Oklahoma!

Performances start on Wednesday 16 March at 6.30pm with our preview performance and then each night at 7.30pm through to Saturday 19 March. Book your tickets here. 

 

The setting is the Indian territory now known as the state of Oklahoma; the time, soon after the beginning of the 20th century. Aunt Eller is churning butter outside her farmhouse as from offstage come the strains of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. The singer is Curly who has come to invite Aunt Eller’s niece, Laurey, to a box-social that evening. When Laurey appears she feigns indifference to Curly so he presses his invitation by describing to her the surrey in which he will take her to the party (“Surrey with the Fringe on Top”). But he is finally compelled to confess that the surrey is only a figment of his imagination, a fact that sends Laurey off in anger. Will Parker now appears with a description of his recent experiences at a fair in Kansas City (“Kansas City”), where he won fifty dollars in a steer-roping contest. That fifty dollars is highly important to him: he wants to marry Ado Annie and her father, Judge Andrew Carnes, had specified that he will not give his consent until Will can manage to accumulate such a sum.

In spite of her assumed diffidence towards and anger at Curly, Laurey is really in love with him. To arouse his jealousy she decides to go to the box-social with the hired hand, a despicable character. When Laurey discovers that Curly intends going to the affair with another girl she tosses her head indifferently (“Many a New Day”). The flirtatious overtures that Hakim has been making to Ado Annie make her father insist that the peddler marry the girl. Will is out of the running: he has extravagantly spent his fifty dollars on presents.

When Curly and Laurey again meet they decide to go to the social together, after all; but for the sake of the neighbours they will be discreet about their behaviour or be misunderstood in their intentions towards each other (“People Will Say We’re in Love”).

In a dream which becomes an elaborate dance sequence, Laurey imagines how it would be to marry Curly. She is rudely awakened from this dream by Jud’s appearance. He has come to insist she go with him to the party. Laurey-fearful that her dream had been an ominous warning of things to come suddenly decides to go with Jud instead of Curly, much to the latter’s confusion and bewilderment.

The box-social, with which the second act opens, proves to be a gay affair. Farmers and cowmen speak of their mutual rivalry with good humour (“The Farmer and the Cowman”). A spirited contest ensues for Laurey’s box between Jud and Curly. Determined to be the winner, Curly sells everything he owns and gets the box for the exorbitant price of $42.31 Having no intention of marrying Ado, Hakim would very much like to see Will get the girl.

Three weeks later, the marriage of Curly and Laurey takes place. Jud, drunk, breaks into the festivities and threatens Curly with a knife. In the ensuing brawl Jud falls on the blade and dies.

 A makeshift trial is hurriedly improvised by Judge Carnes in order not to delay the young couple. Curly is acquitted of murder, and is free to go off with his bride on their honeymoon (“Oklahoma!”).