The Will Rogers Follies (1991)
by Claire J Rottenberg
"The Will Rogers Follies," like its Tony
winner predecessor, "City of
Angels,"
had music by Cy Coleman. The lyrics were written
by well-known lyricists, Betty Comden and Adolph
Green, and the book was written by Peter Stone,
who wrote the screenplay for another Cy Coleman
hit, "Sweet
Charity."
"The Will Rogers Follies" follows the
life and career of Will Rogers through revue-like
production numbers. Flo Ziegfeld and his famous
follies form the backdrop to the numbers and events
in Will Rogers' life. The voice of Ziegfeld was
recorded for the play by Gregory Peck.
Starring in "The Will Rogers Follies"
were Keith Carradine as Will Rogers and Dee Hoty, who
had appeared the year before in Cy Coleman's
"City of Angels," as Rogers' wife,
Betty Blake. In later productions, Will Rogers was
played by popular country performers Mac Davis and
Larry Gatlin. Tommy Tune was
both the director and choreographer of "The
Will Rogers Follies."
"The Will Rogers Follies" opened on
Broadway on May 1, 1991 and it ran until September 5,
1993, playing a total of 981 performances. It won 6
Tony awards, including the award for Best Musical
(winning over "Miss Saigon"), Best
Original Score and two awards for Tommy Tune (Best
Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical). The
play received 5 additional nominations.