St. John’s School performs ‘Oklahoma!’

Aunt Eller, played by junior Frances Hellums, pours ale for the townspeople. (Photo: Nyla Jennings) 

Radiant lights covered the stage of the VST theatre, courtesy of sophomore lighting manager Jason Souvaliotis. Running a total of four performances, the St. John’s Upper School’s rendition of the 1943 Broadway hit “Okalahoma!” brought back the bucolic romance and scenery of the American Deep South during the early 20th century. 

Due to a large number of student auditions, the main female roles were double-casted. The two casts alternated the four shows. Seniors Kyra Link and Hannah Curtis starred as Laurey Williams, a farm girl caught in a love triangle between cowboy Curly McLain and hired hand Jud Fry (portrayed by seniors John Ballad and Chris Zimmerman, respectively).

Junior Sophie Clayton, who has acted in multiple HITS productions, played Ado Annie Carnes, a young flirtatious woman courting both Will Parker (senior Marcus Manca), a cowboy hopelessly in love with Annie, and Ali Hakim (senior Matthew Brown), a Persian peddler enamored with Annie’s beauty. In preparation for her role, Clayton spent hours researching Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the legendary writing duo that created the original “Oklahoma!”

Choreography was difficult for Upper School dance teacher Victoria Arizpe because many of the male cast members, such as senior cross country runner Joe Faraguna, had never danced before.

“There was a challenge in finding movement that both showed off their athleticism and was at their skill level,” Arizpe said. “I ended up choreographing a lot of athletic, energetic movement.”

“The show was both very hard and very rewarding. At the beginning, the choreography was difficult because it required a balance of technique and athleticism,” Manca said. “It was physically strenuous as well, but once you kept on practicing, it became muscle memory.”

After long hours of practicing, the boys’ dancing talents shined through.

“Even though you could tell that they’d never danced before, it still looked extremely good,” said junior Julia Giordano, who sang in the chorus.

The musical was well-received by audiences. 

“The show was phenomenal. Everyone’s talent shined through,” said junior Matthew Walsh, who attended the Saturday afternoon performance.