Monday, October 1, 2018

Oklahoma


I played bass trombone in the pit orchestra for Loveland High School's production of OKLAHOMA.  It was in the spring of my junior year, my first year in Loveland after having grown up in Estes Park, and I was beginning to feel like I belonged.  Jack Barkley had the other trombone part primarily because our first chair trombonist was playing Will Parker.  And Will, as any lover of musicals knows, was clumsily courting Ado Annie, played by Claudia White.

Ah.  Claudia White.  She was a sophomore who was a french horn in band and a member of the NFL (National Forensics League) just like me.  Not only that, but she played Nora in A DOLL'S HOUSE in the fall and was, at least to my eyes, wonderful.  She belted out Annie's numbers and stole the show.

It was an impressive show to steal.  Laurie's soprano just soared over everything and everybody and even though Curly was shorter, his teenaged baritone was perfect for the part.  Jud was menacing.  Aunt Eller was strong and loving at the same time.  Even the dream ballet at the end of Act One was a hit.  The show ran for four nights and in that time I committed Rogers and Hammersteins' first musical to memory.

I've seen the musical a lot since then.  I've seen the movie with Gordon McCray (don't know how to spell that) and Shirley Jones several times.  I even went on a double--more like a quadruple--date with Heather McCray in attendance (She was decidedly not with me.).  I've reviewed dinner theater productions of it.

I've seen two Green Mountain productions of OKLAHOMA.  The first was with Darren Chilton (I'm almost positive) as Curly and Samone Wright as Laurie and, if I'm not mistaken, Steve Cogswell as Will.  All great kids.  Kathie and I saw Darren play FDR recently in a Lakewood Civic production of ANNIE.  I remembered his big voice.

Franny was in the chorus in the other GM production.  I remember Lisa Martin was a wonderfully feisty Ado Annie.  The only other thing I remember is Sara Monson dressing up as a cowboy and sneaking into one of the cowboys only songs.  She was such a little scamp.

Yesterday was my most recent encounter with the show.  We have begun a tradition where instead of buying a present, although we still do that, we take Sammi and Brooklyn to the theater on their birthdays and Christmas.  We've been to Boulder Dinner Theater twice to see ANNIE (different production) and THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Great times both.

It was Brooklyn's 12th birthday this time and we decided to take the girls to brunch at Bistro Vendomme and then to the Sunday matinee of OKLAHOMA.  It was going to be an uptown day with Granny and Gramps.

Over beignets and a pate de la maisson that was exceptional, Kathie and I tried to prepare the girls for what they were about to see.

Brief Interjection:  You need to remember that both of these girls have grown up in, to put it mildly, a theatrical family.  Brooklyn has more than one professional gig under her belt.  Sammi's voice would melt your heart.  So, Kathie and I try to expose them to musical theater whenever we can.  We watch old musicals together when they spend the night.  We go to all of their performances, etc.

We explained to them that this show was really the first musical where the songs were simply part of the story.  Previous musicals tended to slip songs in.  Like we're all going to stop now and sing and dance.  OKLAHOMA wasn't like that.

We let them know that where most musicals opened with a big chorus number, this one starts with one cowboy walking across the stage singing "There's a bright golden haze on the meadow . . ."  We explained that Laurie and Curly were in love and you could tell because they like to tease each other.

Prepping all done, we went back to our brunches.  Sammi and Brooklyn had cheeseburgers; Kathie had an omelet; I had the scallops.  It was a wonderful time where we spent an hour at the table talking about school and family and theater.

Afterwards, we walked to DCTC and entered The Stage.  I remember one of the first times we went to The Stage was to see a production of ANDROCLES AND THE LION when Chris and Nate were in grade school.  It was part of the Monday night educational series they used to put on and after the show finished, every one came back out on stage for a question and answer session.  Chris' hand shot up and he asked them how they managed to create such an amazing set with giant sculptures of lions that must have been thirty feet high.  "Styrofoam."  Chris had plenty more questions to keep them busy that night.  I was, and continue to be, so proud.

Our seats were stage right, three rows up.  We had a nifty view of the conductor and were close enough to see spittle fly out of the mouths of chorus members.

But enough of that.  It has been awhile since I've been to a production at DCTC, but I think this was the best musical production I've ever seen in Denver.

When they started promoting the show, the producers made a big deal of the fact that it was an all black cast.  The territory of Oklahoma did in fact have numbers of black only communities and there was even a chance that the whole state would be a haven for black people.  There are even a series of educational posters lining the halls explaining some of this history.

While interesting, I didn't see how having an all black cast (all except Ali Hakim, who was white) made much difference.  Let's face it.  It is hard to inject soul into "People Will Say We're In Love."

I'll tell you what I did notice.  The cast, black, white, whatever, was maybe the strongest I have ever seen.  Every voice was perfect.  Every dancer pulled his weight.  I was even able to forgive the contrived conflict between Curly and Jud and the stupid gizmo with the knife.  Don't ask me to explain.

The main thing about the show is the music.  I don't think there is another first scene in all of theater that has as many show stopping songs as OKLAHOMA.

The set was sparse and colorless just like the land.  Set changes were smooth and almost instantaneous.  And the entire play, including intermission, took two and a half hours.  In other words, a perfect thing to attend with two young theater buffs.

I kept looking over at Brooklyn and Sammi to see if they were having a good time.  Did they laugh at the right times?  Did they look worried at the appropriate moments?  Were they nodding off?  At the end of the show when Ali Hakim, a defeated man, comes back on stage led by his new wife Gertie, Brooklyn's laugh made my day.

Go to OKLAHOMA.  Take your grandchildren.  If you don't have any, rent some.