The Jacobs Opera and Ballet Theater will present composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II’s “Oklahoma!” beginning 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Musical Arts Center. The double-cast musical will feature two weekends of performances.
Written in 1943, “Oklahoma!” is based on the 1931 play “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Cherokee playwright Lynn Riggs. “Green Grow the Lilacs” follows farmers living in Native American territory in the early 1900s. The play premiered at the Guild Theatre in New York, which hosted over 60 performances.
In 1942, Riggs handed the script to Rodgers and Hammerstein II, who then went on to create the award-winning classic musical “Oklahoma!” Now, over 80 years later, the love triangle of Laurey, Curly and Jud has ridden its way to the stage of the Musical Arts Center.
IU’s Philharmonic Orchestra will reside in the pit, performing the underlying background music throughout the musical.
Visiting artist Johnathan Colby, who serves as the president and artistic director of the Worcester Youth Orchestras in central Massachusetts, will lead the orchestra.
Jacob Allen, the stage director of the production, credits the musical as the start of the “Golden Age” of Broadway, which would be the largest period of growth for musical theater as an artform from 1943 to 1964.
Allen is visiting from the University of Memphis, to serve as the production’s stage director. There, he serves as the chair of the department of theater and dance, also specializing in the “Golden Age” of American musical theater. Allen said his main vision for the production is to showcase a community.
“The vision for the production, from a directorial standpoint, was to tell what is a romantic and charming and funny love story about Laurey and Curly, two young people making a start for their lives, but also really focusing on the impact of the community around them as a process,” Allen said.
William Nicholson, a first-year master’s student studying vocal performance at IU, is playing the role of Curly on April 18 and 25.
Nicholson said most renditions of “Oklahoma!” begin with by confidently strutting onstage singing “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’.” Following Allen’s vision, the community is established immediately, with every character onstage in the Jacobs version. Afterward, the stage clears so Curly can begin his solo.
“I’m excited for everybody to show the audience what we’ve been working so hard on, because, the fact is, this came together in just over a month, and we have been working our butts off,” Nicholson said.
Julianna Banfe, a junior studying voice performance and minoring in business, is playing Laurey on April17 and 26. Laurey serves as a love interest for Curly, creating a love triangle between the two and another character named Jud.
Banfe said she is excited to showcase the dimensions of the character, representing the complex internal conflict that she faces.
“I think a misconception about Laurey is that she’s kind of like a one-dimensional character, and she really isn’t,” Banfe said. “She’s very young, and she’s very confused, but she does have this real internal conflict happening within her that is pretty complex to display onstage.”
“Oklahoma!” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 17 and 25, 5 p.m. April 18 and 3 p.m. April 26 at the Musical Arts Center. Tickets for “Oklahoma!” are available at varied prices and discounted to $12 for students.
