Thoughts on The Will Rogers' Follies?

[Jay94]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 4:21am

I've never seen the show myself, but i'm curious what you all think of it?

Also, I've heard totally conflicting things about it. Some say it was brilliant while others say it was a piece of crap.

I've never really been able to understand the whole concept of the show, or why Will Rogers is interesting enough to mount a huge scale broadway follies show about him.

I find it's Tony sweep (of sorts) to be particularly interesting as I view it as a firm stance against the British invasion (Miss Saigon).

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 4:33am

I'll take a stab at this one. The show came in with a flawless backstage pedigree. Tommy Tune won direction and choreography Tonys the season before, for "Grand Hotel," while the Best Musical and Score awards were taken by Cy Coleman's "City Of Angels." When Tune and Coleman teamed up with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, writing perhaps their last Broadway score, and the resulting show reopened the Palace after it was closed for renovation and for the construction of the hotel on top of it, its credentials were secure. And it was a concept show--like "Cabaret" and "Chicago," it told a story through vaudeville songs and sketches. And it was exceedingly American. And it was sentimental and heartwarming, and funny. It has several killer songs that aren't performed enough. And all that razzmatazz on "Favorite Son" put it over the top. And there were dogs and children and pretty girls, and a movie star making his Broadway debut. Pretty heady stuff!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 6:03am

Right, as stated it was a concept show. Will Rogers had been a star in various Ziegfeld Follies--so they attempted to tell his life in the format of a Ziegfeld Follies show, with all the standard acts (ie there's a dog act, various production numbers, etc).

I'm extremely mixed on the show. I think the actual material is often mediocre--it's not Coleman (or Comden/Green's) best work, and Peter Stone's libretto is pretty pat, although there are a few good songs. The reason it works is because of Tommy Tune's spectacular staging--I rarely, if ever, play the cast album, but the original Broadway production was filmed for Japanese TV and it's often thrilling to watch, even on video. I assume most productions largely are based on Tune's--but I wouldn't really have any interest in seeing the show otherwise. The original cast, led by Keith Carradine, Dee Hoty and Cady Huffman was also very appealing.

Here's Our Favorite Son from the Japanese broadcast (so with subtitles...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9-1XutZfPYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9-1XutZfPY

The fantastic full opening (which, unfortunately, I think, aside from Son, the show never really peaks again from) http://www.bluegobo.com/production/2882237/video/10314

The Act I finale (based on the typical wedding scenes the Ziegfeld Follies would have) http://www.bluegobo.com/production/2882237/video/10326

And a performance of Give a Man Enough Rope at the Macy's Parade http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9-1XutZfPYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9-1XutZfPY

Those should give you a good idea of the show. If anything my problem is I personally find it a bit exhausting to watch all of--the music often starts to kinda blend together, etc, though it does have some touching moments.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 6:57am

I was not all that fond of it.

It started off well, and then flattened out.

The score was so-so, not up to Coleman's standards.

Keith Carradine was excellent. The dogs were cute.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 8:09am

I loved THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES which I saw on suitably festive New Year's Eve. The star playing Will Rogers was Keith Caradine and he was excellent. The show was filled with production numbers, as has been pointed out. I thought the score was quite good and instantly likable. I would have enjoyed seeing it a second time. Incidentally, the Palace looked great after its refurbishment. I enjoyed sitting in an Orchestra level box with excellent views of the stage.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 8:28am

The choreography for "Favorite Son" was lifted almost completely from 1930's King of Jazz.
King of Jazz

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 8:53am

I was not a fan of the show. A couple of great numbers but was bored. My partner on the other hand loved it.

[bobs3]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 9:59am

Despite a charming performance by Keith Carradine, the show was a waste of money. I am one of those people who think it was crap.

Sidenote: It received scathing reviews from some of the most prominent drama critics in the city. When it was awarded the NY Drama Critics Circle award for best musical, Mimi Kramer (then the drama critic for the New Yorker) went ballistic at the awards selection meeting and threatened to resign from the circle. The President of the circle brokered a deal to placate Ms. Kramer -- a special award for excellence in theatre would be presented to Eileen Atkins for "A Room of One's Own". (Ms. Kramer was huge fan that play.)

I'm not sure how TWRF won that award (or the Tony Award for that matter). The Secret Garden was a close second (a show Ms. Kramer loved but many other critics had mixed feelings about). There was the backlash against Miss Saigon, and the other vote-getters: Falsettoland, Assassins, and Once on this Island had supporters as well as detractors.

