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Fall 2014-2015 Volume 2, Issue 3

CALIFORNIA REGIONAL THEATRE NEWSLETTER

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Broken things are never as beautiful as those things which are whole and healthy. The characters in Oklahoma! are in the midst of learning this truth when we watch this musical. Up until now, they have survived on a “watch out for what’s yours” kind of mentality, but now, with statehood fast approaching, they discover that real strength will be found in banding together as one. Finding their identity not in what divides them, but in their common spirit and desire to prosper. This community spirit is celebrated in Oklahoma! as the AMERICAN SPIRIT.

As a nation, we need to be reminded of the truths that Oscar Hammerstein, and Lynn Riggs before him, wrote into this show. “The world is full of trouble and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly.” When we realize that seeing your “enemy” (whether he be farmer, cowman, rich, poor, educated, liberal, conservative, religious, or not) as a friend and brother, rather than someone to always be fighting—that is when our nation will truly be America the Beautiful.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs…………………………………………..2

Oklahoma Vocabulary and Accents..2

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II Adaptation…………..3

Rogers and Hammerstein Shows..….3

Celebrating American Musicals...…..4

Original Broadway Production.……...4

The Dream Ballet .………………………..5

Jud Fry…………………………...…………..5

Statehood………….………………………...6

Louisiana Purchase and the Oklahoma Territory……………………...6

Dramaturg’s Note…………………………7

You Might Also Enjoy…………………...8

Oklahoma Indian Word Search..…...9

Theatre Etiquette for Children……..10

About California Regional Theatre..11

OKLAHOMA!

“I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn't write anything without hope in it.” Oscar Hammerstein II

Proceeds from this production go to support our local chapter of The American Red Cross!

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GREEN GROW THE LILACS BY LYNN RIGGS

The Title for Green Grow the Lilacs

The “American ballad tells the story of an American soldier's love

for a Mexican lass...One story of the songs’ origin speculates that

Cowboys in South Texas loved to sing the song. Across the way,

Mexicans, who could not understand the words, could only hear

‘GREEN GROW’. So white Americans became known as ‘Gringo’

by the Mexicans. ”

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BCNSeDOqKw>

The Author of Green Grow the Lilacs

Lynn Riggs (1899-1954) was born in the Oklahoma Territory

before it became a state in 1907. He has been the most successful

playwright to write a play about his home state. Riggs used many

of the popular country songs of his day in his show, including the

song that gave the play its title, “Green Grow the Lilacs”. The

Theatre Guild, who had asked Riggs to write the play, later asked

Rogers and Hammerstein to partner up and create a new version

with original songs.

OKLAHOMA VOCABULARY

AND ACCENTS

Dropping of the verb “are”. (“They

gonna leave today.”)

Use of a…-in (a-hootin’ and a-

hollerin’)

The use of like to, meaning nearly

(“I like to had a heart attack.”)

Using the simple past infinitive

rather than present perfect infinitive

(“I like to had”)

Using “yonder” (“They done

gathered a mess of raspberries in

them woods down yonder.”)

Using “Ya’ll” for a group of people.

The possessive form is y’all’s (I’ve

got y’all’s assignments here.)

“Some of y’all.” Vs “All ya’ll.”

Use of done between the subject

and the verb. (“I done told you

before.”)

Use of done instead of did. (“I only

done what you told me.”)

Use of past tense rather than present

tense. (“I seen her first.”)

Double pass tense (drownded,

knowed, choosed)

Use of was in place of were (You

was sittin’ on that chair.)

Use of been instead of have been.

(“I been livin’ here darn near my

whole life.”)

Preservation of older English me,

him, etc (“I’m fixin’ to paint me a

picture.” “He’s gonna catch him a

big one.”)

Use of this here. (“This here’s mine

and that there is yours.”)

Use of a-fixin’ to or just fixing to to

indicate immediate future. (“He’s

fixin’ to eat.” “They’re fixing to go

for a ride.”)

"Southern American English." 2014. Wikipedia. Web. October

2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Southern_American_English >. Taylor, Barry. "Green Grow the Lilacs." n.d. Web. October 2014. <http://www.contemplator.com/america/lilacs.html>.

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In a letter to the drama editor of the New York Times,

Hammerstein wrote, “Mr. Riggs’ play is the wellspring of almost

all that is good in Oklahoma! I kept many of the lines of the

original play … for the simple reason that they could not be

improved on – at any rate, not by me.”

The show, though usually considered a play, was more like

a musical because Riggs included many songs that struck him as

being the bast way to convey the feeling of his youth in

Oklahoma. There were 12 songs (including some reprises)

performed in the show. One of the songs was “Whoopee Ti Yi Yo,

Get Along Little Doggie”.

