Marti Webb Opens New Tour of Oklahoma!

As reported previously on whatsonstage (See News 4 March 2010), the show premieres in the south coast resort, before touring across the country .

Webb, who has a string of west end credits, including Evita, Tell Me on a Sunday, Song and Dance, Cats, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and most recently Blood Brothers plays the part of Aunt Eller. The role would appear to be somewhat of a departure for her, first coming to public attention 30 years ago, when she took over the titular role of Evita from Elaine Paige, before opening in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s Tell Me on a Sunday which provided her with what was to become her signature tune, Take That Look off your Face. Oklahoma is certainly a more traditional musical, with a score which includes such standards as Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ ,Surrey with The Fringe on Top, People Will Say We’re in Love, and, of course Oklahoma.

Breathing new life into this classic musical, are UK Productions’ Martin Dodd (producer) and Julian Woolford (director), with choreography by Chris Hocking and musical supervision by Gareth Williams. UK Productions are the company behind hugely successful touring hits including South Pacific, 42nd Street,, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This brand new revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is staged by the same critically acclaimed creative team behind their record-breaking tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific.

Mark Evans, also starring in the show as Curly, is probably best known for being runner up in BBC’s Your Country Needs You, but has collected a number of theatre credits, including; Spamalot and Wicked in the west end, High School Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo, and The Rocky Horror Show on tour.

Oklahoma plays the Bournemouth Pavilion from Saturday 20 to Saturday 27 March 2010, the tour of will then visit over thirty cities nationwide through until November. .