Will Rogers

led an extrordinary life. He was an American Cowboy humorist, a trick

roper, a star of the Ziegfeld Follies, a radio commentator, a star of

71 motion pictures, a syndicated newspaper columnist with over 4,000 columns

written, an author of six books, a philosopher and a philanthropist. It

is no surprise that a musical based on his life, "The Will Rogers

Follies," which will run at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta through Sunday,

Aug. 17, has enjoyed tremendous success.

"The Will

Rogers Follies" opened at the Palace Theater on Broadway in 1991,

the same theater where Rogers himself appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies

decades before. The show, which starred Keith Carradine as Rogers and

was directed by Tommy Tune was oiminated for 11 Tony Awards and nabbed

six of them, including awards for Best Musical and Best Score. The current

production which started in Atlanta last night stars Larry Gatlin as Rogers.

Gatlin appeared as Rogers on Broadway for a number of shows and has played

the role on numerous occasions since the show began.

Gatlin is a

country music legend who began his carrer as a songwriter. A number of

his songs were recorded by such artists as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson,

Barbara Streisand and Elvis Presley. After his success as a songwriter,

Gatlin began a solo career in 1972. He had his brothers sing backup on

his albums and his success soon became their success. The Gatlin Brothers

officially became a group in 1979 and recorded a string of hits that made

them one of the most successful country music groups of all time.

"The Will

Rogers Follies" is subtitled "A Life in Revue" and it follows

the course of Rogers carrer in Ziegfeld Follie form, comlete with showgirls

and the trademark humor and rope tricks of Rogers between numbers. Some

of the musical numbers that are sure to be stuck in audeince member's

heads for days afterwards include "Willamania," "We're

Heading for a Wedding," "Never Met a man I Didn't Like,"

and "Our Favorite Son."

Performances

are at 8 p.m. through Saturday with matinee performances at 2 p.mm. on

Saturday and Sunday and a 7 p.m. performance on Sunday. Ticket prices

are between $20-$50 and are available at the Fox Theatre box office, any

Ticketmaster outlet or by calling 404-817-8700.

Some famous

Will Rogers Quotes

Everybody

is ignorant. Only on different subjects.

No man is

great if he thinks he is.

Live your

life so that when you lose, you're ahead.

My ancestors

did not come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.

America is

a land of opportunity and don't ever forget it.

We will never

have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of

others.

All I know

is what I read in the papers.

I never met

a man I didn't like.

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