‘Oklahoma!’ at SEMO: A vibrant journey through love, dreams and American spirit

A production of the golden age musical “Oklahoma!” by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein will be held Thursday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Nov. 17, at Southeast Missouri State University’s Rust Flexible Theatre on the River Campus.

In a description on SEMO’s website, “Oklahoma!” is “one of the landmarks of the 20th-century American theatre. ‘Oklahoma!’ is also one of the defining events of American culture.”

The musical is set in 1907, the summer before Oklahoma became a state. It follows a group of homesteaders who are just settling into the area and tells its story, which ends up being a love story between two of the characters, cowboy Curly and farm girl Laurey who try to make a life together in the uncharted western America.

Kenneth Stilson — professor and executive director of The Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival and the musical’s director — said this specific musical was picked for many reasons such as relevance, exposure to different types of productions for the students during their time at SEMO and what they believe the audience will enjoy.

“We don’t pick shows for us, we pick shows for the students and for the general public. What’s going to be good for the students, but also what’s going to be popular and what is going to get support from the community,” Stilson said.

This production has 41 cast members, a large number for any production, and might feel larger since the musical will be performed in the smaller theater on campus.

The production will be done differently from many others as there will be a two-piano version instead of the 20-piece orchestra that usually supports this musical. Stilson said there is an intimacy in the way the production will be staged.

While the musical is based in the uncharted west of America, the ages of each character are on the younger side, with the oldest characters in their 30s, making this a youthful production for college-aged actors.

“There’s a lot of things that come with youth. There’s just the vitality, and the energy, and the strengths, and the hardiness and also the intense love. For that matter, you know, the fighting that happens in there. Because when you’re a homesteader, you have to be tough, and yet this show has got such a heart to it as well,” Stilson said.

While all productions have their challenges, Stilson said one of the biggest challenges is to classify what type this one is. It has comedy, tragedy and drama, as well as it being a period piece, making it a monumental musical for the students to learn.

Another challenge is the complex nature of each of the characters in the musical. Each actor must hone in on who they want their character to be for the production, from the way they walk, talk and their little ticks and mannerisms in the show.

“We’re having to create a human being based on nothing but the words that are in front of us. So the challenges are, you know, infinite because you’re not just ... memorizing lines. You’re adding what makes these people tick here to create a human being that has an entire past, in the world that they live in,” Stilson said. “There’s a whole lot of thought put into that. Then there’s the whole creation of the human being, you know, in the way that they walk, the way that they talk, their perspective of the world around them all goes into creating another person. It doesn’t get more complex than this.”

Stilson said his favorite part of the musical is the big group scene where the audience gets the sense of the characters who are so alive and there is a youthful vitality and optimism to it all.

“There’s one scene called ‘The Farmer and the Cowman’. It’s at the beginning of the second act, and it’s a party. That scene, to me, really captures the spirit of these people, so that’s the one that I like the best, but also I like the love story. So I really like the love story, and then I like the vitality and the spirit that you see in the big group scenes,” he said.

When audience members leave the theater, Stilson hopes the musical renews a sense of optimism and patriotism as the show is about hope for a more prominent future.

“There is a sense of optimism and patriotism in the sense that it is, it’s not about politics or government or anything like that, but it’s the founding of a territory becoming a state. So there is a certain amount of patriotism and optimism and in spirit and hope. That as much as anything, it’s about hope and the promise of a better tomorrow. That’s what I hope people leave with,” he said.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.RiverCampus.org.