"Oklahoma" Revisited

Thinking once again about activities that were common to several classes of mid-'60s BHS students, the 1968 musical "Oklahoma" comes to mind.  A check of 1968 yearbook pages 94-97 shows teachers and students of at least three classes pooling talents for  the first BHS musical in many years.  Was it the first BHS musical ever?  Does anyone know of an earlier one?  [This is where historian-extraordinaire Johnny I. enters the nearest phone booth, appearing seconds later wearing tights and a cape.  He leaps.  "Look!  Up in the sky!   It's.... SUPERmemoryMAN!"]

Back to "Oklahoma."   Did you know....

....that we nearly had no period costumes for many of the "Oklahoma" actors?   A week or so before the first performance, boxes of stock costumes and props from New York City had not arrived.  A fire at a NYC post office building had delayed, and nearly consumed, our shipment.  The boxes arrived just in time, several of which were scorched and sooty on the outside.

....that Lynda Bailey, who played Laurey to John Richards' Curley, attended a performance of "Oklahoma" at BHS in the 1990s and found out that they used the original backdrop and yellow house from 1968?  Now that is quality construction, folks!  Anyone here work on that set in 1968?

....that, as the vocal director and executive producer of the whole operation, Mr. Kline was one stressed-out guy by opening night?  I don't recall noticing, though.  Toward the end of the last performance, I mentioned to him backstage what a feather in his cap this production was, what a great memory he would have of his efforts, and was he not very proud?  He shook his head and said how relieved he was that it was almost over; he had no idea when he suggested the musical, and offered to lead it, just how much work it would be.

....that there was actually VIDEO of one of the performances?  A teacher had access to one of those new-fangled video tape machines.  The machine was a monstrosity, but I remember being pleased, as was the basketball team a year later (Johnny I. mentioned this in an earlier blog), at how quickly a performance/game could be reviewed.  The "Oklahoma" video vanished at some point.  An attempt to locate it twenty years later turned up nothing. 

....that the orchestra, down in that bona fide orchestra pit in that swanky new auditorium, was a top-notch bunch of high school musicians?  June Williams led the way as first-violin concertmaster.  A Brookings Register  letter to the editor several days later pointed out the exceptional polish of that group.  How great would it be to have that video tape today and be impressed all over again with that talented orchestra!  Anyone here play in that orchestra?

....that, several weeks before the BHS "Oklahoma," cast and crew took buses to Marshall, MN, to watch Marshall High School perform the same musical?  What a great way to get familiar with a show!  Most impressive was the effort of the Brookings theater owner, ????,  [Johnny I., help me out here]  who, at his own expense, ordered up a matinee showing of the film version for cast and crew.  We were prepared performers and producers by showtime!

There you have it.  More memories of BHS teamwork and excellence, late '60's style!