Oh, what a beautiful mornin’,Oh, what a beautiful day.I got a beautiful feelin’Ev’erything’s goin’ my way.
It’s a fair guess that few people in the West are unfamiliar with these lyrics, the exuberant opening number of the iconic Broadway musical Oklahoma!.
The musical is this year’s production by Israel’s veteran English-language musical theatre group, LOGON (the Light Opera Group of the Negev).
Written in 1943, Oklahoma! is considered the first American musical of its kind, and the first collaboration of the great musical theater partnership of the 20th century, composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II.
The story is set in the farm country of Oklahoma Territory during the land rush at the turn of the 20th century. It centers on Laurey, a farm girl, and her two suitors, the cowboy Curly and the intimidating ranch hand Jud, against the backdrop of Oklahoma’s impending statehood.
The music of Oklahoma! is a key reason for the show’s lasting popularity. “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love” and the titular “Oklahoma!” are all standards in the American musical repertoire, along with “Oh, what a Beautiful Mornin’,” which “changed the history of musical theater,” according to a 50th anniversary American Heritage 1993 review.
“In all their shows, Rogers and Hammerstein managed to create music that is always very accessible and catchy. This is true of all their music,” said LOGON’s musical director, David Waldmann. “It’s not that it’s naive or simple music – some is quite complex, but it always resonates.”
Story about community
“Oklahoma!” is a show about love, jealousy, and missed opportunities. “It’s also a story about community, which resonates deeply with our audiences,” said the light opera group’s director Yaacov Amsellem.
“It’s not just an upbeat tale about friendly farmers and cowmen. There are some dark moments in the show, particularly involving the character of Jud. Jud is not just the bad guy, he’s a complicated character, with interesting depths – and he’s also a victim of the situation,” said Amsellem, who has directed every LOGON production since The King and I in 2008.
Amsellem is a veteran actor and director of the Negev Theater (Tiatron Otef Hanegev), the professional theater company based in the Eshkol Region, all of whose communities were evacuated in October 2023.
Since then, the ensemble has been giving performances around the country of the original play A Place To Live (Makom Lagur Bo in Hebrew) about their experiences.
LOGON (the acronym far predates the internet age) is the oldest English language theater group in Israel and, besides the Negev Theater, the only one that stages shows around the country.
When Oklahoma! made its Broadway debut in 1943, the United States was in the middle of the horrific campaigns of World War II. The musical’s enthusiastic optimism struck a welcome chord with audiences, which partly explains its enduring success. “Maybe we can inspire a bit of optimism and a bit of escapism in our own dark times,” director Amsellem says hopefully.
There’s another familiar lyric from Oklahoma! that may particularly resonate with local audiences:
We know we belong to the land,
And the land we belong to is grand.
The production is in English with Hebrew subtitles. First performance is in Modi’in March 4 at 7:30, followed by Beersheba, Givatayim, Ra’anana, Netanya, Jerusalem, and Rehovot. For tickets and information, contact: www.negevlightopera.com