STANWOOD – It was a good sign – a beautiful day ushering in opening night of the Northwest Civic Light Opera’s production of “Oklahoma!”
The curtain rose, and Curley burst on stage, filling the Stanwood High School Performing Arts Center with, “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day ….” It was perfect.
The Northwest Civic Light Opera production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s first collaboration features a youthful, exuberant cast anchored by several seasoned veterans, resulting in a dynamic first outing for a brand new theatre group.
I was astounded to learn that two of the leading ladies are high-school students. Damara Hadzanga, 17, who stars as Laurey, Curley’s love interest, is poised and vibrant and possesses a soaring voice.
Equally good and musically gifted is Sara Edmonds, a Mount Vernon student, as the ditzy Ado Annie.
Add the outstanding performances of veteran performers Chris Graves as Curley, Harold Page as Ado Annie’s country bumpkin father, Andrew, and Dianne Goddard as the irascible, totally lovable and feisty Aunt Eller, and the ensemble performance couldn’t be better.
The opening night audience loved the show, applauding every song with enthusiasm.
Though set in Oklahoma in the early 1900’s, both the story and the dialogue are, as Hammerstein later wrote in “South Pacific,” “as corny as Kansas in August.”
Men place wagers for lunch baskets created by the ladies, as well as for their company at the picnic, while love blooms among cowboys, farm hands and giggling girls.
Laurey, a blond farm girl, and Curley, a tall, dark, studly cowboy, enjoy verbal sparring as they dance around their attraction for one another.
Also vying for Laurey’s affection is Jud Fry (Kurt Niemeyer), a dark, dirty and extremely creepy farmhand.
The other romance involves Laurey’s friend Ado Annie, the girl “who can’t say no”.
Torn between a handsome, though equally mentally challenged cowboy named Will Parker, (energetically played by Cody Glad) and the traveling salesman Ali Hakim (the talented and funny Ryan Edwards), her choice of a man is “whichever one she’s with!”
As Curley, Chris Graves wears his cowboy hat and role with ease. Though he’s every lady’s delight, he only has eyes for Laurey. Hoping to deter Jud from pursuing her, he paints Jud a musical picture about how missed Jud would be if he were dead in the song “Poor Jud is Daid.”
The scene is hilarious, and Graves and Niemeyer are wonderful.
The cast, particularly the gents, danced a bit stiffly opening night, with the exception of Paul Flanagan who is a standout. His leaps, physicality and exuberance light up the stage and were further displayed in a brief ballet at the end of Act One with Stacy Lazanis.
Robert MacNeal and Brenda Mueller direct this production, which is backed by an accomplished orchestra.
“Oklahoma!” is a winner for the whole family. The only problem is that when the show ends, the music lingers on and on.
“Oklahoma where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains…”
“Oklahoma!”: A Northwest Civic Light Opera production at the Stanwood Performing Arts Center at Stanwood High School, 7400 272nd St. NW, Stanwood. Performances at 7 p.m. Friday-Sunday, 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, 7 p.m. July 2-3. Tickets, $8 to $15, 360-629-4721 and at the door. Information, www.nwciviclightopera.org.
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