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The Will Rogers Follies

Presented in the style of a Ziegfeld Follies revue, The Will Rogers Follies chronicles the life of the beloved American entertainer through snappy tunes, elaborate production numbers, and comic sketches.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Comedy
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1920s
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Orchestra Size: Large

  • Performance Group:
  • Large Stage, Dinner Theatre, Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, College Theatre / Student

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical (1991)
    Winner! 3 Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical
    Winner! The New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical
"The Will Rogers Follies is a show about Will Rogers - a unique American, who, though he died in 1935, remains a beloved figure remembered for his humor, his wisdom, and his just plain common sense. At the heart of his populist philosophy was his most famous statement: "I never met a man I didn't like." Rogers become the biggest, most popular, and highest paid star of every existing medium of his time -- stage, screen, radio, newspapers, and public appearances. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that he was the greatest star this country has ever produced." -- Peter Stone, 1994.

The show's buoyant score by Cy Coleman, with lyrics by Comden & Green, includes "Will-a-Mania," "Our Favorite Son," "My Unknown Someone," and "Give a Man Enough Rope."

Premiere Production: The Will Rogers Follies opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on May 1, 1991, starring Keith Carradine, Cady Huffman, Dee Hoty and Dick Latessa. The production, under the direction of Tommy Tune, ran for 981 performances.

Characters

  • Casting: 5M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Roles for Children, Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Expandable casting
  • Chorus Size: Large

  • WILL ROGERS
    ZIEGFELD’S FAVORITE - A beautiful chorus girl
    WILEY POST - Aeroplane pilot
    CLEM ROGERS - Will’s father
    WILL’S SIX SISTERS also BETTY’S SIX SISTERS
    (Played by a sextet from the sixteen Ziegfeld Girls of the Chorus: Cora, Anna, Waite, Theda, Virginia and Zulecki)

    FLORENZ ZIEGFELD’S VOICE - Off stage
    FOUR COWBOYS - Male quartet from the Chorus
    STAGE MANAGER - Peter
    BETTY BLAKE - Will’s wife
    THE FOUR ROGERS CHILDREN - Will Junior, Mary, James & Freddy
    OFF STAGE ANNOUNCER - Theatre
    ROPER - Professional rope spinner
    HASTINGS - Will’s butler – played by CLEM
    RANCH PIANIST - Played by CLEM
    STAGE HANDS & WARDROBE PEOPLE - Actual, non-speaking
    RADIO ENGINEER
    ANNOUNCER’S VOICE - Radio – off stage


  • CHORUS - Girls & Boys

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Piano Conductor's Score
    1 x Prompt Book
    1 x Prompt Book for Principal Characters
    1 x Dialogue Part
    1 x Chorus-Vocal Part

    		$24.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    33 x Chorus-Vocal Parts
    17 x Dialogue Parts
    4 x Prompt Books for Principal Characters
    1 x Prompt Book
    1 x Piano-Conductor's Score

    		$550.00 +$135.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    1 Reed I: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet & Alto Sax
    1 Reed II: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet & Alto Sax
    1 Reed III: Flute, Clarinet, Oboe (or Clarinet) and English Horn (or Clarinet)
    1 Reed IV: Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & Tenor Sax
    1 Reed V: Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax, Bassoon, (or Bass Clarinet) and Eb Contrabass Clarinet, (or Bass Clarinet)

    1 Horn

    1 Trumpet I & II (both double on Flugelhorn)
    1 Trumpet III (doubling Flugelhorn)
    1 Trombone I (Tenor) (doubling Kazoo)
    1 Trombone II (Tenor)
    1 Trombone III (Bass, doubling Tuba)

    1 Bass (Acoustic & Electric)

    2 Percussion I & II:

    Mallet Instruments:
    Timpani (two pedal drums)
    Xylophone
    Bells
    Chimes
    Marimba
    Suspended Cymbal
    Piatti
    Large Gong
    Bell Tree
    Mark Tree
    African Bell Tree
    Glass Wind Chimes
    Sand Blocks
    Piccolo Triangle
    Triangle
    Bongo Drums (mounted)
    Temple Blocks
    Gran Cassa
    Gran Cassa/Piatti Combo
    Castanets
    Slide Whistle
    Siren Whistle
    Ratchet
    Tube Shaker
    Train Whistle (highly amplified)
    Tambourine
    Gun Shot (SFX)

    Trap Drum Set:
    Bass Drum
    Snare Drum
    Tom Toms
    Floor Tom Tom
    Cymbals -
    Crash
    Suspended
    Ride
    Hi-Hat
    Sock
    Top
    Choke
    Whistle
    Wood Blocks (Several sizes)
    Triangle
    Temple Blocks
    Tambourine

    1 Guitar I (Acoustic, Electric, Pedal Steel Guitar, Dobro & Banjo)
    1 Guitar II (Acoustic, Electric, Banjo & Country Fiddle)

    1 Keyboard I: Piano
    1 Keyboard II: Synthesizer (Celeste, Harp, Accordion, Harmonica, etc.)
    1 Keyboard III: Synthesizer (principally Strings)

    Piano-Conductor's Score sent with rehearsal material.

    		$350.00 +$135.00/pm

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