[NEohioPAL] Two more rave reviews for WILL ROGERS' USA at Actors Summit - Final Weekend

[Neil Thackaberry]

*‘Will Rogers’ U.S.A.’ a hit at Actors’ Summit*

* *

*Fran Heller, Cleveland Jewish News*

* *

*I* never met a man that I didn’t like,” said Will Rogers, legendary
humorist, commentator, entertainer, reporter and “poet lariat” with a rope.



Rogers is the subject of “Will Rogers’ U.S.A.,” a one-man show starring
Neil Thackaberry as one of America’s most beloved folk heroes.



With his cowboy hat, bandana and folksy manner, a gum-chewing Thackaberry
creates a very likeable facsimile of Will Rogers. For 90 non-stop minutes,
Thackaberry regales with pithy aphorisms and wry observations on subject
matter spanning American Indians, politics, medicine, education, foreign
policy and war, his sentiments sounding uncannily contemporary.



Directed by George Roth, Thackaberry moves around and across the stage,
engaging his audience like next-door neighbors.



The youngest of eight children, William Penn Adair Rogers was born Nov. 4,
1879 in Oklahoma to parents of Cherokee descent. A doctor could bring you
into the world for two bucks, quips Rogers, adding that families with fewer
than eight children meant the father was either divorced or in jail.



Juiciest are the observations Rogers makes on politics, political
conventions, and political parties: “I am not a member of any organized
political party. I’m a Democrat.”



His opinion about taxes reflects his liberal leanings as a staunch Democrat.

“Where’s the money coming from that we’re spending?” he asks. “It ought to
be coming from them that got it.”



Rogers’ pointed comments on war hit home. “War is the only game where
everyone loses. No nation should be allowed to enter a war until it’s paid
for the last one.”



The raconteur describes a trip to Europe where people blame America for
everything. In Paris, he said, tourists were hissed and stoned but not
before finishing their shopping.



Rogers, known for his amazing skills with a rope, even throws a few rope
tricks, one of which fails. The post just moved to the right, says Rogers
with a wink.

His most incisive remarks address the gap between haves and have-nots.

“No country in the history of the world has more; no country has less. Ten
guys could buy the world; 10 million not enough to eat.”



On politicians, presidents and Congress, Rogers, whose formal education
stopped after fourth grade, had this to say:



“No President can hurt America; we’re too big … We have the best
politicians money can buy … Congress makes a joke, it’s a law; Congress
makes a law, it’s a joke … America is a great country in spite of its
government, not because of it.”

I don’t think anyone loved America more than Will Rogers, which enabled him
to poke such gentle fun at this country, all in good humor. Sadly, Rogers’
life was cut short in 1935 in a plane crash in Alaska.



The show ends with sage advice: “Live in such a way that you would not be
ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip. No malice in your heart; no
malice in your gags.”



Will Rogers, U.S.A. at Actors’ Summit gets my vote.



WHAT: “Will Rogers’ U.S.A.”

WHERE: Actors’ Summit, Greystone Hall, 6th Floor, 103 S. High Street, Akron

WHEN: Through Sunday, Oct. 28

TICKETS & INFO: 330-374-7568 or www.actorssummit.org



This is Fred Dolan for Arts On The Heights.

   Will Rogers is an American icon from the first half of the 20th century.
He was part Cherokee and grew up in Indian Territory in Oklahoma., he
started out on the vaudeville circuit performing rope tricks with humorous
commentary, eventually becoming a film star, radio commentator and
newspaper columnist who became the voice of the common man back during the
depression. Most of his humor was topical and he noted that “I only know
what I read in the papers.”  Famous for his political humor, Rogers poked
fun at both Democrats and Republicans, noting “I belong to no organized
party. I am a Democrat. <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26205.html>”  His
gentle humor was well-loved by the American people and even by the
politicians who he joked about.

   Currently at Actor’s Summit in Akron, Neil Thackaberry is playing Will
Rogers in a one-man show called Will Roger’s USA that dates back to the
1970’s. During the course of the evening, we learn about Roger’s Indian
heritage, lots of his political musings, comments on what Rogers reads in
the newspapers, and of course, some rope tricks. Neil Thackaberry plays
Rogers in a very natural, relaxed manner, delivering his lines in a
Midwestern drawl with a whimsical smile on his face, much like Rogers
himself. For this 90 minute  monologue, Mr. Thackaberry is more than up to
the task. It’s a very effective portrayal. The humor is mostly very gentle
and will remind you that not much has changed in the political arena since
Rogers was alive, especially with some of today’s economic conditions
mirroring the Great Depression.

     Will Roger’s USA plays Thursdays through Sundays through October 28 at
Actor’s Summit in downtown Akron with free guarded parking. For complete
details, visit actorssummit.org.

   This is Fred Dolan for Arts On The Heights.
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