‘Oklahoma!’ comes sweeping through the Springer Opera House

“Oklahoma!” is just the kind of show people want to see right now, said Paul Pierce, the artistic director of the Springer Opera House.

For a couple of hours, you don’t have to think about rising grocery and utility bills or worry about how to pay the mortgage and car payments. You can sit in a dark theater and think of the world created by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

“Over the years, whenever we wanted to be reminded of Americana and the foundation of America, we turn to ‘Oklahoma!,’” Pierce said.

Joe Lehman, who plays Curly, says “Oklahoma!” is a “fresh tale of optimism with a darker strain of conflict in it.”

But in the end, Lehman said, the story is basically about a cowboy in love with a girl.

The cowboy and the girl

Lehman is Curly, the handsome cowboy, who is in love with Laurey, the beautiful farm girl played by Laurie Sutton.

“Yes, Laurie is playing Laurey,” Sutton said with a smile. It’s her third time playing Laurey — once in high school, once in another professional theater and now here at the Springer.

Lehman is no stranger to “Oklahoma!,” either.

“I did it once in college where I was in the ensemble and I played Curly once before,” Lehman said. “It’s been 10 years since I played it before. But it’s interesting how it came back. I think I have a more mature understanding of the role. It still feels fresh.”

Both are newcomers to the Springer stage. They auditioned for Pierce at the United Professional Theater Auditions (UPTA) in Memphis last year.

“The relationship is outlined in the script,” Lehman said, “but as in many musical books, there is not enough time to capture everything that’s going on in the relationship. So it has to develop through the songs. And it’s up to performers to flesh out the relationship.

“It’s certainly a fun one. Laurey makes Curly work for it.”

Lehman says it’s a lot of fun working with Sutton, making the relationship a contentious one that’s still exciting.

The other love triangle

The triangle involving Ado Annie, Ali Hakim and Will Parker, is more of the comic relief of the play, said Ben Reed, who is playing Ali.

Hakim is a very comedic role, Reed said. “It’s classic, comedic slapstick,” Reed said.

Reed said practically every scene he has with Alee Morrison, who plays Ado Annie (AKA “The Girl Who Cain’t Say No”) and Aunt Eller, played by Kristen Metcalfe, makes him laugh and he’s not supposed to be laughing on stage.

“It’s a really fantastic role,” he said.

Morrison likes her role because “I get kissed a lot. It’s so much fun.”

Greg Pragel plays Will, who is also trying to win Ado Annie, though Ali, a traveling man, isn’t too keen on settling down.

Eller has a lot of clout in the community.

“Aunt Eller is kind of just me,” Metcalfe said. “She’s boisterous, loud and obnoxious.”

Pierce said in the script, Eller is 50, but Metcalfe is decades younger, so she’s playing Eller as a “hot 50.”

“I wanted Eller to be younger with a libido,” Pierce said. “Eller believes she’s got a shot with Curly. If Laurey wants to drag it out, Ellery will step in.”

The ‘bad’ cowboy

Keith McCoy, who was last seen at the Springer as Jim in “Big River,” says he’s trying not to portray Jud as just the bad guy.

“For me, it’s more fun to play the villain,” McCoy said. “Villains are so much more interesting. I’m trying to find out what made him that way.”

No one takes the time to find out who Jud is, he said.

Sutton says this time playing Laurey, she is focusing on her relationship with Jud.

“I’m finding some attraction there,” she said.

The setting

“The setting is flat and featureless, but the people are colorful, very passionate,” Pierce said. “The people are looking for love, and they want it bad.”