“In transforming Green Grow the Lilacs into Oklahoma!,

Rogers and Hammerstein took many liberties with the musical-

comedy tradition. There was no opening chorus sung by a bevy of

leggy chorines. Instead, the show opened with a lone figure

singing, ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’. Furthermore the villain,

Jud, was a truly menacing figure, not just a two dimensional

moustache twirler. Another change was that Jud is killed at the

end, an uncommon occurrence in musical comedy.

“Oklahoma…was somewhat unique in that it dealt with

three dimensional characters in an American locale. Most

musicals at the time still featured the operetta conventions of

exaggerated lovers in exotic locales.”

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein the II were men

who believed in “integrated musicals”. Though they weren’t the

first to try it (Show Boat was a previous attempt), they were the

pioneers who were able to bring it to the level of commercial

success. Why? What was so interesting about these integrated

musicals? They were more concerned with the narrative and the

message than with the spectacle and old stage conventions. Oscar

Hammerstein, especially was deeply tolerant in his political views

and this impacted the stories he

told.

Richard Rogers (left) and Oscar

Hammerstein II (right)

Bloom, Ken. Broadway: An Encyclopeidic Guide to the

History, People, and Places of Times Square. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1991. Book.

RICHARD ROGERS AND OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II ADAPTATION

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ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN SHOWS

1943-1948 Oklahoma!

1945-1947 Carousel

1945 State Fair (Film)

1947 Allegro

1949-1954 South Pacific

1951-1954 The King and I

1953 Pipe Dream

1955 Oklahoma! (Film)

1956 Carousel (Film)

1956 The King and I (Film)

March 31, 1957 Cinderella

(TV)

1958 Cinderella (Stage)

1958-1960 Flower Drum

Song

1958 South Pacific (Film)

1959–1963 The Sound of

Music

1961 Flower Drum Song

(Film)

1962 State Fair (remake)

1965 Cinderella (remake)

1993 A Grand Night for

Singing (Revue)

1996 State Fair (Stage)

1997 Cinderella (remake)

1999 The King and I

(Animated Film)

2001 South Pacific (TV)

2002 Flower Drum Song

(Revival with

revisions)

2013 Cinderella (Stage)

2013 The Sound of Music

(TV)

playbillvault.com 3

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Agnes de Mille was born in Harlem and raised in Hollywood.

Though she came from a family of stage and screen artists, and

danced with several celebrated ballet companies, it wasn’t until she

began dancing and choreographing for “cowboys and pioneers,

horses and hoedowns,” that de Mille found her “territory”. She

wanted to create a dance piece in the show that “supported the

storyline instead of merely entertaining’. The dance was originally

entitled, “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind”, and de Mille focused on

developing a ballet that was accessible and very human, infused

with humor and truth.

The New York Times critic who saw the musical when it opened

wrote about the ballet sequence: “It actually carries forward the

plot and justifies the most tenuous psychological point in the play,

namely, why Laurey, who is obviously in love with Curley, finds

herself unable to resist going to the dance with the repugnant Jud.

Many a somber problem play has … failed to illuminate it half so

clearly after several hours of grim dialogue. Yet this is a ‘dance

number’ in a ‘musical show’!” De Mille’s work in Oklahoma! would

define American dance for decades, catapulting her to the top of

her field as the most famous and influential choreographer of her

time.

De Mille believed that the ballet was essential to the audience’s

understanding of the characters because it conveyed emotions that

words could not. And the audience agreed.

Arena Stage. "Arena Stage Oklahoma!" 2011. OUT OF HER DREAMS: AGNES DE MILLE. Web. October 2014.

<http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/sub-text/2010-11-season/oklahoma/out-of-her-

dreams.shtml>.

Kantor, Michael and Laurence Maslon. Broadway: The American Musical. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2004. Book.

CELEBRATING AMERICA IN MUSICALS

Since the founding of “Broadway”, there have been writers, composers, producers and directors who have captured America and left their mark on the psyche of our national consciousness.

One of the first men to do this in a big way was Lorenz Ziegfeld. The Ziegfeld Follies introduced to America some of their greatest performers and helped form our understanding of our own beauty in the modern era. Whether it was the “American Girls” shown in epic costumes and staging, or Fanny Bryce blazing new trails for Jewish performers, or Will Rogers demonstrating the skill of the Southwestern Cowboy, the Ziegfeld Follies were one of the titanic movements in American culture and theatre.

Quick on Ziegfeld’s heels came George M. Cohan, performer, composer, and lyricist whose patriotism came at the crucial period of America’s entrance into the First World War. His songs, “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Over There”, “And Give My Regards to Broadway” provided a boost of enthusiasm to a culture desperately in need of it.

