The Theatre Blog: Preview | OKLAHOMA (UK Tour) First look at the cast!

First pictures have been released of the upcoming OKLAHOMA tour, featuring Gary Wilmot as Ali Hakim, Belinda Lang as Aunt Eller, Ashley Day (The Book Of Mormon) as Curly and Charlotte Wakefield (The Sound Of Music) as Laurey.

Touring the UK after premiering in Northampton, the production visits Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Tuesday 3 - Saturday 7 March. Click here for tickets.

Ashley Day & Charlotte Wakefield

The cast also includes Nic Greenshields as Jud Fry, Lucy May Barker as Ado Annie, James O’Connell as Will Parker, Paul Grunert as Andrew Carnes, Kara Lane as Gertie Cummings, Christopher D Hunt as Cord Elam and Barnaby Thompson as Ike Skidmore.

The ensemble features Simon Anthony, Christina Bennington, Robbie Boyle, Katie Marie-Carter, Lisa Dent, Emilie du Leslay, Ian Gareth-Jones, Hannah Grace, Ross Lee Fowkes, Perry O’Dea, Sasi Strallen and Gabriella Stylianou.

Belinda Lang

Hear our friends at The Milk Bar podcast talk to Gary Wilmot about his upcoming role:

The tour is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh - former Artistic Director of the Birmingham REP. She directed An Ideal Husband at the Chichester Festival Theatre last autumn. Other credits include The Sound of Music at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Love Story in Chichester and the West End, and The Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Ashley Day

Dance numbers are given the Drew McOnie treatment, the highly acclaimed young choreographer's credits include In the Heights for Southwark Playhouse, The Sound of Music and Chicago for Leicester Curve, Soho Cinders at the Soho Theatre, and Dames at Sea and On the 20th Century at the Union Theatre. He recently launched his own theatre dance company, The McOnie Company.

Gary Wilmot

OKLAHOMA!, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was based on the Lynn Riggs play Green Grow the Lilacs and was the first musical written by the duo. It was originally produced on Broadway in 1943 and the Academy Award-winning film was released in 1955. Set in the Oklahoma territory in the early 1900s, the musical tells the story of two sets of star-crossed lovers. Cowboy Curly loves Laurey, Aunt Eller’s niece, but Curly’s rival is the mysterious and dangerous hired hand Jud Fry. Meanwhile, Ado Annie is torn between cowboy Will and peddler Ali Hakim. Their stories are told with the help of some of the best loved songs in musical theatre history, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, I’m Just a Girl Who Cain’t Say No, Surrey With a Fringe on Top, Kansas City, People Will Say We’re in Love and the title song.

Photos by Pamela Raith. Click here for tickets.

SEE THE CAST IN REHEARSAL