Oklahoma!! - July 20

To start, I love this musical. I have heard the music, and watched different film versions but I have never been to see it performed on stage. There is a place near Tulsa OK that performs this musical every year for the tourists, and boy do they ever put on a great show. We did get off to a bit of a rocky start due to slightly lacking directions. We were trying to navigate the outskirts of Tulsa where every town seems to blend into one but we finally found the right road out to the farm. It was one of those country roads that just keeps going up and down over hills, with small lanes leading off from it. As we had been trying to find the farm for so long we were getting a kind of horror movie vibe. The kind you feel when the characters have been driving so long on a country road, not entirely sure of their destination but wanting to get there before dark. That is why we were extremely relieved to finally see the sign for Discoveryland (where they were putting on the show). Yay! As part of our tickets we got to have the cattleman's dinner as well; steak, corn, beans, and potato salad. They had everything set up outside in a welcoming picnic area. After dinner there was native american dancing and a pony express show to entertain before the main show. The musical is shown on an outside amphitheatre stage with the forest as a backdrop. The cast gets the audience warmed up with songs and dance, even going as far as to bring a few people out of the crowd for a little two stepping (KJ said no so I got up). Then while most of the cast is changing one of the characters does a bit of a comedy routine, welcoming the audience and of course finds out where everyone is from and gets them to do big Yeahaw when he calls the name of their home. Not surprisingly we were the only Canadians but we gave a respectable yell for Canada. The show was wonderful, they were such talented performers that the audience couldn't help but sing along and cheer. They incorporated live animals into the show and we were front row for all the action. I must admit the horses had excellent timing, one pair made sure to poop at the beginning of each act, forcing the dancers to move around it, which they did with great skill. The main cast was in excellent voice and just made you fall in love with the music. It was one of those experiences that made you just happy to be there. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see a great show under the stars.