Oklahoma!

Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s classic Oklahoma! is quite possibly the most performed musical in the history of the genre. From Broadway revivals to amateur and high school productions, the show is dependable, familiar, and above all, popular. Who among us doesn’t immediately recognize the melodies of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "Surrey with the Fringe on Top," or the title tune, "Oklahoma!"

However, it was the very familiarity of the show that has compelled Bolingbrook’s Theatre-on-the-Hill to break away from conventions and offer a new way to enjoy this classic piece of entertainment.

This summer’s production dispenses with the pretensions of full orchestration, and instead uses the sounds of instruments that would actually have been used during the period just before Oklahoma admitted into statehood.

Co-producers Craig Engel and Michael Fudala are doing a version of the show using acoustic instruments in the style of a bluegrass or folk band, to reflect sounds that would be more appropriate of the era, circa turn-of-the-century 1900s: fiddle, banjo, guitar, upright bass, and percussion. The result is a new sound that is a revelation, and an exciting twist on the classic songs. Lorrisa Julianus directs.