- In |
- On November 24, 2024
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is returning to its original West End home, Theatre Royal Drury Lane this summer to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
Oklahoma! was the first of a post-war wave of Broadway musicals to come to London’s West End and first opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 30 April 1947 to rave reviews and sellout houses. It originally starred Howard Keel and Betty Jane Watson and ran for 1,543 performances. The musical then went on to have West End revivals in 1980 at the Palace Theatre, 1998 at the Lyceum Theatre, and most recently in 2023 at the Wyndham’s Theatre.
Oklahoma! was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration, and features an array of their most loved songs including ‘Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’, ‘The Surrey with the Fringe on Top’, ‘I Can’t Say No’ and of course ‘Oklahoma’.
The concert will be led by Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) as Curly and Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins) as Laurey. They are joined by Christina Bianco (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice) as Ado Annie, Jordan Shaw (Les Misérables) as Will Parker, and five-time Olivier Award nominee and two-time Olivier
Award winner Joanna Riding (Sondheim’s Old Friends and Carousel) as Aunt Eller. Tosh Wanogho- Maud (The Drifters Girl) as Jud Fry, Irvine Iqbal (The Witches) as Ali Hakim, Nicole-Lily Baisden
(Anything Goes) as Gertie, and Sebastien Torkia (Guys & Dolls) as Andrew. The cast is completed by George Beet (Assistant Choreographer), Ashleigh Graham (Assistant Choreographer), David McIntosh, Amonik Melaco, Carrie Willis, David Winters, Jessica Wright and the London Musical Theatre Chorus.
The production is directed and choreographed by OlivierAward–winner Bill Deamer, and features Robert Russell Bennett’s full original 28-piece orchestrations performed by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Ben Glassberg, with sound design by Tom Marshall, set and costume design by Rebecca Brower, lighting design by Tim Deiling, casting by Sarah-Jane Price, production management by Pete Kramer and company stage management by Peter Barnett.
Oklahoma! will play two performances only at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 19 and 20 August 2024.
