Will Laurey and Curly ever make it to the altar? Or will Jud manage to foul things up for them? If you’ve seen even a few musicals, chances are you know the answer to those questions. After all, “Oklahoma!” is probably the best-known American musical there is.
But this month there’s reason to see it again, when Lake Highlands High School brings the production to life in its annual musical drama.
Theater director Abigail Crabtree says LHHS is one of the few high schools that produces a musical every year. “We do it because we’re so well known for them,” she says. “They’re always very well produced, and we usually have about 70 students in them. They’re truly professional quality.”
Producing the musical is a collaboration every step of the way. Choir directors Michael O’Hern and Terry Berrier decide with Crabtree what the students will perform. Lake Highlands resident Jill Rommel is in charge of choreography this year. “And as always, the parents are very important,” Crabtree says. “They’re very involved in the show, as are the theater and choir booster clubs.”
Then, of course, there are the students. This year’s leads include Taylor Williams as Laurey, C.W. Ingram as Will Parker, Ian Oliver as Curly, Blake Blair as Jud, Lila Barnhart as Aunt Eller, Ali Hakem as Brad Bell and Haley Moser as Ado Annie.
With all the talent at LHHS, Crabtree says she had plenty of students to choose from in filling the parts. “I’m so lucky, because the kids are so good here,” she says. “They’re just extremely talented.”
Only time will tell if the cast includes any future Broadway stars. “I think a couple of them hope to do it professionally, and they’ll have pretty good training for it if they do,” says Crabtree. “But really, we do it more because we want to foster the arts in our community.”
She adds that tickets sell out each year, and that’s a good thing. Proceeds from sales go back into the department, allowing them to put on more professional-quality shows.
“The budget for the arts is non-existent,” she says. “Our department is totally self supporting, and this is our main fund-raiser. So we really need the support of the community.”
Oklahoma! will run Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 22-24, at 7:30 p.m. Reserved tickets are $10, general admission is $9, and student prices are available. To purchase tickets, call 469-593-1064 and leave contact information and the number of tickets. Someone will call back to confirm.
