The Will Rogers Follies - Theatre Review

Meet Will Rogers.

He's a delightful fellow, the kind of man you'd invite into your home the first time you met him. Charming, honest and plainspoken, he epitomizes "what you see is what you get." Oh, and in case you didn't know, he's Oklahoma's favorite son, the man that cherished his home state even after making a worldwide impact as a humorist and entertainer.

Brought to Life

Will Rogers makes his return trip to Oklahoma, in spirit at least, in Phoenix Entertainment's delightfully entertaining production of The Will Roger's Follies from January 17-22 at the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown Oklahoma City.

Reprising his Broadway role as Will Rogers, Larry Gatlin stars in this musical journey through the life of the legend. With a pleasant Oklahoma drawl, Gatlin ropes and jokes his way into the audience's favor from the beginning, offering delightful jabs at the news from yesterday and today. He and Rogers magically become one in the same, humble demeanor and truly genuine personality. It's as if he has pulled up a seat next to every theatre-goer and is watching his life story right along with them, giving a wink and a nudge when appropriate.

In Gatlin's deft hands, the show certainly achieves a rare theatrical experience of involvement. A venue seating more than 2500 seems to be but an intimate theatre room and occasionally, as Rogers shares his homespun, humorous wisdom, almost like our very own living room.

Will-a-Mania

"A Life in Revue," as it's subtitled, the production is both in Oklahoma City at the Civic Center and in the Palace Theatre in New York all at the same time. It's Will Rogers' life as told in Ziegfeld's Follies style, with beautiful showgirls in barely concealing costumes and masterful acts of vaudeville choreography.

It's the "theatrical" version of the Rogers biography with a producer whose voice booms in over the loudspeaker from time to time to tell the actors if something isn't quite up to his standards. Oologah, Oklahoma is not exotic enough a location for Rogers to meet his future wife, for example, so the set becomes... the moon. And all the while, Rogers is right there with us, poking fun at the world, the show and even himself.

OU graduate Keleen Snowgren plays the flirty favorite showgirl of Ziegfeld. She sets the stage in chaps and a cowboy hat with "Will-a-Mania." It's our introduction to Will Rogers, stating boldly that we are to expect a finely-tuned musical extravaganza. In near perfect symmetry, the company follows Snowgren's lead before finally rolling Will onto the stage atop a life-sized toy horse.

Meet the Players

Snowgren is a delight as Ziegfeld's Favorite, taking full advantage of a unique theatrical opportunity to charm the audience directly. She's sweet and seductive, extremely likeable despite her temptress-fueled position as Producer's Pet. Sliding across stage with a grin and appearing to be wearing little to nothing behind them, Snowgren carries signs marking the progress of Rogers' story.

From his birth (a celebration as Clem Rogers finally gets a son after six girls) to the day he chooses to leave home, the show skips the details and simply hits the high notes, offering a rousing musical number at every turn.

His father, played by Chris McDaniel, can't believe the boy could be so foolish, not so much in Will's dreams of performing but in the fact that he doesn't want to be just like his dad. It's the common refrain of fathers, and McDaniel achieves a nice balance between slight overbearance and genuine care. We know Will is destined for greatness, of course, so we forgive Dad for his well-intentioned criticism.

Don't forget, though, this is Ziegfeld's show. And there's a recipe to follow, or so we're told over the loudspeaker. It has gone on too long without the introduction of the love interest, he says.

Enter Betty Blake

At a station in Oologah, er... on the moon, young Betty Blake meets the witty Will Rogers while awaiting a train, I mean a... rocket, that brings some brand new long underwear for our protagonist. It's love at first sight as it would certainly be on stage, but Betty will have to wait to get her man. That's because Will wants to travel the world over, meeting people and doing rope tricks as "The Cherokee Kid."

Amy Decker portrays Betty Blake, and may just be the most pleasant surprise of the show. She's lovely and likable with a fantastic voice that powers some of the more emotional moments in the show. As Will is long absent from home making a career and becoming a legend, Betty has the unenviable position of being his greatest supporter, all the while yearning for the time with him everyone else but her seems to get.

Decker pulls it off with ease. Although she is hampered somewhat by musical numbers that occasionally have her locked motionless in one spot on stage, the audience plainly sees exactly what so enamored young Will.