The Will Rogers Follies is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld Follies, which he often headlined, and describes every episode in his life in the form of a big production number. The Rogers character also performs rope tricks in between scenes. The revue contains snippets of Rogers' famous homespun style of wisdom and common sense and tries to convey the personality of this quintessentially American figure whose most famous quote was "I never met a man I didn't like."
Cast
Keith Carradine
Will Rogers
Dee Hoty
Betty Blake
Dick Latessa
Clem Rogers
Cady Huffman
Mr. Ziegfeld's Favorite
Gregory Peck
Mr. Ziegfeld (voice)
Vince Bruce
The Roper
Jerry Mitchell
Will Rogers Wrangler/Indian Of The Dawn
John Ganun
Will Rogers Wrangler
Troy Britton Johnson
Will Rogers Wrangler
Jason Opsahl
Will Rogers Wrangler
Tom Brackney
The Wild West Show
Bonnie Brackney
The Wild West Show
Paul Ukena, Jr.
Wiley Post
Roxane Barlow
New Ziegfeld Girl
Maria Calabrese
New Ziegfeld Girl
Rebecca Downing
New Ziegfeld Girl
Colleen Dunn
New Ziegfeld Girl
Toni Georgiana
New Ziegfeld Girl
Eileen Grace
New Ziegfeld Girl
Luba Mason
New Ziegfeld Girl
Dana Jackson
New Ziegfeld Girl
Stephanie Pope
New Ziegfeld Girl
Angie L. Schworer
New Ziegfeld Girl
Carol Denise Smith
New Ziegfeld Girl
Aimee Turner
New Ziegfeld Girl
Jillana Laufer
New Ziegfeld Girl
Wendy Waring
New Ziegfeld Girl
Christina Youngman
New Ziegfeld Girl
Gregory Scott Carter
Freddy Rogers
Rick Faugno
Will Rogers, Jr.
Tammy Minoff
Mary Rogers
Lance Robinson
James Rogers
Tom Flagg
Mr. Ziegfeld's Stage Manager
Crew
Walter C. Miller
Director
Brent Carpenter
Editor
Christine Clark Bradley
Assistant Director
Tamamatsu Kuwata
Executive Producer
Pierre Cossette
Executive Producer
Don Dudley
Production Supervisor
Noriyasu Ueki
Producer
Yoshiaka Iba
Associate Producer
John Burdick
Camera Operator
Bob Camitta
Camera Operator
Bill Goetz
Camera Operator
Charlie Huntley
Camera Operator
Jake Ostroff
Camera Operator
Ron Washburn
Camera Operator
Larry McConkey
Camera Operator
Julie Hughes
Casting
Barry Moss
Casting
Willa Kim
Costume Design
Peter Fitzgerald
Sound Designer
Ed Greene
Sound
Alan Adelman
Lighting Design
Jules Fisher
Lighting Design
Eric Stern
Music Director
Cy Coleman
Music Arranger, Songs, Musical
Adolph Green
Lyricist, Musical
Betty Comden
Lyricist, Musical
Tony Walton
Set Designer
John B. Field
Technical Supervisor
Tommy Tune
Choreographer, Stage Director
Jeff Calhoun
Associate Choreographer
Peter Stone
Musical
Amy Storti
Production Manager
Wendall K. Harrington
Projection
John Cossette
Executive In Charge Of Production
Howard Leonard
Wig Designer
Billy Byers
Orchestrator