This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
According to Lewis Wilkenfeld, Oklahoma! is not passé but is still a popular show Cabrillo Music Theatre audiences want to see. Rodgers and Hammerstein shows have held up very well and hold a great appeal to the Cabrillo Music Theatre audiences. It (Oklahoma!) doesn’t feel dated but rather there is a timelessness and the show’s theme of “The American Dream” is not much different from what most people coming into this country experience.
Having directed two previous productions of Oklahoma!, including one in 1997 for Cabrillo Music Theatre, Lewis likes to find new things each time to focus on. This time he is focusing on the American Dream and the community that is portrayed in Oklahoma! Their approach to the world was very honest and pure. They lived in a time that was untainted by social media, mass media, pop culture.
And what better way to support community theatre? Did you know that a visit to a regional theatre will increase the community’s property value and bring actors and audiences into town who are going to be contributing to local restaurants, hotels, and amenities. Cabrillo Music Theatre specifically brings guests into town 26-28 weeks a year, significantly enhancing lives and property values in Thousand Oaks. So whether you are or are not going to see a local show, we all are lucky enough to benefit from those enhancements.
If you are a fan of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and the classic American musical, you are going to want to check out this lively and family-friendly musical playing at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 40 miles North of Los Angeles.