This year’s large musical production by The Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma’, based on the play ‘Green Grow the Lilacs’ by Lynn Riggs. Directed by Anita Fillingim, this highspirited musical known for its seamless integration of book, score and dance is concerned with the rivalry between local farmers and cowboys. The show will be presented at the Lamar County Fine Arts Center on March 9 & 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the performaces are $5 for adults and children and may be purchased ahead of time at the Board of Education or at the door. The show is set in Western Indian Territory just after the turn of the 20th Century and follows the on-again-off-again romance of headstrong lovers Curly (Danny Stevens) and Laurey (Tatum Peek), a handsome cowboy and a willful farm girl. Tatum Peek, who made her debut last year as Maria in the ‘Sound of Music’, is featured in solos, ‘Many a New Day’ and ‘Out of My Dreams’ as well as a duet with Curly, ‘People Will Say We’re in Love’. Danny Stevens as Curly is new to the TUAC stage and sings the beautiful opening number ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.’ The supporting cast is led by Chad Thompson as Will and Christen Colwell as Ado Annie. Will has just returned from ‘Kansas City’ where he saw a lot of things he’d never seen before. He’s in love with Ado Annie, but finds Ado Annie with Ali Hakim (Larry Mitcham) the womanizing peddler who likes to flirt with every pretty girl he meets. He sings ‘It’s a Scandal’ where he complains about having to marry a girl because of her father’s shotgun. His fliritng ways catch up with him when he is forced to marry the constantly laughing Gertie (Kirsten Finley). The feisty Aunt Eller is played by Vicki Huckaby. She is a pioneer woman who had to be strong to survive in the wilderness and was not afraid to shoot a gun. The villain in ‘Oklahoma!’ is Jud Fry, a mean, angry, stalking farmhand played by Mark Matson. Mark will be remembered as Captain von Trapp in last year’s ‘Sound of Music’. He joins Curly in singing ‘Poor Jud’ and sings a solo ‘Lonely Room’ which was not in the movie version but was part of the original Broadway play. Andrew Carnes (Steve Brodie), is Ado Annie’s pa and the Judge; Cord Elam (John Cox), the Federal Marshall; Ike Skidmore (Tommy Farr), a farmer of Claremore County; Fred (Justin Kempson) and Slim (Daniel McNelly), are cowboys. Additional members of the cast are Phil Leverett, Bill Woodall, Dawn Gillespie, Patty Morgan, Jennifer Greathouse, Karen Peek, Shannon Cox, Christy Drawdy, Joan Thomas, Sheryl Farr, Deidra Finley, Pat Dodson, Cindy Friar; Rebecca Blount, Sidney Drawdy, Riki Joiner, Anna Lee Whitaker, Katie Thompson, Alana McDuffie, Brittany Price, Jade Shumate, Sarah Jordan, Sarah Brown, James Logan, Luke Haney, Joe Friar, Morgan Eldridge, Jasan Kaun, Lyndsey Webb, Hannah Watson, Rebecca Friar, Natalie Miller, Alyssa Rawls, Aby Gillespie and Hannah Hightower. For more information regarding this show please call 706-647-1605 or 770-358-5891.
Be First to Comment