TPAC Produces: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Williams Theatre
July 24, 2026
For its third foray into in-house professional theatre, TPAC Produces brings a Golden Age classic and regional crowd-pleaser to the Williams Theatre: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, Oklahoma! Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs (the Claremore native whose name and likeness appears on the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center’s black box theater), the story follows a settlement of farmers and cowboys who live on unincorporated, northeast Oklahoma land in 1906. The interpersonal drama that unfolds in their lives complements the larger movements outside of this small settlement, where advancements in urban hotspots like Kansas City and the promise of statehood on the horizon incite a wholesome thrum of hope for what the future holds.
It might seem odd for an Oklahoma-based theatre critic, but I’d never actually seen the state’s namesake musical before. Not being Oklahoma-born, and not having grown up with these songs ringing through my consciousness, Oklahoma!’s frequent, often fervent inclusion into the state zeitgeist has always eluded me. (We don’t sing “Meet Me in St. Louis” during the seventh inning stretch at Cardinals games, you know?) I purchased my ticket both excited to finally see this classic and curious why Okies go so hard for it.
TPAC has gone all out to make this event special for Oklahoma! enthusiasts. With staff decked out in cowboy hats and boots, a pre-show barbecue dinner as an optional add-on (with exclusive access to the original surrey with the fringe on top), and a mini lobby exhibit that features show artifacts and a nod to Lynn Riggs, there’s a lot happening around this production to build it up. My one recommendation would be to include descriptive placards in the exhibit. Talking with some fellow audience members on my walk around the lobby, I heard non-fans and fans alike express confusion about what exactly we were looking at, let alone why it was important enough to be on display.
The pre-show chatter ran the gamut of expectations. One woman said she loves Oklahoma! She was a bit worried about the quality of the show we were about to see, having walked out of a production in the Williams before (I didn’t press to ask which), but felt an obligation to support. Another woman said she last saw the musical decades ago at Discoveryland with indifference. My seat buddy, Wes, was an excited first-timer like me.
Before music director Cathy Venable raised her baton, the production was already surprising me. One unexpected moment fills the visual space right away: the state map projected onto the curtain prominently includes the State of Sequoyah, an unapproved state for Indian Territory that tribal nations proposed in 1905. Also notable: the female lead (Ruby Shadley as Laurey) is the first-billed actor on the program. Both decisions felt rather progressive for a musical that made its Broadway debut in 1943.
But don’t be fooled, this is not the modern, gritty 2019 Broadway revival that stirred up some big feelings when it debuted. In TPAC’s production, director Peter Otis embraces the luxurious indulgence often associated with traditional, feel-good, Golden Age musicals, though with a more relaxed start. A fluttering overture slowly welcomes the audience into the story. About halfway through, the lights slowly illuminate the stage in warm, high-contrast hues that resemble a breathtaking early morning sunrise. All we see on the stage is Aunt Eller (Thesa Loving) slowly churning butter. It’s a deliberately slow but not boring start, a warm welcome into Rodgers and Hammerstein’s world.