Play features classic Broadway favorites
“OKLAHOMA! features a high-spirited rivalry between the cowboys and the ranchers during the settlement of the American West. It’s packed with lots of comedy, action, a love story, and some of the most memorable songs from Broadway’s storied past,” said Brent Hyams, TPAC’s director of marketing. “The whole family is sure to love this production!”
Based on the Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow The Lilacs, OKLAHOMA! was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration and remains, in many ways their most innovative, having set the standards for modern musical theatre featuring such classic musical numbers as “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’,” “People Will Say We’re In Love,” “The Surrey With The Fringe On Top” and the title song. Set in the territory of Oklahoma at the turn of the century, against a background of the rivalry between cattlemen and farmers, OKLAHOMA! is the story of the farm girl, Laurey, and the two rivals for her affection: the cowboy, Curly, and Jud, the brooding farmhand.
Written in 1943, OKLAHOMA! became an instant hit and classic for Rodgers & Hammerstein, launching a remarkable career that went on to include Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. The longest-running musical of its time – a record held for 15 years – OKLAHOMA! also generated a decade-long US National Tour; a record-setting original West End run at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and over 30,000 productions to date in more than one dozen languages. The 1955 film version, directed by Fred Zinneman and produced by Rodgers & Hammerstein, starred Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae and Rod Steiger.
OKLAHOMA! has been honored with numerous awards including a special Pulitzer Prize, two Academy Awards, an honorary Grammy and a special Tony Award. In 1993, it became the first Broadway musical commemorated in a US postage stamp and a recent survey by New York’s Drama League deemed OKLAHOMA! “the Best Musical of the Century.”
The cast of OKLAHOMA! features Brandon Andrus as Curly, Amanda Rose as Laurey, Pat Sibley as Aunt Eller, Tom Lucca as Jud Fry, Sarah Shahinian as Ado Annie, Daniel Robinson as Will Parker, Colin Trahan as Ali Hakim, Gordon Gray as Andrew Carnes and Thomas Hallett as Ike Skidmore.
This newly conceived national tour is adapted from the Cameron Mackintosh presentation of the Royal National Theatre production recently seen in London and on Broadway. The original set and costume designs of Anthony Ward and lighting by David Hersey have been recreated for the tour.
For more information on the production, visit the official OKLAHOMA! internet web site at www.networkstours.com.
In conjunction with the run of the musical in Nashville, TPAC InsideOut, the season of adult programs presented by TPAC Education, will present free “The West Comes East: Cowboys Go Broadway!” Jan. 18 at 2. p.m. at Congregation Micah, 2001 Old Hickory Blvd. Led by Rabbi Ken Kanter with local musicians, the program blends music and commentary and will feature songs from OKLAHOMA! as well as Annie Get Your Gun, The Unsinkable Mollie Brown, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Paint Your Wagon, Dude, and Urban Cowboy.
Performance times for OKLAHOMA! in Andrew Jackson Hall Jan. 27-Feb. 1 are: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2. p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The Sunday matinee of OKLAHOMA! will be signed for the hearing impaired.
Ticket prices range from $17.75 to $68, depending upon performance times and seat locations. For tickets, visit the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Green Hills), online at www.tpac.org, or any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 615/255-ARTS (2787). MasterCard is the preferred credit card of TPAC. For information on group discounts for 20 or more, call TPAC Group Sales at 615/782-4060.