Curly, a good-looking cowboy, and Laurey, a sweet and charming farm girl, take the stage in Oklahoma City this month. Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s first collaboration, based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs, took form in 1943 under the bright lights of Broadway. Set just outside Claremore in 1906, Oklahoma! quickly arrived on the musical map with its use of song and dance in its storyline and musical themes and motifs repeated throughout. See the birth of Curly and Laurey’s romance accompanied by “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.” And because no love story is ever simple, “People Will Say We’re In Love” will guide Laurey’s attempt to convince Curly they are not. “The Farmer and the Cowman,” will direct the square dancing rivalry between local farmers and cowboys that end in fight, but love will prevail, and all will rejoice with “Oklahoma!” A musical with many characters and side stories, there’s much excitement wrapped into one, two-and-a-half hour performance. See Lyric Theatre’s presentation of Oklahoma! at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall June 23-27. For more information, visit www.okcciviccenter.com.
