Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical OKLAHOMA!, freshly directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and with new choreography by Drew McOnie, will tour the UK and Ireland next year, opening at the Derngate Theatre, Northampton, in February 2015.
This new production of one of the great classic American musicals will be led by Belinda Lang (School for Scandal, Ladies in Lavender) as Aunt Eller, Gary Wilmot (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Pajama Game, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Ali Hakim, Ashley Day (The Book of Mormon, The Wizard of Oz, High School Musical) as Curly, Charlotte Wakefield (The Sound of Music, MAMMA MIA!, Spring Awakening) as Laurey and Nic Greenshields (Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera) as Jud Fry, accompanied by a live orchestra.
OKLAHOMA!, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was based on Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow the Lilacs; it was the first musical written by the duo. It was originally produced on Broadway in 1943 and the Academy Award-winning film was released in 1955.
Set in Oklahoma, US in the early 1900s, the musical tells the story of two sets of star-crossed lovers. Cowboy Curly loves Laurey, Aunt Eller’s niece, but Curly’s rival is the mysterious Jud Fry. Their stories are told with the help of some of the best loved songs in musical theatre repertoire, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No, People Will Say We’re in Love and Oklahoma.
Presented by Music & Lyrics Limited, this award-winning nationwide consortium is comprised of the UK’s major independent touring theatres. It aims to champion music theatre in all its forms and provide extended life to productions created by the UK’s major producing theatres. It is committed to presenting major musical productions to large and enthusiastic audiences.