's McIntyre Performing Arts Centre. But the next two performances saw a precipitous decline in attendance to a point that the final night was only half full.

Normally a Christmas show would be scheduled for December, but that's been cancelled, she said.

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said, "We have helped them in the past and we are grateful for all the work and effort they have put in.

"I think it is a sad day that they are not able to attract the kind of crowds that would keep them sustainable and continuing to entertain Hamiltonians."

Carl Horton, a former music producer for the Follies, said changing demographics make marketing the show difficult. People in their 60s these days are boomers, part of the rock 'n' roll generation, who don't see entertainment value in what some might think are "grannies on stage," he said.

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"People don't want to sit 2� hours looking at entertainers who represent what they are refusing to become."

Van Caulart said whatever funds are left with the group when it dissolves will be passed on to the Hamilton Community Foundation, in keeping with Christine Hamilton's wishes.

The money will be used for awards for students from the Hamilton area doing post secondary studies in theatre arts or gerontology.