Roswell students go to Oklahoma!

  • 2017-02-22
The musical theater department of Roswell High School will soon bring the classic ‘Oklahoma!’ to its stage.

There are 30 students in the production, which also features a live orchestra. The show will be the school's entry as it looks to compete for the Shuler Award.

Oklahoma! is probably familiar to most people, either through a stage production or one of its several movie versions. The story is set in the Oklahoma Territory in 1906, where farmers and ranchers clash over the use of the land. In a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ twist, the cowboy Curly falls in love with farm girl Laurey. However, Laurey is also pursued by Jud, an unstable farm hand who develops an obsession with her and eventually threatens her life.

The musical opened on Broadway in 1943 and ran for a record 2,212 performances. It is often credited as being one of the two groundbreaking shows (‘Show Boat’ being the other) where the songs are integral to the plot, rather than being interludes in the story. The film appeared in 1956.

The Shuler Awards are modeled after Broadway's Tonys, and are given to outstanding high schools in Georgia for their musical theater achievements.

The show runs March 16, 17, and 18 at 7:00 pm, and on March 19 at 3:00 pm, at the Roswell High auditorium.

Productions like this can benefit if producers work with a poster printing company, which can create a colorful placard to advertise the show.