“Oklahoma!” was Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s first Broadway musical. It was groundbreaking, having a record-setting run of five years on the New York theatre scene. The first to be named “a musical play.” Critics loved it when it was introduced in 1943.
According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the state’s namesake musical “is arguably the most famous example” of a Broadway production about a state. It is scheduled to be performed at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center from July 24-August 16.
Four years after it was brought to the West End in the United Kingdom, “Oklahoma!” has been revised from the 1950s all the way to 2019. In 1955, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios turned the production into a movie starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
“Oklahoma!” has won countless awards such as a Pulitzer Prize, Academy Awards, Laurence Olivier awards in the UK, and countless Tony Awards. In 1956, the cinematic production won Academy Awards for best musical score and best sound recording and was nominated for film editing and cinematography.
The musical is based on a play by Cherokee playwright Lynn Riggs called “Green Grow the Lilacs.” The Oklahoma Historical Society said the play is “set in 1900 Indian Territory, seven years before Oklahoma statehood.”
It involves a love triangle between a cowboy named Curly, a farm girl named Laurey, and a farmhand named Jud Fry. The story also explores the rivalry between ranchers/cowboys and farmers for control of the Western Frontier.
Director and Cast
The production is full of local talent in the show. In the production, Curly is played by Coner Jordon. Laurey and Jud Fry are performed by Ruby Shadley and Kasey Dillon Yeargain, respectively.
The show is directed by Pete Otis. He is a jack-of-all trades theatre professional born and raised in Tulsa. A graduate from the University of Tulsa’s musical theatre program in 2009, he began his career as an acrobat captain and aerialist for Royal Caribbean Cruises.
He then worked as a swing/assistant dance captain in the Broadway national tours of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” and “Bring It On: The Musical.” Before returning to Tulsa in 2016, Otis studied in the musical theater program at the Boston Conservatory.
Otis has worked with industry heavyweights like Alex Lacamoire, Andy Blankenbuehler, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and even RuPaul Charles (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Season 9, Episode 2). In Tulsa, Otis has collaborated, both onstage and off, with Light Opera Oklahoma, Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa Opera, American Theatre Company, and Tulsa Performing Arts Center (TPAC) Presents.
Additionally, he has served as adjudicator for the Tate and Discovery Awards and as a full-time theatre faculty member at the University of Tulsa. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law School in 2023, he currently (& gleefully) serves as development director for the Tulsa PAC.
When asked how he became the director of “Oklahoma!”? He said, “I serve as director of development at the TPAC and each summer we produce a full-scale musical in-house. This year, the leadership team decided that I was best suited to direct this production of “Oklahoma!”
“Because of my history with the show and my directing and choreographing background, I went to the University of Tulsa for musical theatre and performed as Will Parker at Discoveryland in 2009.”
Another question that was asked was what did he find unique or special about directing “Oklahoma!”? He said, “This is a special show to the Tulsa community because of the subject material and the setting of the story. The musical is still very popular and the story seems to resonate with audiences regardless of when or where it’s produced.”
“And of course, it’s special to be able to direct this production because of the immensely talented cast and production team, but also because of what’s happening around the community right now. The Route 66 centennial being this year has created a lot of opportunities to partner with local organizations, like the Claremore Museum of History, Gathering Place, and Philbrook, to name a few.”
He believes the audience will leave the production with pride.
“I hope audiences seeing this show walk away with a sense of hope for our future. The original production premiered on Broadway in 1943, right in the middle of World War II, and the show served as a beacon of a specific brand of American pride,” said Otis. “My hope is that audiences can relax for two-and-a-half hours and fall into this historical world at the turn of the 20th Century without worrying about anything outside of the theatre. I hope audiences take pride in how professional and polished a local production like this can be and I hope it inspires them to see more live theatre and support local artists.”
Eli Swanson, a graduate from Bartlesville High School and incoming freshman at Oklahoma City University, is one of a host of students in the production.
He will be a swing performer with two other female students. He is a swing for five ensemble tracks in the shows. A swing is similar to an understudy, but they get multiple tracks or perform for multiple people in the show.
When asked if he wanted to continue musical theater as a career, Swanson was definite in his answer.
“I do. I’m going to Oklahoma City University to major in musical theater. I’m really excited to do so. This is just a fun… stepping stone to get further in my future.” He added what his motivation was to pursue musical theater.
“Well, I’ve always done it since I was seven years old. My family put me in, and it’s always been a big part of my life,” said Swanson. “It’s been helpful to me to grow and succeed socially, and also get perspective on how to treat others and to create something bigger than yourselves. So that’s what made me keep going.”
History of the Production
“Oklahoma!” was originally called “Away We Go!” and was produced by the Theater Guild and premiered on March 31,1943. The show was not the high energy chorus line comedy as we know it now, instead it was of a calm and solitary scene. The cultural impact of “Oklahoma!” was it gave the state its identity and gave it a state song “Oklahoma!” in 1953.
In 1956, the actress Shirley Jones who played Laurey, while she was in Tulsa for a premiere on the next day went to Claremore and gave the surrey along with her original dress to a local museum.
One of the popular scenes in the whole production and in the movie is the dream ballet. The reason is because you can really see what is happening through Laurey’s head as she is trying to choose between Curly or Jud. It is so beautiful to see the dancers tell us who Laurey is going to choose without saying anything and just using their bodies and facial expressions.
Aaliyah Harris is a summer intern with the 100 Black Men of Tulsa Entrepreneurship Program and contributing writer for the TCC Connection.
Editor’s Note: Aaliyah Harris, a junior at Edison High School, is an intern with the 100 Black Men of Tulsa summer youth program. As a contributing writer, she wrote two stories. Her other article covered the 100 Black Men of Tulsa Summer Entrepreneurship Program. The job experience assignment pays students an hourly wage for four weeks. She will concurrently enroll in Tulsa Community College and continue her studies in high school in the fall. Her professional goal is to become a musical theatre actress. She is the daughter of David and Arnentha Harris.
