A rope-twirling philosopher in tap shoes? America's folksiest genius gets the full razzle-dazzle treatment.
The Will Rogers Follies is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld Follies, which he often headlined, and describes every episode in his life in the form of a big production number. The Rogers character also performs rope tricks in between scenes. The revue contains snippets of Rogers' famous homespun style of wisdom and common sense and tries to convey the personality of this quintessentially American figure whose most famous quote was "I never met a man I didn't like."
Acting
Keith Carradine's loping, aw-shucks warmth carries two-plus hours.
Direction
Walter C. Miller captures live energy without killing intimacy.
Practical Effects
Actual rope tricks performed mid-song, no camera tricks.
Director
Walter C. Miller
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cady Huffman won a Tony for playing 'Mr. Ziegfeld's Favorite,' a role that required her to be carried onstage in a giant clamshell.
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