Kathy and I have just returned from opening night of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma at Racine’s Horlick High School, and we are still smiling from ear to ear, thanks to this wonderful show and the marvelous performance it was given. Adding another layer of fun to the proceedings in the fact that Kathy is a Horlick High School alum – and 31 years ago, she was Aunt Eller on that very same stage. And sitting next to her in the audience was her good friend and classmate Steve Bahr, who was Will Parker in that same production. (He wisecracked tonight that those performances were so long ago, they sang most of the score in Gregorian Chant.) Steve and his wife Kathy drove over from Burlington to join us for supper at Salute’s and then for this performance. . . which we hoped would be enjoyable.
Well, we ended up having the time of our lives! This was one of those performances which worked SO well on two levels. First, there was a lot of talent on that stage and every single major character was superbly cast. But almost more important than all of the individual excellence on that stage was the sweeping sense of fun and energy that permeated every moment of this performance. That’s what really had us at the end of the evening on our feet, cheering. Those students- even the ones who seemed just a bit ill at ease or inexperienced- looked like they were having a ball, and that makes such an enormous difference. (I would much rather attend a performance like that with some imperfections here and there but bursting with heart and sincerity than one which is far more sophisticated and polished but which feels more corporate than anything else.)
A good friend of Kathy’s, Katie Kowbel, is the brand new theater director at Horlick- and it is downright scary that someone as young and relatively inexperienced as Katie could mount as fine a production as this. Of course, she was assisted by some great people, including vocal director Ellen Christiansen, choreographer Amy Falaschi, and conductor Doug Johnson – just to name three that Kathy and I know personally – but the ultimate responsibility was Katie’s and the thrilling results speak for themselves.
I can’t think of a better Feel-Good show than Oklahoma, although the story itself sure has some dark elements to it, including assault and murder. But what irresistible music! When Curly enters the stage singing “O what a Beautiful Morning” it doesn’t matter what cares and woes you walked in with; they evaporate just like that. And there’s a lot more to this show than just the great songs. The dialogue crackles with personality and spirit, and it’s hilariously funny. In fact, again and again I found myself leaning towards Kathy and whispering “was that in your script?” because the dialogue was funnier and more contemporary-sounding than I would have ever expected. (I thought maybe Horlick was using some recent revision. But no, this was by and large exactly the same script from Kathy’s production 31 years ago.)
All night long, the only thing that tempered my joy was the sobering realization that one of my recurrent dreams – to perform the role of Curly – is never going to happen, unless it’s twenty years from now when I sing it in the Shady Pines Retirement Home’s production by their Geriatric Players. (I would probably have to enter the stage using a walker.) The truth is that I haven’t been onstage singing in a broadway musical since high school- but over the years I have toyed with the thought that if the Racine Theater Guild ever decided to mount “Oklahoma,” I would find it very tempting to withdraw as music director in order to audition for the role of Curly. Not that it would exactly be type-casting. I haven’t been on a horse in forty years and haven’t worn cowboy boots since grade school – and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly Mister Rugged – but the music fits me like a glove and I can’t imagine having more fun than singing those amazing songs. Anyway, it was at some point during tonight’s performance as I watched Mike Sandgren light up the stage as Curly – singing beautifully, dancing up a storm, and generally embodying the character of Curly about as perfectly as it could possibly be – that I laid to rest any notion of ever playing Curly on the stage. On the other hand, my wife could sing Aunt Eller now better than ever (that’s the good part of being a mezzo soprano and doing these kind of old lady roles) and to see her in this role again sometime would be such a blast.
Anyway, we walked out of Horlick’s auditorium about as delighted and impressed as we could possibly be, and I know that it did Kathy’s heart good to see her alma mater do such a bang up job with this All-American masterpiece. May this be just the first of many impressive new chapters in the story of Musical Theater at Horlick High School.
pictured above: a moment from the curtain call at the end of the evening. The evening’s Curly is mostly obscured by a little girl in blue, but right next to him (in gray) is Maria Maack, who did a lovely job as Laurie. Towering over her is Byron Nelson, who was a menacing yet somewhat sympathetic Jud. Next to him in a cream top and brown skirt is Brianna Murray, the Aunt Eller, who Kathy got to meet backstage and congratulate on a job very well done. It’s pretty much impossible to see them in this picture, but I also want to mention the superb, hilarious work of Haley Miller (Ado Annie), Matt Sawalski (Will Parker), and David Maack (Ali Hakim), who generated most of the biggest laughs of the night. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a young voice student of mine, Mitchell Procter, who was supposed to just be in the chorus but ended up having to step in for a castmate with strep throat- on less than 24 hours notice- and did great with his spoken and sung lines that he managed to learn in world record time. By the way, there were some darling young children in this cast as well- ably coached by Ashley Mulder – and the African- American youngster in the front row (with the big hat), Izayah Breckenridge, absolutely stole our hearts all night long.
Oklahoma performances continue until April 16th.