East Kilbride Light Opera Club - Oklahoma

Oklahoma - 1963

Index

History

Oklahoma - Synopsis

cover of programme

It is a story of simple people, living and loving and quarrelling against the background of the birth of a State... Oklahoma. There were two factions — The farmers and the cowboys and they did not live in complete harmony. Curly, a cowboy, loves Laurey, the niece of Aunt Eller, who is a farmer. But Laurey cannot make up her mind — she has a bit of the coquette in her and rather encourages the attentions of Jud, the general factotum of the farm. Jud is loutish fellow with a very shady past and a depraved nature which is evident from the pictures on the wall of his Smoke House. An argument between Curly and Jud as to who takes Laurey to a "box" social ends with guns, but no harm done. It frightens Laurey into the knowledge that she loves Curly, but is in fear of Jud. Her fear is increased by her dream when the ballet dances her fate — a tragic wedding scene in which Jud overthrows Curly, the bridegroom, and carries Laurey off as his prize. She accepts Jud's escort to the "box" social. The "box" is the supper hamper which each girl supplies; these are auctioned to the men who thus win the girl for supper partners. Curly only succeeds in out-bidding Jud for Laurey's hamper by selling all his worldly possessions — saddle, gun, and finally his horse. The magnificence of it brings Laurey to her senses — her fear of Jud vanishes and she orders him off Aunt Eller's farm. She consents to marry Curly and their happiness seems assured. Meanwhile others are falling in and out of love. Ado Annie, who just can't say "No" to any man, has become involved with a pedlar man, Ali Hakim, although she was more or less promised to Will Parker, who returns from Kansas City with loads of presents for her. Her father has a nasty habit of pointing a gun at reluctant suitors and Ali — a real philanderer — finds himself "hooked" by that simple ruse. He manages to slide out of it by helping Will to win Ado Annie back to his side. But in doing so Ali bounces into the arms of Gertie, whose father uses the same gun barrel tactics to better effect than Ado Annie's had done.

Aunt Eller, the moving spirit of the community, gives Laurey a lovely wedding. They are leaving for a honeymoon in the "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top" when Jud comes out of hiding. He is desperate, and goes berserk with a knife for Curly. In a grim fight Jud falls on his own knife, fatally wounded. A Federal Marshal who is present says Curly must give himself up, but Aunt Eller has other ideas. With womanly sagacity she forces old man Carnes, who is the local judge, to hold an improvised Court on the spot. A verdict of "Accidental Death" is given. Curly and Laurey depart in the Surrey to the rousing cheers and strains of "Oklahoma," which has at last emerged as a State with farmers and cowboys united as "friends."

Oklahoma - 1963
by arrangement with Chappell & Co. Ltd

Based on the Play "Green Grow the Lilacs" by Lynn Riggs
Music by Richard Rogers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Production Team
Producer - Jack Tait
Musical Director - Maxwell Griffin L.R.A.M.
Dancing Mistress - Gillean Dickson

Characters in order of appearance
Aunt Eller - Beryl Morris
Curly - William McRuvie
Laurey - Nan Tait
Ike Skidmore - David Miller
Slim - Alistair Currie
Will Parker - John Cannon
Jud Fry - William McGrady
Ado Annie Carnes - Hazel Gunn
Ali Hakim - Angus Henderson
Gertie Cummings - Doris Wemyss
Andrew Carnes - William Menzies
Cord Elam - William Struthers
Aggie "Pigtails" - Jeanette Burns
Dream Ballet:
Laurey - Margaret Hay
Curly - James Jenkins
Jud Fry - David Hughes

Dancers
Misses - Sheila Brown, Jeanette Burns, Susan Burns, May Dickson, Margaret Hay, Isobel Hind, Barbara McElroy, Moira Peirce, Molly Scott, Allison Wallace, Ann Wallace.
Messrs. - Roy Butterworth, John Cannon, James Gillespie, John Hackett, James Jenkins, David Miller, William Struthers.

Ladies of the Chorus
Teresa Boland, Mary Brownlie, Ann Daly, Margaret Griffin, Sheila Henderson, Isobel Hartley, Isa Hornal, Janice Jones, Betty McKay, Margaret McRuvie, Anne McSherrie, Olivia Rae, Elizabeth Rennie, Jeanette Semple, Chrissie Stirling, Ann Struthers, Elizabeth Struthers.

Gentlemen of the Chorus
Roy Butterworth, Norman Carroll, Alistair Currie, James Gillespie, John Hackett, Charles Hoey, David Hughes, James Jenkins, John Johnson, William Keenan, David Miller, William Struthers, David Waters.

Performance Details
4th March - 9th March 1963
Duncanrig Secondary School,
East Kilbride

Synopsis of Scenes

Act I
Scene 1 The Front of Laurey's Farm House.
Scene 2 The Smoke House
Scene 3 A Grove on Laurey's Farm

Act II
Scene 1 The Skidmore Ranch
Scene 2 Skidmore's Kitchen Porch
Scene 3 The Back of Laurey's Farm House

Time — Just after the turn of the century
Place — Indian territory (now Oklahoma)

Musical Synopsis
Act I

Overture
1. "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" - Curly and Aunt Eller
2. Laurey's Entrance - Laurey
3. "The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top" - Curly and Laurey
4. "Kansas City" - Will Parker and Boys
5. Reprise of " The Surrey with the Fringe on The Top " - Curly
6. "I Can't Say No" - Ado Annie
7. Entrance of Ensemble - Will, Ado Annie, Curly and Ensemble
8. "Many a New Day" - Laurey and Girls
9. Dance—"Many a New Day" - Dancers
10. "It's a Scandal ! It's an Outrage !" - Ali Hakim and Boys
11. "People Will Say We're in Love" - Laurey and Curly
12. "Pore Jud is Daid" - Curly and Jud
13. "Lonely Room" - Jud
14 Dream Sequence - Laurey and Girls
(a) Melos
(b) Out of My Dreams
(c) Interlude to Ballet
(d) Dream Ballet

Act II
15. Entracte
16. "The Farmer and the Cowman" - Carnes, Aunt Eller and Ensemble
17. Farmer Dance - Dancers
18. "All Er Nuthin'" - Ado Annie and Will Parker
19. Reprise of "People Will Say We're in Love" - Laurey and Curly
20. "Oklahoma" - Curly and Ensemble
21. Finale Ultimo - Ensemble

Stage Manager - Ken Denton
Hon. Accompanists - Fiona Stewart, A.R.C.M., A.A. King, E.Gray
Lighting - David Roberts
Wardrobe Mistress - Evelyn Stuart
Leader of Orchestra - Jack Nugent
Prompter - Irene Roberts, Jeanette Knott
Make-up - Jean Hamilton