Oklahoma
From Mchs Theater
Oklahoma! is MCHS' ninth musical production and was performed March 10-12, 2011
Contents |
Director's Notes
Oklahoma! is one of the classics of musical theater, representing somehing a little different for the MCHS musical theater community to embrace. But step up they did, and the result was another great MCHS show.
About Oklahoma
Synopsis
Act I
In Oklahoma territory in 1906, cowboy Curly McLain looks forward to the beautiful day ahead as he wanders into farmgirl Laurey Williams’s yard (“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”). He and Laurey tease each other, while Laurey’s Aunt Eller looks on. There will be a box social dance that night, which includes an auction of lunch baskets prepared by the local girls to raise funds for a schoolhouse. The man who wins each lunch basket will eat the lunch with the girl who prepared it. Curly asks Laurey to go with him, but she refuses, feeling that Curly had waited too long. He attempts to persuade her by telling her that he will take her in the finest carriage money can buy, “The Surrey With The Fringe On Top”, but she teases him about it until he says he made it up to get back at her, and Laurey flounces off, not realizing that Curly really has rented such a rig.
The sinister and dark-hearted farm hand Jud Fry has set his sights on Laurey and asks her to the dance. She accepts to spite Curly, although she is afraid of Jud. Meanwhile, cowboy Will Parker returns bedazzled and souvenir-laden from a trip to modern “Kansas City”. He won $50 at the fair, which, according to his girlfriend Ado Annie’s father, is the money he needs to marry Ado Annie. Unfortunately, he spent all the money on gifts for her. Ado Annie confesses to Laurey that while he’s been away, she has been spending a lot of time with Ali Hakim, a Persian peddler. Laurey tells her she’ll have to choose between them, but Ado Annie insists she loves them both (“I Cain’t Say No”). Laurey and her friends prepare for the social, while a silly girl, Gertie, flirts with Curly (her obnoxious laugh floating in to taunt Laurey). Laurey tells her friends that she doesn’t really care about Curly (“Many a New Day”).
Ado Annie’s father, Andrew Carnes, discovers her with Ali Hakim. After questioning Ado Annie about her relationship with the peddler, he forces Hakim at gunpoint to agree to marry Ado Annie. Hakim and the other men lament the unfairness of the situation (“It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage!”). Curly discovers that Laurey is going to the box social with Jud and tries to convince her to go with him instead. Afraid to tell Jud she won’t go with him, Laurey tries to convince Curly (and herself) that she does not love him (“People Will Say We’re in Love”). Hurt by her refusal, Curly goes to the smokehouse where Jud lives. Curly suggests that since Jud does not feel appreciated, he could hang himself, and everyone would realize how much they care about him (“Pore Jud is Daid”). Their talk turns into an ominous confrontation about Laurey, punctuated by alarming but harmless gunplay. Once Curly departs, Jud’s resolve to win Laurey becomes even stronger – he is tired of being on his own in his “Lonely Room”.
Confused by her feelings for Curly and her fear of Jud, Laurey purchases a “magic potion” (really a bottle of smelling salts) from Ali Hakim, which the unscrupulous peddler guarantees will reveal her true love. She muses on leaving her dreams of love behind and joining the man she loves (“Out of My Dreams”), then falls asleep under the influence of the laudanum (“Dream Sequence”). An extended ballet sequence follows. Laurey first dreams of what marriage to Curly would be like. Her dream takes a nightmarish turn when Jud kills Curly, and she cannot escape him, confused by her desires. The dream makes her realize that Curly is the right man for her, but it is too late to change her mind about going to the dance with Jud; he has come for her, and they leave for the box social.
Act II
At the social, the men all join in an upbeat barn dance. A rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys over fences and water rights has led to tension. Both sides state the merits of their way of life, while Aunt Eller tries – and eventually succeeds – in getting them to make peace (“The Farmer and the Cowman”). Laurey is upset when she sees Curly at the dance with Gertie. In an effort to rid himself of Ado Annie, Ali Hakim buys Will’s souvenirs from Kansas City for $50. The auction starts and Will bids $50 on Ado Annie’s basket, not realizing that without the $50, he would no longer have the money her father insisted he needs to “purchase” marriage with her. Desperate to be rid of Ado Annie, the peddler bids $51 to get the basket so that Will can approach Andrew Carnes with the $50 and claim Ado Annie as his bride. The auction becomes much more serious when Laurey’s basket comes up for auction. Jud has saved all his money for months so he can win Laurey’s basket. Various men bid, trying to protect Laurey, but Jud outbids them all. Curly and Jud engage in a ferocious bidding war, and Curly sells all his prized possessions to raise money: his saddle, his horse, and even his gun; without these, Curly can no longer be a cowboy and will have to become a farmer. Curly outbids Jud and wins the basket. Jud then tries to kill Curly with a “Little Wonder” (A metal tube used for looking at pictures, but with a hidden blade inside). His plan is foiled when Aunt Eller (knowing what is happening) asks Curly for a dance. Later that night, Will and Annie work out their differences, as she agrees not to flirt with other men (“All Er Nuthin’”).
Jud confronts Laurey about his feelings for her. When she admits that she doesn’t return them, he threatens her. She then fires him as her farm hand, screaming at him to get off her property. Jud furiously threatens Laurey before he departs. Laurey bursts into tears and calls for Curly. She tells him that she has fired Jud and is frightened by what Jud might do now. Curly, seeing that she has turned to him for guidance and safety, reassures her and proposes to her, and she accepts (“People Will Say We’re In Love” (Reprise)).
Three weeks later, Laurey and Curly are married and everyone rejoices in celebration of the territory’s impending statehood (“Oklahoma!”) . A drunken Jud reappears and attacks Curly with a knife. As Curly dodges a blow, Jud falls on his own knife and dies on the spot. The wedding guests hold a makeshift trial for Curly, at Aunt Eller’s urging, as the couple is due to leave for their honeymoon. The judge, Ado Annie’s father, declares the verdict: “not guilty!” After more rejoicing, Curly and Laurey depart on their honeymoon in the surrey with the fringe on top.
(Synopsis from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma! )
Cast
| Caey Cleland - Aunt Eller | Alex Craft - Curly | Rebecca Harbaugh - Laurey |
| Laurence Richardson - Jud Fry | Chris Lopez - Jud Fry (understudy) | Corbin McCoonnel - Will Parker |
| Cassie Morris - Ado Annie | Troy Dang - Ali Hakim | Will Booker - Andrew Carnes |
| Kayla Smith - Gerti Cummings | Zach Wallace - Slim | Tyler Myhand - Cord Elam |
| Ben LaPiana - Ike Skidmore |
Crew
- Soundboard Operators:
- Light Board Operator:
- Deck Crew:
- Props Crew:
- Follow Spot Operator:
- Set Construction Crew:
Production Staff
- Producers: Bethany Jennings, Athena Reaves
- Choreographer: Amy Dressel
- Musical Director: John Enloe
- Costume Mistresses:
- Costume Committee:
- Lighting and Set Design: Joshua Reaves
- Stage Manager: Bronwyn Frank
- Assistant Stage Managers:
- Scene Shop Manager: Matt Scialdone
- Technical Directors: Joshua Reaves, Alan Booker, Matt Scialdone
- Conductor: John Enloe
Pit Musicians
TBD
Oklahoma Stories
Stay tuned
