Sing along to Mercer University Opera's 'O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Oklahoma!" at the Grand
"Oh, what a beautiful morning," or in this case evening, to see and hear Mercer University Opera present the classic musical "Oklahoma!"
The show runs Jan. 21-23 at the Grand Opera House.
"Everyone responds to this musical," said Martha Malone, who is directing and producing the show. "The songs are catchy; the songs are beautiful. The music is just exquisite. It's a favorite for a good reason."
The two-act musical is set in Oklahoma territory during the early 1900s and focuses on two love stories as well as the friction between farmers and cowboys.
" 'Oklahoma!' is a work that not only has a lot of fun and lively dancing but it deals with real-life issues. It's dramatic," said Malone, who directs Mercer's opera program. "It shows this community coming together. It's not just boy meets girl, boy wins girl. It's a whole bunch of people dealing with hard things, conflict in the community between the farmers and the cowmen out on the edge of the prairie before Oklahoma was a state."
"Oklahoma!" was the first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and debuted on Broadway in 1943. The musical went on to win numerous awards, including a special Pulitzer Prize.
"The music of Richard Rodgers has lost none of its poignancy in the 70-plus years since the 'Oklahoma!' premiere," said Rich Kosowski, a Mercer music professor who is directing the music for the production. "And I am positive that the audience will be caught up in the energy and beauty of the performance brought by the entire cast and orchestra."
It's been more than 25 years since "Oklahoma!" played at the Grand and more than five years since Mercer presented one of its shows at the historic downtown venue. The show also is a bit of a detour from the Mercer Opera program's usual operatic fare.
"We always do a big full-length production ... and then we do one other production during the year," Malone said. "We decided our students needed a variety of experience to be prepared to work in the professional world. They need to be able to do musical theater and also opera."
The cast and crew includes more than 45 Mercer students and features a full orchestra of students from the Townsend School of Music, the McDuffie Center for Strings and some Mercer faculty. The show's choreographer is Mercer sophomore Joy Mote, costumes are by Shelley Kuhen and the set designer is Patrick Hamilton.
"It's wonderful, wonderful music. That is the biggest draw, and the great characters," Malone said. "It's a very human story and it's got great music in it and a happy ending. It's just infectious."
"Oklahoma!"
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21-23
Where: Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry St.
Cost: $30 for general public; $10 for Mercer University staff and any student with a valid ID.
Information: www.thegrandmacon.com; 478-301-5470
This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Sing along to Mercer University Opera's 'O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Oklahoma!" at the Grand ."