From that time to this, the music, choreography and stories of the theatre have become the autobiography of the American people.

Kantor, Michael and Laurence Maslon. Broadway:

The American Muscial. New york:

Bulfinch Press, 2004. Book.

Original Broadway Production 1944—Picture taken from the

Dream Sequence and often used as the Cover picture.

Original Cast of OKLAHOMA!, Joan Roberts (Laurey)

Joseph Buloff (Ali Hakim) Betty Garde (Aunt Eller) and

Celeste Holm (Ado Annie)

PICTURES FROM THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY

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THE DREAM BALLET

Agnes de Mille was born in Harlem and raised in Hollywood.

Though she came from a family of stage and screen artists, and

danced with several celebrated ballet companies, it wasn’t until she

began dancing and choreographing for “cowboys and pioneers,

horses and hoedowns,” that de Mille found her “territory”. She

wanted to create a dance piece in the show that “supported the

storyline instead of merely entertaining’. The dance was originally

entitled, “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind”, and de Mille focused on

developing a ballet that was accessible and very human, infused

with humor and truth.

The New York Times critic who saw the musical when it opened

wrote about the ballet sequence: “It actually carries forward the

plot and justifies the most tenuous psychological point in the play,

namely, why Laurey, who is obviously in love with Curley, finds

herself unable to resist going to the dance with the repugnant Jud.

Many a somber problem play has … failed to illuminate it half so

clearly after several hours of grim dialogue. Yet this is a ‘dance

number’ in a ‘musical show’!” De Mille’s work in Oklahoma! would

define American dance for decades, catapulting her to the top of

her field as the most famous and influential choreographer of her

time.

De Mille believed that the ballet was essential to the audience’s

understanding of the characters because it conveyed emotions that

words could not. And the audience agreed.

Arena Stage. "Arena Stage Oklahoma!" 2011. OUT OF HER DREAMS: AGNES DE MILLE. Web. October 2014.

<http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/sub-text/2010-11-season/oklahoma/out-of-her-

dreams.shtml>.

Kantor, Michael and Laurence Maslon. Broadway: The American Musical. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2004. Book.

JUD FRY

Jud Fry is considered one of

the first truly menacing

villains in a Broadway

musical, not just a common

“two dimensional moustache

twirler”.

Not only that, but for the first

time, the villain is actually

killed at the end of the show,

an event which rarely, if ever,

happened in musicals

previously. (What a difference

from musicals these days!)

Jud Fry’s obsession with

Laurey makes him complex

because you can sympathize

with him to a certain degree.

He loves her...as much as he is

able. Yet his ability to love

selflessly has turned rancid in

his “Lonely Room” while he

looks at pictures of scantily

clad women from The Police

Gazette (the popular men’s

magazine of the period).

Agnes de Mille, from her

studies in Psychology,

considered Jud to be the Id

(the irrational instincts) while

Curely was the Super-ego (the

controlled moral and critical

compass). Laurey (the Ego,

the battleground) made her

choice and the other died.

Bloom, Ken. Broadway: An Encyclopeidic Guide to

the History, People, and Places of Times

Square. New York: Facts on File, Inc.,

1991. Book.

Agnes de Mille

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Dream Ballet from the 1955 film.

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LOUSIANA PURCHASE AND

THE OKLAHOMA TERRITORY

Oklahoma was the homeland of several Native American tribes as seen in the diagram

below. The land had been claimed by French explorers in the 1600s and was part of the Louisiana

Territory by the mid-1700s. In the early 1800’s, France (under Napoleon) was fighting the British

and needed more money for the war. President Thomas Jefferson agreed to buy the Louisiana

Territory for $15 million. This was called “The Louisiana Purchase”.

After the land was purchased, the white settlers on the east coast wanted to live in the lands

east of the Mississippi River. The question was, what to do with the tribes that were already living

there? The new Louisiana Territory was considered the best place to move all the Native

Americans. The Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830 under President Andrew Jackson. (The

Cherokee tribe from George was forced to leave at gunpoint. The migration of this tribe is called

“The Trail of Tears”.)

In 1862, President Lincoln passed the Homestead Act, stating that any family could buy 160

acres of government land in the for $10 as long as the family would settle on it and “improve” it.