Posted: 5/16/12 at 11:07am

I LOVED Will Rogers Follies! 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.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 11:20am

The show was pure magic. It hearkened to an America we all wanted to live in, an America that maybe never existed and will never exist, but an America that existed in the imagination and person of Will Rogers.

The final number, Keith Carradine singing "Never Met a Man I Didn't Like," based on one of Will Rogers's catch phrases, was so open-hearted and accepting of life and people in general that it still affects me deeply.


http://youtu.be/Vuv5D1jI6oM

Posted: 5/16/12 at 11:28am

I thought the way they told the story was wonderful- I still chuckle at the bankruptcy in the midst of the lavish Diamonds For Mrs. Rogers number.

Updated On: 5/16/12 at 11:28 AM

[mallardo]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 11:59am

I can't believe people are criticising this score. To me it's magic from beginning to end - every song lands, there's not a weak one in the bunch. Far from being one of Cy Coleman's misfires it was one of his great scores!

[once a month]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 12:29pm

Although I felt it soared- for about 20 minutes out of the entire production, I felt Miss Saigon was robbed. In fact, while smoking outside at intermission, I witnessed a very bored Jerry Orbach and his wife walk out and jump into a cab. Sorry, I just didn't 'get it' either!

Posted: 5/16/12 at 3:34pm

I saw the show in Los Angeles during the original tour. Keith Carradine was great, and the dances were a lot of fun. I don't remember the songs, and haven't played the cast album in at least a decade. But I quite enjoyed the touring production.

Also, I got hired to co-write a speech for Keith Carradine to give to the L.A. City Council, in the character of Will Rogers, but talking about contemporary political issues in L.A.

That was fun, and I got to meet Carradine as well, which was pretty cool for a college kid. :)

David Wisehart
Producer, "Virginia City, a new musical"

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 3:55pm

I didn't think I liked it that much as I watched it, then Carradine sang "I Never Met a Man I Didn't Like" and somehow I'm sobbing into my Playbill..

Posted: 5/16/12 at 4:36pm

Ah, yes. "I Never Met a Man I Didn't Like." That was a great song.

David

[DAME]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 6:48pm

I had a great time at this show. It reminded me of the americana that used to be in display in the early days of Disney World. And Keith Carradine was so charming in it. I still have not gotten my hands on the televised version for Japan. I guess I will look into it. Shame they never officially released it.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/16/12 at 9:31pm

I did a summer stock production some years ago that used all of Tommy Tune's original choreography, and the audiences ate it up. As for me, I had a great time calling that show. Lots of light cues, plenty of scene shifts, and just a fun score with some amazing performances by our cast. "Will-a-mania" is a fantastic opening and the entire ending is just designed to pull at your heart strings, from his Pa coming back to say goodbye, Will saying goodbye to Betty, and ascending that staircase to "Never Met a Man I Didn't Like," there were some nights I had to keep myself from crying over headset.

[Jay94]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 6:58am

What do people make of the Tony wins?

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 7:33am

What I make of its best musical Tony is that the voters didn't want Miss Saigon to win. Petty politics as usual.

[Jay94]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 7:36am

Backlash against the British. May have also been guilt for overlooking original American musicals in favour of British (and French) ones.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 11:48am

I didn't think it was a great musical, but it was hardly crap.

The lavish production numbers, expertly staged by Tommy Tune were amusing and eye-catching. The songs (for me) represented one of Cy Coleman's least inspired scores an severe letdown after the previous season's CITY OF ANGELS.

As for SECRET GARDEN, one local reviewer I know insisted it was sexism. SHE claimed that the largely male Tony voters resented a show that was put together by a team of women. I don't quite believe this but the show was overlong and rather tedious when I saw it an this was after they did some post-opening trimming.

Having recently seen a local production of MISS SAIGON, I ws reminded that it was not the best written show but I'd still have given it the award for Best Score (over WRF)

The nominee from that season that seems to have had the longest post-Broadway life is ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, though my introduction to it on the 1991 Tony Awards left me underwhelmed, which just proves that producers really have to make the most of those 4 minute exposures!

[Patash]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 11:55am

Almost worth sitting through just to see the great fun number, Favorite Son. Otherwise? Yawn.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 1:16pm

Ugh...I thought it was an overblown bore. The only reason to see it was Carradine who was utterly charming. It was my least favorite of the four nominated musicals that year. There was only one perfect musical that year, Once on This Island.

[Matt2]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 3:56pm

Still 1990-1991 was a great season for musicals: Will Rogers Follies, Miss Saigon, Once on this Island, The Secret Garden- a rare year where you could make a case for any of the nominees winning Best Musical. Also that was the year the craptastic Shogun: The Musical opened.