For the production of the classic musical “Oklahoma!,” set designer Scott Davis had the task of bringing the wide-open outdoors into the confines of the Paramount Theatre.
“We are using worn, white, barn wood, which feels like it could be clouds,” Davis said about the backdrop scenery in the show. “It is in a curved surround. We will have moving images of the sky projected on the front of them. It is done with eight digital projectors. The projections on the barn wood make it seem as if the sky is moving. The state of Oklahoma has a lot of sky. We wanted the scenery to be the sky.”
“Oklahoma!” will be presented from Sept. 16 through Oct. 18 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Paramount Theatre Artistic Director Jim Corti, the show’s director, said the set design decisions were reached after he and Scott Davis conferred.
“We talk about the play, the period, where it is, who is in it,” Corti said. “We discussed how to create serenity and beauty.”
Davis said he looked for inspiration.
“All of these decisions grew out of speaking about the time period, who the characters are, etc.,” he said. “I researched some paintings and photographs and came back to Jim with hundreds of images for the set design.”
“Oklahoma!” tells the story of people living in the Oklahoma Territory at the turn of the 20th century and features such songs as “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love” and “Oklahoma!” The play follows the adventures of two cowboys, Curly and Will, as they try to win the hearts of the women they love. Curly’s pursuit of Laurey and Will’s pursuit of Ado Annie meet interference from a misunderstood ranch hand, Jud, and a roaming peddler, Ali Hakim.
“Oklahoma!” is based on the play “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Lynn Riggs, with music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and original dances by Agnes de Mille. The original Broadway version of “Oklahoma!” opened on March 31, 1943, and closed on May 29, 1948, after 2,212 performances. The show later enjoyed Broadway revivals, national tours and foreign productions. The 1955 film adaptation starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
Other set design challenges for the Paramount production included building a surrey carriage from the ground up.
“I designed it and the scene shop did it,” Davis said. “They built it from scratch. We built it rather than rent one because there are specific colors in the script: brown leather, some yellow to it. Also, there are the limitations to the space itself. There is a rather small opening to get it on stage.”
Corti said it is not uncommon for the Paramount Theatre to build things specifically for its Broadway shows.
“We rarely rent anything,” he said. “When we are designing a show, everything is part of a whole.”
Davis sees the Paramount version of “Oklahoma!” as more stylized.
“We are using film projection a lot, so there is an abstraction to it,” he said. “I don’t think it will feel like a traditional ‘Oklahoma!’ It will be lifted away from realism.”
Corti agrees.
“This is not an old-fashioned ‘Oklahoma!'” he said. “It is beautiful in a new and original way. Like with (prior Paramount productions) ‘Les Miserables,’ ‘The Who’s Tommy’ and ‘Miss Saigon,’ we hope people will see something they have never seen before.”
For Davis, it’s all about the story.
“If the story comes across, that’s the payoff,” Davis said. “It all comes together when you feel like the actors live in this world.”
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
‘Oklahoma!’
When: Sept. 16-Oct. 18
Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Tickets: $41-$56
Information: 630-896-6666; paramountaurora.com
