June 4 – June 16, 2019 – Tickets on sale now!
Beverly, MA: Bill Hanney’s award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) kicks off the 64th Annual Season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA!, one of the greatest classic musicals of all time, playing for two-weeks only from Tuesday, June 4 thru Sunday, June 16, 2019. OKLAHOMA! is sponsored by Beverly Bank.
“The 2019 Season marks the tenth season since reopening this historic theatre in 2010. I am still just as excited about creating this season as I was for season one.” said Bill Hanney, NSMT owner and producer. “When planning the 2019 Season, I was surprised to discover that Oklahoma! had not been seen on the North Shore Music Theatre stage in more than twenty-five years. Seventy-five years ago, Rodgers and Hammerstein reinvented musical theatre with Oklahoma!, a musical that is a celebration of both the pioneering spirit of settlers building new lives on the frontier and the patriotism surrounding the territory’s impending statehood. It feels like the perfect time to create an all new production of this classic for our signature in-the-round stage.”
When Rodgers and Hammerstein’s masterpiece OKLAHOMA! made its Broadway debut in 1943, it launched a new era in American musical theater — fusing story, song and dance through the stunning choreography of Agnes de Mille. It also began one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in Broadway history. At its heart, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! is a love story between confident cowboy Curly and feisty farmer Laurey. As the road to romance and the road to statehood converge, Curly and Laurey are poised to carve out a life together in a brand-new state. But the road to love is as bumpy and fraught with all the dangers and excitement of the time. The unforgettable score includes: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “I Cain’t Say No!” and the exhilarating title song, “Oklahoma!”
The cast of OKLAHOMA! will be led by Blake Price (Curly McLaine), and Madison Claire Parks (Laurey Williams), along with Sean Bell (Will Parker), Melissa Carlile-Price (Ado Annie Carnes), Sue Cella (Aunt Eller Murphy), Tom Gleadow (Andrew Carnes), Cooper Grodin (Ali Hakim), and Alex Levin (Jud Fry).
The cast of 24 will also include Bella Calafiura, Mary Callanan, Stephen Diaz, Dale Elston, Marjorie Failoni, Katie Griffith, Ricky Lee Loftus, Trevor McChristian,Kevin B. McGlynn, Alaina Mills, Rachel Perlman, Michael Pesko, Laura Sky, Cameron Turner, Scott Whipple, and Jessica White.
The creative team for OKLAHOMA! includes Charles Repole (Director), Mara Newbery Greer (Choreographer), Mark Hartman (Music Director), Kyle Dixon, (Scenic Design), Kelly Baker (Costume Coordination), Jack Mehler (Lighting Design), Daryl Bornstein (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shufelt(Wig and Hair Design), Natalie A. Lynch (Production Stage Manager), Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager), and Robert L. Rucinski (Assistant Music Director). OKLAHOMA! is produced for North Shore Music Theatre by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Matthew Chappell (Associate Producer, Casting Director).
Tickets for OKLAHOMA! are priced starting from $61 – $88. Performances are June 4 thru June 16, Tue – Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.
Additional Free Audience Enrichment events: Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on June 11 after the 7:30 pm performance andJune 15 after the 2 pm performance; OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the LGBTQ+ Community with a post-show reception on June 13 after the 7:30 pm performance. OUT at the North Shore is sponsored by North Shore Pride.
North Shore Music Theatre will continue the 2019 Musical Season with Dinsey’s Freaky Friday (July 10 – July 21), Jersey Boys (August 6 – September 1), Sunset Boulevard (September 24 – October 6), The Bodyguard (October 29 – November 10), and the 29th annual production of A Christmas Carol starring David Coffee (December 6 – December 22).
PRESS CONTACTS:
Elaine Hom | Publicist | (401) 742-0015 | publicity@nsmt.org
Mike Ceceri | Director of Marketing | (978) 232-7200 x7222 | mceceri@nsmt.org
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Since opening in 1955, NSMT has become one of the most attended theatres in New England, with approximately 250,000 patrons annually. With a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, NSMT has received numerous industry awards including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards, the Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors’ Equity, and the Moss Hart Award. NSMT produced the World Premiere of ‘Memphis’ in 2003, the show went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Under the new ownership of Bill Hanney since 2010, NSMT continues to annually produce a musical subscription series and an annual production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ along with celebrity concerts, children’s programming and year-round education classes for children and adults.
