Full casting for Oklahoma! announced

The full West End cast for Oklahoma! has been revealed. It will open at the Wyndham's Theatre on 28 February 2023, with previews from 16 February, and run until 2 September 2023.

Reprising their roles in the West End after appearing at the Young Vic are Raphael Bushay (Mike), Arthur Darvill (Curly McLain), James Patrick Davis (Will Parker), Stavros Demetraki (Ali Hakim), Greg Hicks (Andrew Carnes), Rebekah Hinds (Gertie Cummings), Anoushka Lucas (Laurey Williams), Marie-Astrid Mence (Lead Dancer), Liza Sadovy (Aunt Eller) and Patrick Vaill (Jud Fry).

Also joining the lead cast are Georgina Onuorah (Ado Annie) and Phillip Olagoke (Cord Elam), with Andrew Berlin, Arthur Boan, Shani Cantor, Anna-Maria de Freitas, George Maddison, Brianna Ogunbawo, Finlay Paul and Helen K Wint completing the company.

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Initial casting announced for West End transfer of Oklahoma!

Initial casting has been announced for West End transfer of Oklahoma! which had a sell-out run at the Young Vic earlier this year.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical  includes the numbers  "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'", "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and, of course, "Oklahoma", It is reimagined in Daniel Fish's Tony Award-winning Fish's revival for the 21st century telling the story of "a community banding together against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America." The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' play Green Grow the Lilacs.

Reprising their roles in the West End after appearing at the Young Vic are Raphael Bushay (Mike), Arthur Darvill (Curly McLain), James Patrick Davis (Will Parker), Stavros Demetraki (Ali Hakim), Greg Hicks (Andrew Carnes), Rebekah Hinds (Gertie Cummings), Anoushka Lucas (Laurey Williams), Marie-Astrid Mence (Lead Dancer), Liza Sadovy (Aunt Eller) and Patrick Vaill (Jud Fry).

Further casting for the show, which runs at the Wyndham's Theatre from 16 February (with an opening night on 28 February) until 2 September 2023, is to be announced. Tickets are now on sale.

The show has orchestrations, arrangements and co-music supervision by Daniel Kluger, while the creative team will include choreographer John Heginbotham, scenic designers Lael Jellinek and Grace Laubacher, costume designer Terese Wadden, lighting designer Scott Zielinski, sound designer Drew Levy, projection designer Joshua Thorson and co-music supervision and additional vocal arrangements by Nathan Koci.

 

Cast announced for John Wilson Orchestra Oklahoma! at the BBC Proms:

A star studded cast has today been revealed for the BBC Proms performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Friday 11 August, 2:00pm & 7:30pm - Royal Albert Hall, London).

  

Actress Belinda Lang takes up the role of Aunt Eller and is joined by musical theatre stars Nathaniel Hackmann as Curly, Robert Fairchild/ Will Parker, Scarlet Strallen as Laurey with  David Seadon-Young/Jud Fry , Lizzy Connolly/Ado Annie  and comedian Marcus Brigstocke as Ali Hakim together with a supporting cast of the west end’s leading singers and dancers including Ensemble step outs:Andrew Carnes - Clive Carter (from vocal ensemble) Gertie Cummings - Melle Stewart (from female vocal ensemble)Ike Skidmore - Emmanuel Kojo (from vocal ensemble)Cord Elam - James Leece (from dance ensemble)

 Oklahoma! was the first musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1943 and is based on Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow the Lilacs. It includes classic hits such as Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, People Will Say We’re in Love and the title tune, Oklahoma.

The semi-staged production is masterminded by stage director Rachel Kavanaugh and choreographer Alastair David, accompanied by conductor John Wilson and the John Wilson Orchestra. This year marks ten years since John Wilson first performed at the BBC Proms and eight years since the John Wilson Orchestra made its Proms debut. His much-loved appearances with the John Wilson Orchestra at the festival continue to grow in ambition, with this production being no exception.  The show will be Broadcast  live on BBC Radio 3 and televised on BBC Four the same evening.

New tour of Oklahoma! starring Belinda Lang and Gary Wilmot

A new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! is to  tour the UK and Ireland next year, opening at the Derngate Theatre in Northampton on 19th February 2015 and currently ending at the Wyombe Swan in August.

It will be Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh (The Sound of Music at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park and Love Story, which ran in both Chichester and the West End) with new choreography by Drew McOnie (In the Heights at Southwark Playhouse) , musical direction from Steve Ridley, set and costume design by Francis O'Connor, lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by Ben Harrison.

It features a cast of 20 and a live orchestra and will star Belinda Lang (School for Scandal, Ladies in Lavender) as Aunt Eller, Gary Wilmot (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Pajama Game) as Ali Hakim, Ashley Day (The Book of Mormon, The Wizard of Oz) as Curly, Charlotte Wakefield (The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!) as Laurey and Nic Greenshields (Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot) as Jud Fry.

It was revived at the National Theatre in 1998 where it ran for 2 years starring  Hugh Jackman and Maureen Lipman.

Oklahoma! tells the story of two sets of star-crossed lovers: cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams ans cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie. in Oklahoma territory in the early 1900s. It features the classic numbers Oh What a Beautiful mornin', The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, People Will Say We're in Love and of course Oklahoma
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Oklahoma! Tour heading for Italy

Marti Webb, Mark Evans and the rest of the touring cast of Oklahoma! the musical  have been given a good finishing gig by the producers.  The final date of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic is in Trieste in Italy from 24th - 28th November.

This has been a really successful tour with great reviews so I hope there are plans to re-mount the production again next year. 

Proms Concerts Dedicated to Sondheim and Rodgers & Hammerstein

Musical theatre will be strongly represented at this year’s BBC Proms, with one concert featuring the work of Stephen Sondheim and another the work of Rodgers & Hammerstein.

The Sondheim prom will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on July 31st. Stephen Sondheim is due to attend saying “Obviously I’m flattered and honoured. More important, I’m excited because I’ve never been to a prom. I visit London a lot, but seldom during the prom season.”

The Sondheim prom will feature the BBC Concert Orchestra but more details are yet to be disclosed by the BBC. The official launch of the 2010 BBC Proms takes place next week.

At the same time details of the Rodgers & Hammerstein concert on 22nd August will be announced. It is understood to feature arrangements from films including Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Carousel and South Pacific, with musical theatre performers singing with the John Wilson Orchestra (who appeared last year as part of a show celebrating the music of MGM musicals.)

Oklahoma! UK Tour Dates

A new tour of Oklahoma! starring Marti Webb kicks off at the New Theatre Cardiff on 6th April and then performs at venues up and down the country until it finishes at the Millennium Forum  in Derry on 20th November.

The story is set in times of conflict between farmers and cattlemen, and tells the tale of farm girl Laurey and the two rivals for her affections: the cowboy Curly and  sinister farm hand Jud.

It includes the classic numbers Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' , Surrey with The Fringe on Top, People Will Say We're in Love, I Cain't Say No and Oklahoma.

The show stars Marti Webb as Aunt Eller and Mark Evans (runner up in the BBC’s Eurovision Song search “Your Country Needs You”) as Curly.