By JULIA PARKER and CASSANDRA REYES
Malden High School presents the fall musical “Oklahoma.” Students, and teacher, Sean Walsh, from the play production class at MHS are proud of the turnout. With months of preparation, the musical debuted on Nov. 21, 2013, and lasted until Nov. 23, with four showings.
The twentieth century musical focuses on complicated romance of two love stories. The musical also shows the difficulties residents face as Oklahoma has just become a state. Curly Mclain is a crowd favorite. Cowboy Mclain is in love with a farm girl named Laurey Williams. The love story of the two was a crowd pleaser, along with the other lovable characters. Sophomore cast member and dancer Sarah Bendell described being apart of the play as “the best experience [she] ever had.” Late nights at the school turned out to be more than worth it in the end. Bendell said “the cast and crew became a family… the show had so much energy.”
The energy and connection among the cast definitely rubbed off on the audience. Walsh states that “[he has] been more than impressed by everyone in the production”. After the first showing, students walked around MHS the next day singing a memorable song from the play, “O What A Beautiful Morning.” Some spectators claim that they went back to view the show a second time because it was “that good.”
The musical was full of romance, joy, and controversy. The cast kept the crowd interested with the dramatic scenes and beautiful songs. The play showed people from different worlds coming together, a great concept for a high school like MHS, due to the wide range of culture and backgrounds among its students. With such a great concept, the actors related very well to their characters. Laurey, played by senior Jessie Memmolo, constantly argued with Curly, played by senior Ramy Riviere, and was coveted by the character Jud, played by senior Craig Powers, an aggressive and pushy character.
On the other hand, there was a decision to be made by Ado Annie, played by senior Cori Malone, concerning who she is to marry: cowboy Will Parker, played by junior Sebastian Patino, and the Persian merchant Ali Hakim, played by junior Elijah Jean-Baptiste. Caught frolicking with Ali Hakim by Will Parker on multiple occasions, the entire love story is filled with humor, giving the audience a laugh. Ado Annie could not decide which was better: a Persian goodbye or an Oklahoma hello.
As the Play Production members packed up the props and the costumes, the thrill of the performance of Rodger and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! came to an end. “Preparing for the show has been… hectic,” said Malone. Performing the play over and over in their rehearsals, and performing to the public four times, the cast feels down about letting it go. Now is the time to look forward to the next musical they will put on.
