Oklahoma! debuted on Broadway more than 80 years ago, and its celebration of small-town life and enduring American spirit has made it a cornerstone in the community theater repertoire. The Muni’s co-directing team, Ann Opferman and Gil Opferman, have been involved with four productions of Oklahoma! during their lifetimes.
“There are still 700-plus productions of this show done every year – it’s still hot,” said Gil Opferman, who noted that it continues to be popular locally as well. “It has been the No. 1 requested show by Muni patrons,” he said.
Oklahoma! was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaborative effort and, though innovative at the time, it became the foundation of what we now know as musical theater – plot interwoven with song and dance. The original also included a 20-minute dream ballet, which recent productions either shortened or cut out, as modern audiences don’t have the attention span.
The musical depicts life, love and the American dream in Native American territory just before it became the state of Oklahoma. Like most theater of this era, it whitens early 20th century history, failing to mention the forced migration of Native Americans to this area while promoting romantic and national union – likely influenced by the World War II-era propaganda of land and belonging.
Regardless of the show’s historical inception, most of its musical selections are enduring bops.
“People think they don’t know Oklahoma!, but everybody has heard some of these songs,” said Ann Opferman. Many, like “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'” and “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” are ingrained into the American songbook and have been heard for decades in commercials, Disney theme parks and most recently, TikTok content. The rousing title number, “Oklahoma!” is even a patriotic state anthem.
The plot is relatively simple. Curly, played wonderfully by Nathan Moss, loves Laurey, beautifully brought to life by Brooke Seacrist, and the feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, their collective emotional intelligence rivals a corn stalk, rendering direct communication impossible. Moss, with sumptuous vocals and a commanding presence, once again solidifies his status as a leading man. Seacrist more than holds her own as a spunky Laurey, delivering her songs with the power and clarity of an opera star.
Laurey, in an attempt to make Curly jealous, accepts a date from Aunt Eller’s hired help farmhand, Jud. Jud lives in a trash shack behind the house and is known as a grump and the town creep, but his scenes are not without humor – he’s the Oklahoman version of Oscar the Grouch. John O’Connor plays him adeptly, making him menacing without forgetting the troubled man underneath. O’Connor has had a lot of practice with this role as he first played Jud Fry 36 years ago.
“All these years later, playing Jud Fry is the same – he was a psychopath then, he’s a psychopath now,” said O’Connor.
Jealous Curly then visits Jud’s shack to sing him a song about how Jud should end his own life. The premise sounds dark, but this is surprisingly the funniest part of the show.
Meanwhile, young Will Parker, charmingly portrayed by Connor Dove, has returned from his trip to Kansas City. He finds his betrothed, Ado Annie, played adorably by Amelia Curtis, has been dating other men in his absence and shows no signs of stopping. Dove impressively does his own rope tricks and leads multiple dance numbers, all while singing real “purty.” His Parker has a sweet and genuine naiveté, and it’s difficult to not feel a tug at the heartstrings for this romantic dum-dum. Curtis’ character is fun to watch and her songs are delivered with infectious spirit. Both Curtis and Dove are making their lead role debut on the Muni stage and with their scene-stealing charisma and talent, it won’t be their last.
Another standout is the “Persian” peddler, Ali Hakim, who finds exceptional comedic timing in Luke Petersen. Petersen plays Hakim with a vaudevillian theatrical flair. He takes a role originally conceived as a caricature and turns him into something far more nuanced: a man pretending to be something he most certainly isn’t. With an accent from nowhere and a suit sewn from the remnants of grandma’s plaid couch, Petersen’s Hakim is not from Persia, and likely couldn’t even locate it on a map. He’s created a much more appropriate peddler of tall tales and schemes – a great adaptation for the modern stage.
Featuring an 18-piece orchestra, a large ensemble of high-quality singers and perfectly cast leading actors, Oklahoma! at the Muni delivers a delightful and timeless theatrical experience under the stars.
Oklahoma! continues its run at the Springfield Muni July 16-19. Performances start at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are available at TheMuni.org, or at The Muni box office beginning 90 minutes before each performance.
This article appears in Getting right with Native Americans.
