Oklahoma! should also be noted as one of the first Broadway musicals that featured an integration between the music and the plot. It led to a golden age of Broadway musicals and fame for the writing duo.
Oklahoma! Is 81 years old, being brought to the stage in 1943. Coming into the theater it is a play that our group of three hadn’t seen before. I’d seen the film version of the play, the costumer part of our trio had taken the record overseas and memorized its songs, and my artist daughter remembered the film, adding details that I’d forgotten.
Together, last Saturday, we ventured east to see the play, at the Putnam County Playhouse.
The Putnam County Playhouse is located in the college town of Greencastle, Indiana, which is 102 miles, according to Google Maps, from the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Greencastle itself seems like a pretty town, with a healthy downtown.
The theater is located outside of town. Although the entrances to the performance space appear cramped, once inside the performance space there is ample room, comfortable seating, ample air conditioning and good sight lines.
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| The Putnam County Playhouse |
Overall, this is a wonderful venue for community theater. The roughly 200 seat venue drew a near capacity crowd on our Saturday, including nearly every age group. The stage is good sized, which is fortunate seeing as it had to handle a cast of about 23 for some numbers.
This production was directed by Joshua Saul Bain in his first directing effort for the Putnam County Playhouse. His notes include that it was ‘one of the first shows’ he participated in at the theater. And, he notes, ‘it is a fun lighthearted show about courtship and love.’
If you haven’t seen the show or the film, the main story involves Curly McLain courting Laurey Williams while a subplot involves Andrew Carnes courting Ado Annie. A farmhand, Jud Fry also seeks Laurey’s hand, while Ado Annie flirts with a traveling peddler, Ali Hakim and finally Gertie Cummings flirts with Curly.
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| The stage for Oklahoma! |
When Rodgers and Hammerstein produced the Broadway show they sought actors who could act, singing was supposed to be a secondary concern. Grace Buehler, who plays Laurey, and Dustin Bond, who plays Curly, both come off well in both the acting and the singing department. Rachel Holland’s Ado Annie almost steals the show, as well a good sub-plot might, with her flirtatious role. Cameron Wunderlich’s Jud is menacing, though his vocals weren’t as strong as the rest of the cast.
The dance numbers involved some tricky choreography as the stage was nearly at its limit with more than 20 people dancing in two and three sets, long dances and line dances.
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| Grace Buehler (L) plays Laurey. Lacey Ring-Verblik (R) plays Aunt Eller. |
The makeup was appropriate, with Laurey’s being a touch more noticeable. There was a glaring amount of lipstick on one of the minor characters.
And the music was carried by a small live band and it was mostly up for the task.
So, the bottom line: Should you see the show (ends June 15)? Yes. And we came away, not just singing the eponymous tune of the show, but wanting to visit this vibrant community theater again.
Does the show hold up after more than eight decades? Yes. It doesn’t feel dated. Bain’s decision to adhere to the original vision seems appropriate, but doesn’t challenge any of our assumptions. In that way this is a comfortable production to see.
- Oklahoma! Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs.
First performed at the St. James Theatre, New York City, in March 1943.
Putnam County Playhouse,
715 S. CR 100 East, Greencastle, IN 46135. (105 miles from the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts).
Social media:
Tickets: $15.
Directed by Joshua Saul Bain. Music Directed by Kathryn Dory.
Through June 15, 2024.
Photos credit: Putnam County Playhouse
Reviewed by Patrick Boylan
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