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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"><a name="OLE_LINK2"><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"><br></span></span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a name="OLE_LINK2"><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)">*****************************************************************</span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="OLE_LINK2"><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"></span><br></span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a name="OLE_LINK2"><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">Will Rogers
shares his wisdom at Actors’ Summit </span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">Roy Berko</span></span></span><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino">(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association & Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></i></span></span><span style><span style><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">William
Penn Adair Rogers, known to millions of Americans as Will said, “When I die I
want my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on gravestones, to read:<span style> </span>I joked about every prominent man of my
time, but I never met a man I didn’t like.<span style> </span>I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be
carved.”<span style> </span>Unfortunately, he got his
wish on August 15, 1935 when the Alaskan bound plane he was flying in with
aviator Wiley Post crashed.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">Rogers,
who is the subject of the one-man show, WILL ROGERS’ U.S.A., which is now on
stage at Actors’ Summit Theatre, was probably Oklahoma’s favorite son.<span style> </span>What many don’t know is, this adored
story teller, actor, writer and world-famous figure was born to a prominent
Cherokee National family in the Indian Territory. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">A
leading Progressive Era wit, after many years in vaudeville, doing rope tricks
and making humorous comments, he became the top-paid Hollywood star during the
30s.<span style> </span>He poked fun at gangsters,
politicians, parents, teenagers, law schools, colleges, political conventions,
Republicans, economists, and government programs in a way that didn’t offend.<span style> </span>(Wow, could we use his sage comments
during the present vile political race.)<span style> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">He
is widely known for his, “I am not a member of an organized political party, I
am a Democrat.”<span style> </span>He marked among
his friends, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">Some
of his other sage comments included:<span style>
</span>“An ignorant person is one who doesn’t know what he has just found out,
” “Don’t gamble, take all your savings, buy some good stock and hold it till it
goes up, then sell it.<span style> </span>If it don’t
go up, don’t buy it,” “Politics is the best show in the world,” “War is the
only game that everyone loses. Why do we keep playing?” and “I have always
noticed that people will never laugh at anything that is not based on the
truth.”</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">These,
and many other of Roger’s truthisms, are now being spoken by Neil Thackaberry, who
is portraying the revered icon at Actors’ Summit.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">It’s
a difficult task to do a one-man show.<span style>
</span>It is even more difficult when people have a visual image and know the
vocal sounds of the person being portrayed.<span style> </span>Doing Rogers is further problematic as he was a quiet
comedian, a story teller who didn’t raise his voice, didn’t swear, told <span style> </span>cute tales not hysterical jokes.<span style> </span>To make a play about his life that will
hold attention his material needs to be incorporated into a song-filled, dance
infused, and humorous script like the delightful WILL ROGERS FOLLIES, rather
than to a 90-minute monologue.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">Given
the challenge, Thackaberry, who bears little physical resemblance to the lanky
Rogers, and doesn’t possess the political philosopher’s natural audience
connection, does a nice job.<span style>
</span>Thackaberry sends forth the many, many lines with ease, getting smiles
from the audience, and creating a nice atmosphere.<span style> </span>He even delights the audience with a couple of rope
tricks.<span style> </span><span style> </span>Two segments highlights were his discussion of corsets and
Calvin Coolidge. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">The
set is a blank stage with a desk and chair way upstage.<span style> </span>Why the decision was made to put the
desk so far away from the audience is a mystery.<span style> </span>Each time Thackaberry wandered to it, he broke his
connection to the audience.<span style> </span>That
connection is the heart of the show.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"><span style> </span></span></span></span><span style><span style><i><span style="font-family:Palatino">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:<span style>
</span>Will Rogers was a great American humorist and philosopher.<span style> </span>His understated humor is sage wisdom,
but does not make for compelling theatre, in spite of a nice presentation by
Neil Thackaberry at Actors’ Summit.<span style>
</span></span></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><i><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">This Actor’s Summit production is dedicated to the memory of Ira
Sherman, Board member, Set Builder, and Friend!</span></span></span><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">For tickets to WILL
ROGERS’ U.S.A., which runs through October 28, call 330-342-0800 or go to
<a href="http://actorssummit.org">actorssummit.org</a>.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Lucida Console"">Roy
Berko's commentaries and reviews appear on <a href="http://coolcleveland.com">coolcleveland.com</a>,<a href="http://neohiopal.com">neohiopal.com</a>,<a href="http://artsamerica.org">artsamerica.org</a>,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Lucida Console"">and
<a href="http://broadwaynews.com">broadwaynews.com</a>.<span style> </span>His blog is:
<a href="http://www.royberko.info">www.royberko.info</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"><br><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Lucida Console""></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color:rgb(204,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Lucida Console"">••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
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