Oklahoma: Beloved musical moves onto MJC stage

Oh, come on. You know the words. One, two, three, "Oooooooooklahoma where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains ..."

The Modesto Junior College department of theater, music and dance will present the classic slice of musical Americana known as "Oklahoma!" starting March 20.

The well-known and much-loved piece by Broadway legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II features some of the best-known numbers in musical history, including "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "People Will Say We're in Love" and the title song, "Oklahoma!"

Set in the early part of the 20th century when Oklahoma still was American Indian territory, the story follows the romance between cowboy

Curly McLain and farm girl Laurey Williams.

The cast includes Lindsay Pearce as Laurey, Keaton Williams as Curly, Joseph Hamilton as Jud, Chris Hamby as Will and Emily Kay Shrader as Ado Annie.

Directed by Michael Lynch with musical direction by Cherrie Llewellyn and choreography by Lori Bryhni, the all-singing, all-dancing spectacular features a cast of 39, as well as elaborate sets and costumed numbers.

The selection of "Oklahoma!" is a nice bit of symmetry for the drama department. Fifty years ago, when its original auditorium opened, it was MJC's first production. Now it will be part of the inaugural year of the newly renovated MJC theater.

The large cast and big dance numbers present an interesting challenge to director Lynch and his musical director and choreographer. The musical features 15 numbers, almost all of them with dance components, and the entire cast of 39 is on stage for two of them.

"You think 'Oklahoma!' is very simple, but it's not simple at all," he said. "There are a lot of dances, the music is complicated. Plus everyone has an image of the old movie that everyone has seen a hundred times. So we tried to put a little darker quality in the musical."

To wit, the character of Jud, who is the musical's central antagonist, has been painted with more shades of gray instead of the black-and-white villain presented in the original.

Even the famed surrey, from the number "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," seen on stage has its own backstory. Director Lynch happened across it sitting in the driveway of a house in Escalon while out scouting for farm equipment to use on stage. He asked the owner, who agreed to lend the carriage to the production for free.

Lynch said he hopes the energy of the production will translate to the audience for a fun night for all involved.

"It's complicated but fun," he said. "It's like we have a three-ring circus going on up there."

This story was originally published March 12, 2009 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Oklahoma: Beloved musical moves onto MJC stage."