Oklahoma!
Based on the play Grew Grow the Lilacs by: Lynn Riggs
Books and Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein
Music by: Richard Rodgers
Directors: Jason & Lauren Morgan
Produced By: Stolen Shakespeare Guild
Audience Rating: PG
Run Time: 2 Hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute Intermission
Accessible Seating: Available with a few steps
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Show: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Comfortable Volume Level
Audio/Visuals to Prepare For: a few gunshot sound effects
Reviewed by Michael Winters
There’s a particular pleasure in watching a familiar musical typically known for being a large show find new life in an intimate space. Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s Oklahoma! delivers that pleasure with an abundant heart. The company’s production leans into intimacy making it more powerful and relevant.
The show opens with a surge of energy the cast sustains throughout. Curly McLain, played by Lar Macklin, possesses a powerful, assured vocal presence. His masculine and joyful voice fills the house without strain. Paired with the sweet operatic style of Laurey, Samantha Snow, the couple’s chemistry is a highlight to the show. They couple looks genuinely smitten, their long, sincere glances across the stage toward the distant horizon paying tribute to classic musical style.
That choice pays off most in “People Will Say We’re in Love,” which unfolds into a beautifully realized duet. Macklin and Snow’s voices, timing, and vulnerability sit in perfect balance making this a highlight of the show.
Ensemble numbers are where this production truly revels. “Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City,” sung by Will Parker, played by Dakota James, bursts with exuberant ensemble work and choreography by Jessica Peterson that reads larger than the theatre’s footprint. The movement throughout is a clear asset which is cleverly staged, spry, and propelling the show without ever feeling fussy.
Ado Annie Carnes, played by Jessica Peterson, is a lovestruck young woman promised to Will Parker if he ever manages to scrape together fifty dollars. Peterson radiates joy, flirtatious and winsome in “I Cain’t Say No!” along with playful physicality that consistently lands. The push‑and‑pull between her and Will is delightfully staged. His pursuit, played with buoyant optimism and crisp comic timing, is utterly charming.
Into that mix steps Ali Hakim, played by Alex Bigus, the traveling salesman whose smarmy humor and slippery charm provide a sly, reliably funny foil to Ado Annie’s flirtations.
Kyle Holt’s Jud Fry brings a darker edge to the show. Holt plays him with simmering intensity feeling angry and dangerous, but also oddly vulnerable so that the audience senses a deep, lonely need beneath the surface. The performance steers clear of caricature, presenting a complex man whose brutality and heartbreak are uncomfortably entwined.
Aunt Eller, played by Lana K. Hoover, provides some of the evening’s most pragmatic and dry humorous moments. Hoover plays her with a smart, solid, weathered, and unshowy persona while trying to keep everyone in line. Hoover’s ability to show warmth while remaining the voice of wisdom is a wonderful addition to the show.
The Act I-closing, "Dream Ballet," which can sometimes drag, was an effective 15 minutes here. Choosing pantomime over flashy dance technique let the sequence translate Laurey’s inner turmoil into clear symbolic images, prioritizing story and psychological meaning. The result is a haunting, fable‑like moment that reads as parable more than spectacle.
Costumes by Nancy Strain and Julia Molina shine most with Aunt Eller and Laurey: Aunt Eller’s outfits tell her story through thoughtful fabric and cut, while Laurey’s clothes reflect her sweetness and quiet strength. Fight Choreography by Libby Hawkins was powerful when executed so close to the audience
The stage design by Jason Morgan was a weathered windmill and a generously appointed front porch that feels lived-in, right down to its scuffed boards. The set’s details invite close inspection; in an intimate theatre where there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, those little touches make the world feel immediate and inhabited.
Under Jason and Lauren Morgan’s direction and a strong cast and technical staff, Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s Oklahoma! sustains a warm, steady energy delivered with affectionate simplicity that fits the smaller stage all while allowing the show’s big heart to beat strong.
Let theatre take you places—it’s worth the ride.
Michael Winters
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