“Oklahoma!” currently being presented at the MCHS Auditorium

Magnet Cove and Poyen students are in the middle of a short theatrical run of the stage musical “Oklahoma!”, which is being presented at the Magnet Cove High School Auditorium.

The musical was first produced on Broadway in 1943 and is based on a 1931 play titled, “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Lynn Riggs. Set in a 1906 farm country scene in Oklahoma’s Indian Territory, the musical tells of a romantic tug-of-war between farm girl Laurey Williams and two rivals vying for her hand—the man she wants, cowboy Curly Mclain; and the man she fears, farmhand Jud Fry.

Another love triangle plays out between Laurey’s flirtatious friend, Ado Annie Carnes, and two men— her fiance, cowboy Will Parker, who desperately wants to claim Annie for his own; and Persian peddler Ali Hakim, caught in the middle because Annie’s father saw saw the two together and wants to force the peddler’s hand.

“This Oklahoma will be updated to reflect our kids. This isn’t your grandmother’s Oklahoma. While the music and story are the same, the set and the costumes have been updated to reflect the day and age the kids live in,” stated MCHS Band and Music Director, Andy Beck.

Beck is in his 10th year with the district and has directed talented students through productions such as “Lucky Stiff” in 2019, “Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in 2020, and “Clue, the Musical” in 2021.

The schools previously collaborated for a “Magnet Cove Summer Theatre” production of “9 to 5” last July. Beck said the students practiced incessantly for weeks to pull off the fun and lively performance, and their preparation this time is on the same par.

“Everyday since January 10, Poyen students loaded