Musicals that chronicle the lives of real people have become popular with today’s musical theater audiences. Shows such as "Hamilton" and "Jersey Boys" take us into a musical version of some of our nation’s most interesting people.
Yet, some of our older biographical musicals get lost in the mix of up and coming shows. Fortunately, Good Company Players is bringing back the 1991 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, The Will Rogers Follies to remedy this.
A lost gem of a musical, "The Will Rogers Follies" chronicles the life of Will Rogers, the Oklahoman philosopher, actor, humorist, and roper. While many people my age don’t really know who or what Will Rogers did, his wit and wisdom extend through the years, and many of his thoughts on life apply to our lives today.
Now, what does this musical have to offer if you aren’t a Will Rogers fanatic? The answers to this question are as prolific as the man himself. When I decided to audition for "The Will Rogers Follies," I must confess I too had to google him to find out exactly who he was. I had heard the name before, and immediately my mind thought ‘cowboy,’ and that was all I knew.
But, it’s these last four weeks of rehearsal that taught me that ‘cowboy’ doesn’t even begin to describe all that Will Rogers was. This man traveled to the six inhabited continents of our world even though he grew up on a ranch in Oklahoma. He later became the number one man in Hollywood during his time in the pictures.
You name it, Will Rogers did it. He became famous because of his talent with spinning his rope, and this talent took him from South Africa, all the way to New York City. Rogers developed a knack for humor and played the vaudeville circuit and the radio, not to mention the newspapers.
His commentary on the U.S. Congress became legendary, and his deep love for life and the people in it was renowned and loved all around the world. The greatest thing about Will Rogers' philosophy was his ability to look at everything with humor, rather than the loathing most of us use today to combat our feelings about the unfair parts of life.
It’s hard to sum up Will Rogers in a short article because he did so much, and was so much. To all of you college students out there who dream of traveling abroad… well, this man made that dream a reality.
To those of you out there who are obsessed with planes, meet one of your forefathers. To those of you out there who utilized Facebook as a means of poking fun at the government, and the recent election, Will Rogers did it before there was a Facebook.
Since he was born in the 1800s, Rogers may not seem relevant to those of you out there who were 1990s and 2000s kids, but his advice and commentary on the human existence are probably re-posted somewhere on your Pinterest or Twitter as a quote you thought inspirational. So in light of the New Year, and the new resolutions, here are some of his great quotes to live and learn by:
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.”
Something I think people of my generation should keep in mind when they respond rashly on Facebook or Twitter to someone with opposing views. Remember everyone has their own opinions for a reason, communication is the key to understanding.
“Lead your life so you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.”
Take a look back through your Facebook and Twitter history for this one, folks.
“We always want the best man to win an election. Unfortunately he never runs.”
A morsel of wisdom that is timeless.
Has he intrigued you yet? For everyone’s sake, I will be refraining from posting more of his political commentary, in the hopes that you can google it yourself and think about what his wit means to you today. But, get this, Will Rogers ran for president as part of the Life magazine spoof campaign, the Anti-Bunk campaign, in 1928.
Talk about a sense of humor, and some great insight on the political landscape of our elections.
Now I know I can’t convince you to fall in love with Will Rogers the way the world did during his lifetime or the way I have during rehearsals because you’ve got to get to really know him. I encourage everyone to come down to Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater and meet Will Rogers yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love, guaranteed! The show runs January 12th through March 12th, for more information, visit gcplayers.com.
But it’s not just Will Rogers we’ve got to entertain you down at the old dinner theater; the girls of the Ziegfeld Follies will be there in full splendor, a quartet of rope spinning cowboys will leave you cheering for more, and Will’s wife Betty Blake will have your lighters waving to her torch ballads.
The Will Rogers Follies is as eclectic as Will himself, and we’ve got something in the show for everyone young and old. Don’t believe me? I dare you to come and witness the spectacle yourself.
I’ll leave you with this last bit of inspiration from Will before I see you at the theater;
“If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.”
And that’s what he did.