Nashville star Sam Palladio joins the West End revival cast of Oklahoma!, succeeding Arthur Darvill as Curly McLain, beginning July 3. Palladio joins the company alongside fellow new cast member Lizzie Wofford, succeeding Rebekah Hinds as Gertie Cummings. Darvill and Hinds played their final performances July 1, and the production will continue through September 2.
They join a continuing cast including James Patrick Davis as Will Parker, Stavros Demetraki as Ali Hakim, Greg Hicks as Andrew Carnes, David King-Yombo as Mike, Anoushka Lucas as Laurey Williams, Marie-Astrid Mence as Lead Dancer, Paige Peddie as Ado Annie, Sally Ann Triplett as Aunt Eller, and Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry. The company is rounded out by Andrew Berlin, Arthur Boan, Shani Cantor, Anna-Maria de Freitas, George Maddison, Brianna Ogunbawo, Finlay Paul, and Helen K Wint.
Reimagined for the stage by director Daniel Fish, the production played a sold-out run at the Young Vic last year, having previously transferred to Broadway from St. Ann’s Warehouse; the Broadway staging won the Tony for Best Musical Revival.
The first collaboration between the Broadway Golden Age powerhouse duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! was adapted from Lynn Riggs' play Green Grow the Lilacs, and was originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille. The original production, which premiered on Broadway in 1943, is largely credited with being the first musical to fully integrate its book, score, and choreography towards advancing the plot. Fish's reimagining leaves the original text and score intact, while exploring them through a 21st century lens.
The creative team also includes orchestrator, arranger, and co-music supervisor Daniel Kluger; choreographer John Heginbotham; scenic designers Lael Jellinek and Grace Laubacher; costume designer Terese Wadden; lighting designer Scott Zielinski; sound designer Drew Levy; projection designer Joshua Thorson; and co-music supervisor and additional vocal arranger Nathan Koci.
