RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S “OKLAHOMA!”
TO TOUR THE UK & IRELAND IN 2015
Starring Belinda Lang, Gary Wilmot, Ashley Day, Charlotte Wakefield & Nic Greenshields
Music & Lyrics Limited and Royal & Derngate Northampton present a new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical OKLAHOMA!, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and with new choreography by Drew McOnie, which will tour the UK and Ireland next year, opening at the Derngate Theatre Northampton on 19 February 2015.
From the award-winning producers of the highly successful tours of The King & I and Fiddler on the Roof, this new production of one of the great classic American musicals will feature a large cast and chorus led by Belinda Lang (School for Scandal, Ladies in Lavender, The Killing of Sister George) as Aunt Eller, Gary Wilmot (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Pajama Game, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Ali Hakim, Ashley Day (The Book of Mormon, The Wizard of Oz, High School Musical) as Curly, Charlotte Wakefield (The Sound of Music, MAMMA MIA!, Spring Awakening) as Laurey and Nic Greenshields (Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera) as Jud Fry, accompanied by a live orchestra led by musical director Steve Ridley. Set and costumes will be designed by Francis O’Connor, with lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by Ben Harrison.
Rachel Kavanaugh is former Artistic Director of the Birmingham Rep. She is directing An Ideal Husband at the Chichester Festival Theatre this autumn. Other credits include The Sound of Music at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Love Story in Chichester and the West End, and The Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Drew McOnie’s choreography credits include In the Heights for Southwark Playhouse, The Sound of Music and Chicago for Leicester Curve, Soho Cinders at the Soho Theatre, and Dames at Sea and On the 20th Century at the Union Theatre. He recently launched his own theatre dance company, The McOnie Company.
OKLAHOMA!, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was based on the Lynn Riggs play Green Grow the Lilacs and was the first musical written by the duo. It was originally produced on Broadway in 1943 and the Academy Award-winning film was released in 1955.
Set in the Oklahoma territory in the early 1900s, the musical tells the story of two sets of star-crossed lovers. Cowboy Curly loves Laurey, Aunt Eller’s niece, but Curly’s rival is the mysterious and dangerous hired hand Jud Fry. Meanwhile, Ado Annie is torn between cowboy Will and peddler Ali Hakim. Their stories are told with the help of some of the best loved songs in musical theatre history, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, I’m Just a Girl Who Cain’t Say No, Surrey With a Fringe on Top, Kansas City, People Will Say We’re in Love and the title song.
The Hawth, Crawley 12–16 May 2015
Tickets are available from The Hawth Box Office on 01293 553636 and at www.hawth.co.uk.
www.oklahomatour.co.uk
See rehearsal shots here
Cast
Belinda Lang – Aunt Eller
Gary Wilmot – Ali Hakim
Ashley Day – Curly
Charlotte Wakefield – Laurey (interview here)
Nic Greenshields – Jud Fry
Lucy May Barker – Ado Annie
James O’Connell as Will Parker
Paul Grunert as Andrew Carnes
Kara Lane as Gertie Cummings
Christopher D Hunt as Cord Elam
Barnaby Thompson as Ike Skidmore.
Also in the cast are Simon Anthony, Christina Bennington, Robbie Boyle, Katie Marie-Carter, Lisa Dent, Emilie du Leslay, Ian Gareth-Jones, Hannah Grace, Ross Lee Fowkes, Perry O’Dea, Sasi Strallen and Gabriella Stylianou.
Creatives
Rachel Kavanaugh – Director
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II – Music and Lyrics
Steve Ridley – Musical Director
Drew McOnie – Choregraphy
Francis O’Connor – Set and Costume Design
Tim Mitchell – Lighting Design
Ben Harrison – Sound Design
Full Tour Dates
| 19 – 28 Feb | NORTHAMPTON | Derngate Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 3 – 7 Mar | WOLVERHAMPTON | Grand Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 17 – 21 Mar | SALFORD | The Lowry | BOOK NOW |
| 24 – 28 Mar | DUBLIN | Bord Gais Energy Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 14 – 18 Apr | BRADFORD | Alhambra Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 21 – 25 Apr | EDINBURGH | Festival Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 28 Apr – 2 May | NOTTINGHAM | Theatre Royal | BOOK NOW |
| 5 – 9 May | SOUTHAMPTON | The Mayflower Theatre | BOOK NOW |
12 – 16 May |
CRAWLEY |
The Hawth |
BOOK NOW |
| 19 – 23 May | BATH | Theatre Royal | on sale soon |
| 26 – 30 May | TRURO | Hall for Cornwall | on sale soon |
| 2 – 6 Jun | CHELTENHAM | Everyman Theatre | on sale soon |
16 – 20 Jun |
CANTERBURY |
The Marlowe Theatre |
BOOK NOW |
| 23 – 27 Jun | NEWCASTLE | Theatre Royal | BOOK NOW |
| 30 Jun – 4 Jul | BIRMINGHAM | Hippodrome | BOOK NOW |
| 14 Jul – 18 Jul | BRISTOL | Hippodrome | 0844 871 3012 |
| 21 Jul – 1 Aug | SHEFFIELD | Lyceum Theatre | 0114 249 6000 |
| 4 Aug – 8 Aug | HIGH WYCOME |
Wycome Swan | 01494 512 000 |
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