Review – The Will Rogers Follies (2009)

“Victoria Operatic Society show is close to Broadway standard”

By:	Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist
For:	The Will Rogers Follies
Who:	The Victoria Operatic Society
Where:	McPherson Playhouse
When:	May 2009
Rating:	5 stars out of 5

Published: May 3, 2009

"All I know is just what I read in the papers," Will Rogers famously said. You might think this would be reason enough for a newspaper reviewer to lavish praise on a musical about the beloved American icon.

There are many other reasons to trot out an adjective I don't use lightly -- flawless. This pretty much describes the Victoria Operatic Society's dazzling production of The Will Rogers Follies that opened Friday at the McPherson Playhouse.

As musical revues go, it doesn't get any better than this. Even more remarkable is that while VOS is ostensibly an amateur theatre company, this intoxicating spectacle, as spit-polished as the cowboy humourist's boots, is near Broadway-calibre.

Enlivened by Matthew Howe's inventive and witty direction and choreography, this mesmerizing fusion of homespun humour, poignancy and glitz colourfully chronicles the folksy Oklahoman's life from his days as a Wild West rope twirler to his career as a newspaper columnist, political pundit, Ziegfeld Follies attraction and film star before he died in a plane crash in 1935.

From the splashy opening number Will-A-Mania headlined by Lynn Spargo, an amusing showbiz dynamo, as "Ziegfeld's favourite" chorus girl, to Never Met a Man I Didn't Like, the wistful finale inspired by Rogers's most famous saying, the production's first-rate cast demonstrates skill and confidence as they breeze through a Ziegfeld Follies simulation.

Grinning from ear to ear as he dispenses nuggets of cornpone wit and wisdom, Chris Newstead -- think hybrid of Matt Damon and Billy Bob Thornton -- is enormously endearing as Will, with a singing voice as impressive as his talent with a lasso.

A highlight is Newstead's impassioned delivery of Rogers's poignant "Where are all the big men? We sure could use some now" speech. His attempt to comfort Depression-weary Americans has chilling relevance today.

Angela Ireland is equally impressive as his wife Betty Blake, notably when she belts out the torch song No Man Left For Me. Paul Miles is also a noteworthy asset as Will's cantankerous dad Clem, adding comic relief and zest, especially when he headlines It's a Boy, a number highlighted by the presence of Will's "six single sisters" attired in matching sunflower outfits.

Another showstopper is Our Favourite Son, a stars-and-stripes tribute to U.S. presidential candidate Will in which seated performers wearing bowler hats and red, white and blue outfits clap and slap hands, knees and chests in impressive unison.

Also noteworthy are an inspired sequence featuring shape-shifting characters that glow-in-the-dark, and the contributions of Bryn Evans, Brandon MacLeod, Hunter Watson and a very plucky Elizabeth Duncan as the Rogers children.

David Hardwick's costumes, it must be emphasized, are just fabulous. They include star-spangled white cowboy outfits with matching boots, angel wings and huge Vegas-style headdresses. John Britt also deserves kudos for his handsome set highlighted by a lighted Follies staircase framed by twinkling lights. The orchestra under the direction of Heather Burns is top-notch. It all adds up to a family-friendly show as irresistible as the cowboy legend himself.