Most people remember Oklahoma! for the songs.
“People Will Say We’re in Love.” “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.”
For Northern Lakes Arts Association executive artistic director and director Ian Francis Lah, those songs were his introduction to the musical growing up. But revisiting the show as a director revealed something deeper.
“I think a lot of people remember Oklahoma! as a nostalgic love story,” Lah said. “What surprised me is that it’s also a story about belonging. It’s a story about who gets welcomed into a community, who gets left out, and what happens when people find themselves on the margins.”
Opening June 18 as part of the 40th anniversary season of Broadway in the Boundary Waters, NLAA’s production places the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic in a contemporary setting while preserving the story and score audiences know and love.
For Lah, the decision wasn’t about updating the show for the sake of being different.
“It was about removing the distance,” he said. “When audiences see people dressed like their grandparents, it’s easy to think of the story as something that happened a long time ago. But these characters aren’t museum pieces. They’re our neighbors. They’re people we know. They’re people we see every day.”
That approach extends throughout the production, including the choreography by Cat Tron, whose work helped shape the show’s contemporary world.
“Cat really embraced the idea that this story is happening now,” Lah said. “Her choreography brings a fresh perspective to moments audiences think they already know while always keeping the storytelling at the center.”
As rehearsals continued, Lah found himself increasingly drawn to the questions underneath the familiar romance.
“One of the things that struck me most is how the show asks us to think about the people who don’t quite fit in,” he said. “The people living on the edges of a community. Those questions feel just as relevant today as they did when the show was written.”
The production brings together familiar local performers, returning Broadway in the Boundary Waters artists, and members of NLAA’s apprentice program.
Andrea Strom, owner and co-creator of Brainstorm Bakery and Crapola, appears as Aunt Eller, while René Arguijo takes on the role of Andrew Carnes.
The cast also includes apprentice artists Maddie Lindsay and Natalie Johnson, reflecting NLAA’s commitment to developing the next generation of performers in northern Minnesota.
“This cast has approached the material with a tremendous amount of thought and heart,” Lah said. “Vocally, it’s one of the strongest groups we’ve worked with.”
For Lah, that humanity is what has allowed Oklahoma! to endure for more than 80 years.
“In a small town, people understand that community isn’t something that just happens,” he said. “It’s something we build together. We choose every day how we’re going to treat one another. Beneath the music and romance, that’s what this story is really asking us to consider.”
The production runs for just nine performances between June 18 and June 28 at the Vermilion Fine Arts Theater in Ely.
Tickets are available now at NorthernLakesArts.org, by calling 218-235-9937, or at the door. Thanks to the support of the Vermilion Campus Foundation, Northern Lakes Arts Association is proud to offer select Pay What You Can performances of Oklahoma! helping ensure that everyone in our region has access to live theater regardless of financial circumstances.
With only nine performances scheduled June 1828, audiences are encouraged to reserve seats early.
Oklahoma! runs June 18-28 as part of the 40th anniversary season of Broadway in the Boundary Waters, produced by Northern Lakes Arts Association in Ely.
