Broadway comes to Cork - Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma, Directed by Kevin Hough, RTE

08 April 2010

Briery Gap, Macroom, Co Cork 10th - 18th April 2010 

Broadway is coming to Cork this Friday at The Briery Gap Theatre in Macroom, with a production of Oklahoma!, the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.  The Cork production, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Theatre is directed by one of Ireland's leading theatrical figures, Kevin Hough. 

Kevin, who many people will know through his extensive work on RTE, with such programmes as "The Lyrics Board" and "The Late Late Show" has also toured extensively in America and Canada and of course in all the major theatres around the country including the Abbey, Gaiety, the Waterfront in Belfast and is looking forward to the Cork production of Oklahoma!

Kevin stated, "Ann Buckley and the team at the Briery Gap have assembled such a fine cast that pays homage to one of the most important musicals that graced Broadway stage and Hollywood Screens. It's refreshing to see such a talented group of people and Cork theatre goers are in for a great treat. We have had a lot of fun putting everything together and are looking forward to many sell out nights and matinees as I understand bookings are going extremely well."

Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain (Ben Meany) and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams (Kelly-Ann Healy).  A secondary romance concerns flirtatious Ado Annie (Georgina Healy) and her long-suffering fiancé Will Parker (Patrick Cregan).

The production premiers this Friday, 9th April at 8pm and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday up until the 18th April.  There will also be Matinees on Sunday 11th and 18th April at 3pm.  Tickets are on sale at €18 each (€15 with concessions) with Matinees at just €15 (€10 with concessions).  For further information or ticket sales contact The Briery Gap Ticket Office on (026) 41793 or email brierygapbo@eircom.net.

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Notes to EditorHistory of Oklahoma!The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943.  It was a box-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an Academy Award-winning 1955 film adaptation. 

This musical, building on the innovations of the earlier Show Boat, epitomized the development of the "book musical", a musical play where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, that is able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter.  In addition, Oklahoma! features musical themes, or motifs, that recur throughout the work to connect the music and story more closely than any musical ever had before.  A special Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for Oklahoma! in the category of "Special Awards and Citations - Letters" in 1944.