Experience a taste of the old American west locally, as Alhambra Theatre & Dining officially began “Oklahoma!,” its second show of the theater’s 2024 season.
The show was the first written by the famous duo Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and the Alhambra did an excellent job in their portrayal of the production.
It is just the latest classic and acclaimed production to make its way through Jacksonville and showcased on the Alhambra stage.
Touted as “the liveliest musical of them all,” the play was full of energetic dances but also had a great mix of parts where the focus was on the acting and things slowed down and got more serious.
Set in the early 1900s, when Oklahoma was still a territory and had not yet become a state, they did an excellent job of establishing the storyline early on so that anyone, even those not familiar with the musical could find themselves entrenched in the aspects of the tale.
Although the most well-known song in the play is Oklahoma, sang by the entire ensemble, there are several other songs throughout that will have you humming and singing at the intermission break and during the car ride home, including “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” and “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.”
Many of the members that make up the cast have performed at Alhambra before, including seven having roles in “Fiddler on the Roof” last year.
Two of the main characters are Curly and Laurey, who are a couple in love and them discovering that love is at the root of the plot.
Curly is played by Alex Blanco, who is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory, while the role of Laurey is played by Isabella Fedele, who is a senior in the musical theatre program at the University of Central Florida as she strives for her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
The combination of talent on stage during the show is amazing, especially with the number of performers who can both sing and act on equal levels, which is so valuable to pulling off a successful musical.
Another one of these is Patti Eyler, who plays Aunt Eller and through the role was able to bring the right mix of wit and sass with her acting portrayal and vocal strength with her singing to the role.
Many in the official opening night crowd stood up and stood up and gave the performers a standing ovation at the end of the show with a loud applause that continued for a while after as the packed house acknowledged their appreciation for the performance in a big way.
“Oklahoma!” will be shown at the Alhambra through March 31. Tickets for the show can be purchased by going to alhambrajax.com.
