Oklahoma - April 2004


A musical play by Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II

By arrangement with Josef Weinberger Ltd. On behalf of Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatre Library

Book and Lyrics by Based on Lynn Riggs'

Oscar Hammerstein II "Green Grow the Lilacs"

For the BBC write up on the show, click Here

CAST LIST

 CURLY - Julian Richards
LAUREY - Jade Spilsbury
WILL PARKER - Simon Goff
ADO ANNIE CARNES - Lydia Simpkiss
JUD FRY - Callum Mac Arthur
ALI HAKIM - Greg Yates
AUNT ELLER - Dorothy Copson
CORD ELAM - John Arnold
SLIM - Stephen Bickley
IKE SKIDMORE - Colin Hunt
FRED - Alf Rai
ANDREW CARNES - John Wiley
GERTIE CUMMINGS - Nikki Rai

CHORUS

John Arnold, Stephen Bickley, Chris Eastup, Mac Hammond, Colin Hunt, Trevor Law, Dean Lord, Jamie Picken, Andy Poulton, Jonathan Pountney, Alf Rai, Stan Till, Marina Bray, Jayne Crowther, Caroline Hammond, Kate Osborne, Nikki Rai, Jenni Rullan, Val Simpkiss, Pat Small, Eileen Southall, Christine Spittle, Renee Till

DANCERS

Sarah Aldridge, Sarah Bickley, Sharnie Billingsley, Emma Bond, Laura Bray, Jade Brown, Philippa Chapman, Kay Daren, Aimee Holder, Chloe Kitson, Paige Larkin, Laura Morgan, Lucy Morgans, Bethany North, Felicity North, Amy Raybould

NON ACTING MEMBERS

Brenda Arnold, Janice Wolverson, Nora Butler, Edna Wright, Kay Corbett, Peter Arnold, Val Goodfellow, Terry Corbett, Catherine Hammond, Alan Crowther, Jackie Handley, Mark Friedl, Vicki Hardy, Sidney Hodgkins, Jill Hodgkins, Neil Jones, Christine Hunt, Alan Merrick, Helen Jones, Adrian Nicklin, Barbara King, Phillip Nicholls, Samantha King, Derek Painter, Kerene McKeown, Bryan Smith, Betty Merrick, Ron Starkey, Sophie Middleton, Roger Stokes, Janet Nicklin, Dave Storey, Dorothy Norris, Graham Tarbuck, Judith Parry, Colin Webb, Cath Stone, John Wetherall, Anne Stokes, Brian White, Collene Webb, Chris Wolverson, Marilyn Webb, Pat Wright, Wendy White, Terence Wright, Chris Wiley

THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA

The show tells the story of a group of people, farmers and cowmen, trying to co-exist and maintain their conflicting lifestyles against a backdrop of an emerging new state . . . Oklahoma.

Laurey, the daughter of a farmer Aunt Eller, is in love with Curly, a cowboy. She is herself the subject of the attentions of Jud Fry, a hired hand on Aunt Eller's farm. Jud, a rather shady character is vying with Curly for the chance to take Laurey to the Box Social.

Laurey has a dream and in the dream ballet sees herself being carried off by Jud during a tragic wedding scene.

At the Box Social each girl's supper hamper is auctioned off to the highest bidder who has the hamper and the girl for the evening. Curly outbids Jud for the right to take Laurey to the Box Social at the expense of selling all of his worldly goods including his gun and his horse. Laurey now consents to marry Curly.

Ado Annie, who can't say "no" to any man has become involved with Ali Hakim an itinerant pedlar, although she's promised to Will Parker who has arrived hotfoot from Kansas with a load of presents for her. Hakim finds himself the subject of a shotgun engagement to Annie through the good offices of her father Andrew. He eventually escapes from this by hoodwinking Will allowing him to win Annie back. Hakim is then enmeshed in another reluctant arrangement with Gertie Cummings.

After Laurey's wedding, Jud emerges from hiding to challenge Curly. A fight ensues and Jud falls on his knife, fatally injured. An impromptu court supervised by Cames finds Curly not guilty but only after the timely intervention of Aunt Eller.

Oklahoma opened in Broadway in 1943 and ran for 2212 performances. It opened in Drury Lane, London in 1947 and ran for 1543 performances. It was filmed in 1955 with Gordon Macrea and Shirley Jones.