I am fully aware that it was a musical that was originally performed by adults. I even saw a big-budget touring production of Oklahoma! that came to the Marcus Center some time ago. One would think that I could imagine the play being done by anyone other than high school students. I can’t. The thing is supposed to be a kid’s musical, isn’t it? I’ve seen professional actors perform the show, but I still can’t think of it as anything other than a high school musical.
This coming December, New Berlin’s West Performing Arts Center stages Oklahoma! as it was meant to be seen...whether or not that was the original intention of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It’s a production featuring a cast of actors from the West Theatre Arts Program. WESTAP gives kids in grades 7 - 12 an opportunity to perform in shows at the WPAC. It’s a big, 700-seat state-of-the-art auditorium. This is about as classy as it can get for a show that may not have been intended to be a high school musical when it was originally staged, but certainly works really well as one in the modern era.
The WPAC’s production of Oklahoma! runs Dec. 5 - 7. For more information, visit the West Performing Arts Center online.