JournalNews Go! section
Sept. 7, 2007

For Ty Yadzinski, the Showboat Majestic season-ending production of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein opus “Oklahoma!” is a reminder of his decade in Cincinnati’s regional theater scene.

It was the role of Curly that brought him to the area in the first place for a La Comedia production, but before that he performed the role for a European tour.

“The music alone is enough to draw any guy who fancies Broadway musicals,” he said. “But some men prefer to play him as a leading man without much depth. To find that depth, you have to find the difference between those moments he’s playing cat-and-mouse with Laurey and those moments that are real, because beneath the leading-man swagger is a real heart-felt man who cares about what happens to the people around him.

“If played correctly, there are a lot of good moments that allow him to be a boy and to be a man.”

Set in the Western Indian Territory just after the turn of the century, the love story in “Oklahoma!” spins around the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys. Many of the songs songs themselves have become American icons including, “Surrey with the Fringe On Top,” “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” “Kansas City” and “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No” just to name a few.

The cast also includes Lindsey Travis as Laurey, Dan Cahill as Will Parker, Lauren Shmalo as Ado Annie, Don Nicastro as Ali Hakim, Torie Pate as Aunt Eller and Mike Sherman as Jud Fry.

“We actually get to sing with a live orchestra, and that’s always a real treat,” Yadzinski said.

how to go
WHAT: Oklahoma!”
WHERE: Showboat Majestic, Cincinnati Public Landing
WHEN: Sept.12-30
COST: $17 adults; $16 seniors/students
MORE INFO: (513) 241-6550; www.cincinnatilandmark
productions.com