Thoughts on The Will Rogers' Follies?- Page 2

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 4:08pm

I liked Shogun better than Will Rogers' Follies.

Once on This Island
The Secret Garden
Miss Saigon
Will Rogers' Follies

That's how I'd rank the four nominees.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 4:09pm

"And why a musical about Will Rogers? Why not? He led an amazing life- in addition to a huge career in Vaudeville (as a trick roper and then as a sort of sardonic stand-up comedian) he was the highest paid movie star, one of the top newspaper columnists, a political commentator who ran a joke campaign for the presidency that caught fire, a full-blooded Cherokee who died while on a daredevil flight with an outlaw aviator- Imagine Jon Stewart, Johnny Depp, Lady Gaga all rolled into one, then imagine that person dies in their prime in a space shuttle crash."

What a great description, JoeKv99. Thanks. Will Rogers was an amazing man. He also wrote a rather serious book regarding his near death occurrence after his gall bladder surgery.

Also - what, no love for Jerry Mitchell's near-nude drum dance? The birth of Broadway Bares, right there!

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 7:48pm

I also saw this on the original tour, and enjoyed it quite a lot. I felt that the music melded very well with the story and moved it along nicely.

I grew up in Oklahoma, 3 miles from where Will was born and 10 miles from where he is buried. He is an absolute legend in Oklahoma and the surrounding states, and is Oklahoma's "favorite son" by a mile. He is an integral part of Oklahoma history and an American original (as others have said). He spoke for the "common man" in his columns and radio show, and he exposed the failings and foibles of politics in a way that everyone could relate to. His most famous quote is "I never met a man I didn't like."

Interestingly, there was a long-running version of Will Rogers Follies in Branson, MO (not far from Oklahoma). It's the only Broadway Show that I know of that had a long run in that town (they even named the theatre "The Will Rogers Theatre.") Unfortunately, I never saw that version.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 7:55pm

I saw it a few times. A Tv producer friend who has since passed commented that is was a perfect production in every way. This from a guy who worked with Gleason and Kovacs

It was also the first date I had with my wife. Larry Gatlin was in it at the time.