Reviewed
by Will Stackman
To
open their 38th season, Waltham's Reagle Players have gone back to an earlier
success, "The Will Rogers Follies," which combines Peter Stone's fictional biography of the
legendary cowboy comedian with Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolf Green's tribute to the equally
legendary Ziegfield Follies, one of the pinnacles of the Broadway revue. The
production is again directed by Robert Eagle, choreographed this time by Eileen
Grace, who's
just become the company's Associate Producer. She was the show's dance captain
for its Broadway run and recreates the work of its original choreographer,
Tommy Tune. Grace is currently a director/choreographer at Radio City Music
Hall, among her several achievements. The spectacular numbers which are the
show's claim to fame are seen in all their complexity on the touring version of
Tony Walton's
set with Willa Kim's
Erte-inspired costumes. Music direction for this production is handled with his
usual consummate skill by IRNE winner, Paul Katz with a full orchestra in the
pit.
This
time, the title role is taken by IRNE winner, Scott Wahle, an anchor on Channel 4 News,
who captures the folksie essence of Rogers. Fellow IRNE winner, Broadway light Sarah
Pfisterer is
back as Betty Blake, Roger's wife, who has the show's best ballads. Pfisterer's
charm lifts them beyond their setting. Veteran Reagle character man Harold
Walker, in his
27th year with the company, comes on strong as Rogers' outspoken father, Clem.
From the original cast, showgirl Dana Leigh Jackson sings, vamps, and dances the
central role of Z's favorite, a foil for the leading man. Her longtime
association with this show makes her knowing ways all the more effective. The
production also features two touring veterans, Joanne Wilson and her trained dogs--all
rescued from the pound--and one-man Wild West show specialist Chris Daniel as The Roper. Both add to its
showbiz air.
It
is of course the girls who make the Follies, and Grace, together with dance
captain Jennifer Turey have recruited and trained some of the best local talent, many
who've grown up with the company. The showgirls may not all be as tall as
Jackson, but they strut their stuff with precision, and the ponies, who make
their first appearance wearing cowhorns have energy to spare. There is of
course a well-executed Rockette-style kickline. The Wranglers are equally
proficient and harmonize appropriately. Eagle and Grace manage to balance the
Follies element of the show, an homage to a kind of theatre now preserved
mostly in Busby Berkeley's celluloid efforts, with the homely style of the
central character. Coleman, Comden and Green plainly reveled in recreating the
glamorous entertainment that was the pinnacle of the American musical theatre
at one time, even getting back to minstrelsy in the show stopping
"Favorite Son," which this production recreates flawlessly.
Wahle
has a distinctive style and his interpretation of Rogers is more an
appreciation than an impersonation. But he shares a friendliness with the
legend, and so plainly enjoys his annual live appearance away from the
newsdesk, that the audience is quickly on his side and the show benefits from
the interaction. Stone's almost dry bio-drama, with Wiley Post sitting on the
aisle down front tries to get at the heart of this part-Cherokee cowboy who
became both a star and a folk hero in his lifetime. The show was written at the
height of the dissatisfaction with the Reagan-Bush years and "The Will
Rogers Follies" continuing success, for all its dramatic flaws, suggests
that the public would prefer its hokum to be purely theatrical--like the show's
incongruous dog act--and its political discourse to be more plain-spoken, with
fewer slogans and more simple humanity. The idea of the successful bumpkin who
"never met a man I didn't like" still has power, perhaps to fool as
well as inspire.
This
show marks an upgrade in lighting for Reagle, and allows David Wilson to achieve an effective
theatrical look. The company's next effort will be "Thoroughly Modern
Millie," which will give the dancers another workout, followed by
Pfisterer's return as Beauty opposite Fred Inkley as The Beast. Reagle is also
hosting as weekend preview of the latest touring version of "Cats,"
which will give their established audience four shows this summer. Their
partnership with the city in the continuing maintenance and upgrade of this
theater is an interesting model for the future of such venues.