Will given rave reviews in Canada

They like Will in Canada
Tammy Simon, administrator of the Victoria Operatic Society, Victoria, British Columbia, welcomed Lori Blake-Leighton, great-great-niece of Mrs. Will Rogers to a local production of “The Will Rogers Follies.” Leighton, great-granddaughter of Betty Rogers' eldest sibling Sandy Blake, lives in Washington State. (Photo Courtesy VOS)

 

Will Rogers traveled the world as a vaudeville performer, philanthropist, columnist and author. He continues to be a beloved man as his wit and wisdom is spread throughout the world in various venues.

The Tony-winning “Will Rogers Follies”  recently took him into the British Columbia Province of Canada, where the Victoria Operatic Society locally produced production at McPherson Playhouse got rave views.

Lori Blake Leighton, great-great-niece of Will Rogers' wife Betty, attended the performance and was guest at dinner and party with the cast and crew.

The show opened on Broadway in New York in 1991 and is set in the Ziegfeld Follies, Will’s introduction vaudeville fame. Since the successful Broadway season, it has played on the road and in locally produced venues, including a recent production at Cascia Hall in Tulsa.

The play and cast of Victoria locals got rave views. “Times” Columnist Michael D. Reid gave the play five stars of five. John Threlfall of “Monday Magazine” praised the subject and the cast.

“Find a likeable national icon, hire a veteran music-and-lyrics team to wrap his story around a bunch of songs that can’t help but make you smile, surround him with dancers decked out in extravagant costumes, and — hey, presto! – you’ve got a Tony-winner like ‘The Will Rogers Follies.’ But as cynical as that sounds, somehow it all works — and especially in this stellar production by the Victoria Operatic Society, which is far and away the best show I’ve seen them do in years,” Threlfall said.

“As musical reviews go, it doesn’t get any better than this,” wrote Reid, adding that Will’s then “attempt to comfort Depression-weary Americans has chilling relevance today.”

Leighton, who lives in Washington state, is the great-granddaughter of James “Sandy” Blake first-born of Betty Rogers siblings. He moved to California to run Will’s office. His children and grandchildren grew up with Will and Betty’s family.

Leighton, her father, also named James and nicknamed Sandy, and her brother were in Claremore for a family reunion on the 125th anniversary of Will Rogers’ birthday.

The Victoria Operatic society playbill cover and lobby poster featured photos provided by the Will Rogers Memorial Museums of Will and Betty and their children, Will, Mary and Jim as youngsters; and Clement Vann Rogers, who settled in the Cooweescoowee District of Indian Territory and for whom Rogers County is named.