The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Song, dance, rope play on the stage at Goodspeed
‘Will Rogers Follies’ runs through June 21
EAST HADDAM — The Goodspeed opened its season recently with preview performances of the Broadway hit “The Will Rogers Follies,” a dance-filled musical running through June 21 at the beautiful little theater on the river that knows how to please.
It’s a rags-to-riches story with a backdrop of the Ziegfeld Follies, which Rogers often headlined, that won Tony Awards in 1991. The official opening at Goodspeed is Wednesday.
Rogers, youngest of eight children, was a vaudeville performer, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, pioneer of aviation, friend of presidents and social commentator from Oklahoma who identifed as Cherokee. He was beloved in his time, partly for his folksy, common-sense attitude.
Inspired by the words of Will and Betty Rogers, the original New York production was directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune. This one is helmed by Don Stephenson, who directed the Goodspeed productions of “Guys and Dolls” and “The Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd.”
Folksy, rope-spinning humorist Will Rogers will be played by David Lutken, who previously played the role on Broadway. Catherine Walker, who recently starred on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning “A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder,” plays Betty Blake.
The role of Will Rogers Jr. will be played by Connecticut native Ben StoneZelman, who returns to
It’s a rags-to-riches story with a backdrop of the Ziegfeld Follies, which Rogers often headlined, that won Tony Awards in 1991.
The Goodspeed where he previously performed as Randolph in “Bye Bye Birdie” and Tommy Bailey in “A Wonderful Life.”
Performances are Wednesday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., (with select performances at 2 p.m.), Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.).
Tickets start at $29. Call the Goodspeed box office at 860-873-8668 or visit goodspeed.org.