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'Oklahoma!' is a treat for Quincy audiences
Rebecca Young/ Post-Register
The "Oklahoma!" cast sings the title number after celebrating Curly and Laurey's wedding.
“Oklahoma!” was a perfect choice for Quincy Valley Allied Arts 10th anniversary musical. A fun story full of great characters and catchy songs, it was obvious that everyone involved in the production was enjoying themselves, making it fun for the audience to watch.
"Oklahoma!" is set in 1906, when the state was still just a territory and focuses on the love story between Curly and Laurey.
Nick Parker opened “Oklahoma!” with a strong rendition of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',” sung as leading man, Curly. His performance was great. Leading lady Laurey was played beautifully by Vonna Harris. She sang exceptionally well, especially during “People Will Say We're in Love.” Her husband, Tom Harris, was very convincing as the dark and sinister Jud Fry and he sang excellently in a rich, deep voice.
The on-stage chemistry between real-life husband and wife Gavin Morse (Will Parker) and Erin Morse (Ado Annie) was terrific. Their characters had some of the funniest lines and songs in the show and they lit up the stage whenever they were on it.
Nancy Connelly's Aunt Eller was full of sass and spunk, keeping the younger folk in line and it seemed like she was having a ball, making her performance really fun to watch.
Paul Slager's role as traveling peddler, Ali Hakim, was also fun to watch and provided many more laughs. Patric Connelly was very convincing playing Ado Annie's rifle-wielding protective father, Andrew Carnes. Holli Bosnar played Laurey's rival, Gertie Cummings, very well, nailing Gertie's signature annoying laugh time after time. Monica Berndt did a nice job as Dream Laurey, on pointe, as did Tim Weber as Dream Curly and Nathan Mead as Dream Jud during their choreographed fight.
Director Eric VanWoert can be proud of a job well done. The entire supporting cast did a great job. They pulled off complex dance numbers seamlessly, and were a credit to Sherri Kooy's choreography. The entire ensemble sounded very impressive during the title number “Oklahoma!,” garnering the biggest applause of the night.
The 15-piece orchestra, led by Mike Silk, really gave the production a big feel, bringing each song to life. It was comprised of a group of very talented musicians.
The production went off without a hitch, other than a minor wireless microphone glitch. “Oklahoma!” was Quincy's community theater at its best, a thoroughly enjoyable production.
