Director Christie Lewis’s production is a strong one with a quality set featuring Laurey’s farmhouse and a windmill, fine costumes, a live orchestra, and an impressive cast that boasts a number of great, young vocal talents to make those immortal songs shine.

Set at the turn of the century just before Oklahoma became a state, the story follows the romance between farmer’s daughter Laurey and cowman Curly who keep tripping over their pride every time they meet. Paul Rasmussen is Curly who kicks off the show with his smooth singing of Oh, What a Beautiful Morning. Carly Richardson has a rich, dreamy voice as Laurey with a personality nicely reminiscent of Shirley Jones in the film version, while also displaying a fun sense of humor in the creatively staged Many a New Day where the female ensemble pretends to be potential male suitors that she rejects.

And then there is the town’s love triangle that generates most of the show’s humor, a triangle that revolves around Laurey’s best friend Ado Annie who just cain’t say no when men start talking pretty to her, played with a good mix of naivety and enthusiastic passion by Ariel Swainston. Will Parker (Charlie Gott with good vocal work) is the not-so-smart but mostly loyal local cowhand who is fixin’ to marry her if’n he can save up fifty dollars. But then in rides the peddler man Ali Hakim. Actually, this peddler man sort of stumbles in. Steve Casillas changes the role from a suave ladies’ man to a bumbling nerd, and he totally pulls it off with his unique personality and his hysterical vocal and physical mannerisms.

Other highlights include the haunting singing of Lonely Room by Laurey-stalker Jud Fry (Ben Smith), some great laughs (a laugh mocked well by Laurey) and catty jealousy by Curly-stalker Gertie Cummings (Anna Hayes), and Lisa Fischel whose tremendous portrayal of Aunt Eller, a performance filled with earthy kindness, strength, genuine feelings for Laurey and Curly, a bit of mischievousness, and more than a bit of orneriness, combines to provide the heart and soul of this show. The ensemble shows a range of good singing voices in the Dream Sequence, good comedy in Many a New Day, and they nail the big number Oklahoma!

Performs February 1-10, 2007.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre