Oklahoma!

WRITTEN BY: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
PERFORMED AT: Hammondsport High School, Hammondsport
PERFORMED ON: August 1, 2, and 3
DIRECTED BY: Dan Williams
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Becka Thompson
MUSIC DIRECTOR: Bill Grimmer
PRODUCER: Sandra West Williams
PRODUCED BY: Keuka Lake Players
CAST:
* CURLY- Josiah Armstrong
* LAUREY- Amber Marie Payne
* JUD FRY- Greg Fusare
* WILL PARKER- Steve Hovis
* ADO ANNIE CARNES- Kathleen Robinson
* ALI HAKIM- David A. Scott
* AUNT ELLER- Lynn Domras
* ANDREW CARNES- Bob Colomaio
* CORD ELAM- Todd Crayton
* IKE SKIDMORE- Nick Hopkins
* SLIM- Michelle Schaffer
* MIKE- Dalton Colbert
* FRED- Eric Howell
* JOE- Becka Thompson
* GERTIE CUMMINGS- Mollie Lipp
* PIGTAILS- Rachel Armstrong
* FALL DOWN GIRL- Megan Walling
* DREAM LAUREY- Beth Hochuli
* DREAM CURLY- Jared Allen
* DREAM JUD- Tim Welch
WOMEN'S ENSEMBLE:
* Karen Grimmer
* Judy Aho
* Joyce Swackhammer
* Carolyn Hopkins
* Shannon Supernant
* Elizabeth Savage
* Cindy Scott
* Patty Rice
LAUREY'S GIRLS:
* Mary Catherine Colomaio
* Nicole Jimmerson
* Lauren Clark
* Kimberly Camacho
* Kristen Heins
* Courtney Conley
CHILDREN'S ENSEMBLE:
* Ruby Williams
* Clara Miller
* Kylee Miller
* Madelina Gurecki
* Danica Burdick
* Destiny Alderman
* Paxton Suprenant
* Misty Covell
* Theresa Colomaio
* Megan Sermonis
* Lily Hopkins
* Roselynn DeCamp
* Colden Thompson
* Emma Thompson
* Carter Thompson
* Rachel vonHagn

PLOT: In 1906 Oklahoma, the romance between a cowboy (Josiah Armstrong) and a farmer girl (Amber Marie Payne) is challenged by a jealous farmhand (Jud Fry). A musical play, based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play "Green Grow the Lilacs".

HISTORY: Originally tied to a July production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" with ACT, I auditioned for "Oklahoma" (in early June) when the "Arsenic" show dates were changed from July to September/October. Remembering that I'd been playing nothing but silly, goofy characters for over a year, I tried out for the more normal role of Curly. In the end, I was cast in yet another comedic role, this time as Persian peddler Ali Hakim. But since I was now finally in a KLP show, working with many talented people (familiar and new), I opted to make the most of it.
As it turns out, the atmosphere of the production helped to make Ali a more enjoyable character than I'd originally thought possible. My wife Cindy, who'd loved the show since she was a kid, also came into her own as one of the burlesque girls in the dream sequence, as well as a speaking part in the final scene.
The show played to a packed house all three times, with a positive review appearing in the Elmira Star-Gazette newspaper the following week, courtesy of Mike and Rita Moretti. Their editorial submission praised the show for its "impeccable acting and superb singing and dancing".