Oklahoma! and The Will Rogers Follies entertain Tulsa in August

Theatre Tulsa brings both Oklahoma!, the musical that gave us the state’s song, and The Will Rogers Follies to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in August.

Oklahoma! was the first collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. It remains, in many ways, their most innovative. It was one of the first Broadway musicals to fully integrate song-and-dance numbers — including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, People Will Say We’re In Love and the rip-roaring Oklahoma! — into the story.

Set in Indian Territory just after the turn of the 20th century, the high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background against which Curly (Sam Briggs), a handsome cowboy, tries to win the heart of Laurey (Ruby Shadley), a winsome farm girl. With these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, their courtship is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, but the appeal of a brand-new life together in a brand-new state proves irresistible.

Performances of Oklahoma! are August 12-14, August 25, and September 1-4.

 The Will Rogers Follies tells the story of Oklahoma native Will Rogers, a multimedia star like no other before or since. A cowboy with a folksy sense of humor and mad rope-trick skills, he found success as a vaudeville performer, newspaper columnist, radio host and stage and screen actor. He was the leading political wit and highest paid Hollywood movie star of his time.

Rogers’ amazing life is presented in a series of Ziegfeld Follies-style song-and-dance numbers. With a book by Peter Stone, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the show won six 1991 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Mitch Adams and Cathy Rose star as Will and Betty Rogers in this production.

Performances of The Will Rogers Follies are August 19-21 and 26-27, and September 2 and 3.

Both of these Theatre Tulsa productions will be in the John H. Williams Theater in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $32 for each of the performances, with discounts for seniors and students, and may be purchased online at www.MyTicketOffice.com, by phone at (918) 596-7111 or in person at the TPAC box-office, 101 E. Third Street, in downtown Tulsa.

The Gayly – August 5, 2016 @ 12:10 p.m.