Riverland presents Oh-klahoma!

Published 7:03 am Wednesday, February 10, 2010

When the curtain goes up at the Frank W. Bridges Theatre Friday, audience members will be pulled from Austin’s Eighth Avenue and dropped right onto Broadway.

The Riverland Community College theatre’s production of “Oklahoma!” opens this weekend.

A cast 14-strong, as well as an equal-numbered ensemble, will present the energetic American classic drama musical.

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“It’s such a fun show,” director Jerry Girton said. “This is the show that changed everything in musical theater and brought us to where we are today.”

Oklahoma! is the first collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who went on to compose the music and lyrics of “Carousel,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music.”

The musical is set in a western Native American territory right after the turn of the previous century, where a rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provide a background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a farm girl, play out their love story. Their new life together brings them to the brand new state of — of course — Oklahoma!

The cast includes members of Riverland’s theater department as well as community actors.

Curly is played by Samuel Gustine, of Riverland Community College, and Laurey is played by Stephanie Kasel, a Pacelli senior.

Box office hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.

Oklahoma!

When: Feb. 12-13, 17-20 at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 14, 2 p.m.

Where: Frank W. Bridges Theatre, Riverland Community College

1900 8th Ave. NW

Tickets: $14, available at the Coffee House on Main and at the box office.

Box Office: 433-0595