'Oklahoma' comes to the stage

By Dean Wong

It's show time as the Ballard High School drama program presents the Rogers and Hammerstein play "Oklahoma" with performances the last two weekends of March.

Last week the cast of 40 was busy rehearsing their lines, working on the songs and their dancing.

Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyrics and Richard Rodgers wrote the music for the famous production. It first opened in 1943 on Broadway and set box office records. The play has won a special Pulitzer Prize.

Josh Johnston is the lead male character as Curly. Lauren Halvorsen plays Laurey.

The play takes place at the turn of the century. Curly is a young ranch hand who falls in love with Laurey. Both are too proud to admit they love each other and Laurey goes to a dance with another boy to spite Curly.

Eventually, Curly duels with character Jud for Laurey's affection resulting in a dramatic ending.

"It's a challenging role with all the singing, it's tiring. The acting is the easy part. Singing takes a toll on you," said Johnson, a senior.

Johnson is not nervous, but admits there is an adrenaline rush and excitement leading to opening night on March 22.

"We are the main love story in the show," said Halvorsen, speaking of her relationship with Curly in the show.

Halvorsen said the character Laurey has a strong personality and the challenge is to get the audience to love her at the same time.

"It's my biggest role. I'm ready for it, I have done so many other shows," said Halvorsen, who is also a senior.

Like other theatre actors, Halvorsen finds performing in front of people is exciting. "I really like performing. The energy the audience gives you is what you work for," she said.

Also playing key roles are Molly Christman as Ado Annie and Nate McVicker as Will Parker.

The drama program does musicals each year. In past productions, the school orchestra played their music backstage out of sight from the audience because there is no orchestra pit in the auditorium.

"It's definitely a lot of fun. The orchestra is a big part of the show. We are out in the house this year and can be seen," said James.

Playing live music during the show is another challenge of doing "Oklahoma." "It's a lot of work. I don't get to relax much during the show. It comes together in the end. It adds an element to the show," said James.

With plenty of music and choreography, "Oklahoma" is one of the big productions in musical theatre.

Some of the cast members are accomplished singers with three to four years experience in the school chorus.

Ballard vocal instructor Chris Mabe is working with the students on their singing and serves as the interface between professional dance choreographer Haley Ostrander and the orchestra director James.

"The pit orchestra is fantastic this year. It's the most beautiful music in the world and we are honored to be doing this," said Mabe.

One of the benefits of doing a large scale musical is being able to include all the students who want to perform.

"We tend to cast every student that auditions. It's one of the few inclusive musical theatre programs in the city, which we are real proud of," said Mabe.

"We practiced with the orchestra last week. They were fabulous," said Drama Teacher Jennifer Delaney.

It's expensive also. The school has to pay $4,000 for the rights to perform the play. The admission price will be higher than past productions.

Kids from Loyal Heights Elementary School attended a rehearsal last week. They are planning their own version of "Oklahoma" in the spring.

For Delaney, the musical brings back memories of her high school days at Ballard. She performed in "Oklahoma" under drama teacher Earl Kelly in 1965. The school auditorium is named after Kelly.

"Oklahoma" is on March 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31 starting at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $12.

Dean Wong may be reached at 783.1244 or dino@robinsonnews.com