MACON – Start the new year with Rodgers and Hammerstein's iconic American classic, as the Mercer University Opera presents Oklahoma!, Jan. 21-23, at The Grand Opera House.
Tickets to the show cost $30 each for the general public and $10 each for Mercer faculty, staff and all students from any school with student I.D. Purchase tickets online at TheGrandMacon.com, or call The Grand's box office at (478) 301-5470.
“I am thrilled that we are able to present Oklahoma! at The Grand Opera House, because there has not been a production of this beloved show there in the past 25 years,” said Martha Malone, director of Mercer University Opera.
Oklahoma! premiered in 1942 and was the first musical by the now legendary Broadway team of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
“They had no idea how the public would react to a Broadway musical about country folks on the frontier, complete with hoedowns and brawling cowboys,” said Malone.
Of course, the show was a huge success, and the beloved story and music has withstood the test of time.
“The music of Richard Rodgers has lost none of its poignancy in the 70-plus years since the Oklahoma! premiere, and I am positive that the audience will be caught up in the energy and beauty of the performance brought by the entire cast and orchestra,” said Rich Kosowski, musical director and associate professor of voice and opera at Mercer.
Mercer's production will have a full cast of Mercer students and community members along with a full orchestra. Oklahoma! is appropriate for ages 12 and up, as the show does include an element of danger and real-life drama.
“We hope everyone will turn out to start the New Year with us in a celebration of song, dance and American-style optimism,” said Malone. “The audience will be swept along with the story and music, and will leave the theatre whistling the title song.”
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, the Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America's most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season's concerts, visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