They had to build a house and grow crops for at least five years. The only restriction was that the

head of the family had to be twenty-one years old. This allowed African Americans, women and

immigrants to buy and own the land. The Indian nations had land that was set aside as theirs, but

the white settlers began encroaching on that land; so, in 1871 the Dawes Act was passed

eliminating all Native American tribes as independent nations and beginning the process of

integrating them into society. The Dawes Act allowed any Indian family to leave the reservation

and claim a homestead to farm. However, this in no way compensated the Indian people for their

loss of power as a people or their loss of land.

http://www.history.com/topics/louisiana-purchase

http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears>

http://www.crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-museum/online-exhibits/the-cabildo/territory-to-statehood/

http://www.ushistoryscene.com/uncategorized/1862homesteadact/

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HEARTY LOVE

All good stories are love stories. The idea of love is at the foundation and running throughout all

meaningful stories. Oklahoma! is about love and the ways that it affects individuals and

communities. At the end of the show, Laurey is crying because she is afraid of what has

happened—Jud’s death, Curley’s arrest—and she turns to Aunt Eller for advice. Aunt Eller, being

the fountain of wisdom that she is, reminds Laurey that she has to be hardy.

Oh, lots of things happen to folks. Sickness, er bein’ pore and hungry even-bein’

old and afeared to die. That’s the way it is-crade to grave. And you can stand it.

They’s one way. You gotta be hearty. You got to be. You cain’t deserve the sweet

and tender in life less’n you’re tough.

We’ve heard of “tough love”, but I propose that all real love is tough. It’s giving love. It’s

enduring. It’s forgiving and understanding. Curley offers that to Laurey. Laurey was proud, but

when she needed him, Curley sold everything to save her. When she was afraid he comforted her.

Aunt Eller offers that kind of love to Laurey. When Laurey needs wisdom and understanding,

Aunt Eller is there to offer it.

During this Valentines holiday, who can you show that love to? Stop and consider who might

have been showing it to you without you realizing? Sometimes we are like Laurey, and too proud

to recognize that we need the love and support of others. Sometimes we are even like Jud! We

see the love that everyone else seems to have, and we don’t know how to get it. Perhaps your like

Will Parker. Your heart is full of love, but so far you’ve been unable to catch a person to lavish it

on. Don’t allow the Romantic nature of Valentines to stop you from loving the singles, the

Grandparents, the children or the acquaintances that have so far been famished of your love.

Hearty love goes out of it’s way to give, but often receives plenty of joy and encouragement back

in payment!

LET PEOPLE SAY WE’RE IN LOVE!

DRAMATURG’S NOTE

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YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

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APACHE

ARAPAHO

CADDO

CAYUGA

CHEROKEE

CHEYENNE

CHICKASAW

CHOCTAW

COMANCHE

CREEK

DELAWARE

FOX

IOWA

KAW

KICKAPOO

KIOWA

MIAMI

MISSOURIA

MODOC

OSAGE

OTOE

OTTAWA

PAWNEE

PEORIA

PONCA

POTAWATMI

QUAPAW

SAC

SEMINOLE

SENECA

SHAWNEE

TONKAWA

WICHITA

WYADOTTE

Oklahoma Indian Tribes Word Search

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Theatre Etiquette for Children

California Regional Theatre is so glad that you are planning to come to see our show!

We enjoy performing at Pleasant

Valley High School in Chico, CA.

When you see a play or musical, you

always want to arrive EARLY.

(Preferably 30 minutes before the start

time.)

Always check your ticket to see where

you are supposed to sit. (To buy tickets,

you can call 1-800-722-4522, go online to

crtshows.com, or buy tickets at the door.)

During the show, we love to hear you

laugh and cheer!

Always turn phones off or on silent during the performance.

Sometimes the actors come in the audience! Please don’t touch them, just look.

If you start getting fidgety, please wait until the lights turn on before you stand

up. Don’t walk around during the performance. Halfway through the show there is an

Intermission. You can go to the bathroom, walk-around, or get a drink and a snack.

Before the show and during

intermission there will be

Concessions (snacks and drinks)

for sale outside. Please eat and

drink outside in the fresh air. The

ONLY thing allowed inside is

water bottles.

If for some reason you become

concerned please talk with one

of the adults or teachers in

your group. You can also talk

to an Usher or a person in the

Box Office. (They are really nice!)

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COMING SOON!

Mary Poppins combines the best elements from the Disney

Film and the beloved children’s books and brings you a

story about the power of love and imagination as we learn

how to live and work as a family.

Tickets are on sale at crtshows.com/tickets or over the

phone at 1-800-722-4522.

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Map to Center for the Arts—1475 East Ave, Chico, CA 95926

From the North: Take 99 South, get off at East Ave and turn left. Stay on

East Ave until you reach Pleasant Valley High School on the right.

From the South: Take 99 North, get off at East 1st St and turn right. Bear left

onto Longfellow Ave. At the stop sign, continue straight onto Mariposa. At

light, turn left onto East Ave. Arrive at Pleasant Valley High School on right.