The Muny's OKLAHOMA Set to Feature the Choreography of Susan Stroman

The Muny announced today its 2015 production of Oklahoma! will feature the Laurence Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award® nominated choreography of Susan Stroman. The Muny is honored to be the first theater in the world to recreate this extraordinary choreography, last seen in 2004. The Muny production will be directed by Rob Ruggiero, with music direction by Kevin Stites. Ms. Stroman's work will be recreated by Ginger Thatcher. "Rodgers & Hammerstein's score is everything you dream a musical should be," said Susan Stroman.

"It was an honor to create entirely new dances for this classic American tale, and it's an honor once more to have The Muny bring it to their grand stage."

"I am so excited to see and share this amazing and beautiful and heartfelt work with the Muny audience," said Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. "It was literally on my 'Must Make Happen' list when I started. Can't wait!"

"The Muny and Rodgers & Hammerstein have a long and wonderful history," said R & H President Ted Chapin. "When Mike asked about Oklahoma! and using the extraordinary choreography that Susan created for the last major revival, it was the perfect opportunity to bring her work back to the public. She captured the soul of the original Agnes de Mille dances while making them entirely her own. Audiences at The Muny will be delighted - and even a little surprised - by Susan's glorious A five-time Tony Award® winning director and choreographer, Susan Stroman's work has been honored with Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, and a record five Astaire Awards. Her choreography for the 1998 Royal National Theatre production of Oklahoma! won the Laurence Olivier Award and was again recognized in the 2002 Broadway production with the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Astaire Awards and a Tony Award® nomination for Best Choreography.

Most recently she directed and choreographed the new musical Little Dancer for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She directed and choreographed The Producers, winner of a record-making 12 Tony Awards®, including Best Direction and Best Choreography. Her Tony Award® nominated direction and choreography for the critically acclaimed musical The Scottsboro Boys continues to garner praise with her recent productions at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, the Ahmanson Theatre, and for the Young Vic in London's West End, where it was honored with the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. She co-created, directed and choreographed the Tony Award® winning musical Contact for Lincoln Center Theater, which was honored with a 2003 Emmy Award® for Live at Lincoln Center.

Other Broadway credits include Bullets Over Broadway, Big Fish, Crazy for You, Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Young Frankenstein, The Frogs, The Music Man, Thou Shalt Not, Steel Pier, Big, and Picnic. Off-Broadway credits include Happiness for Lincoln Center Theater, Flora the Red Menace, And the World Goes 'Round. For ten years, she choreographed Madison Square Garden's annual spectacular A Christmas Carol, directed by Mike Ockrent. At New York City Opera, she choreographed A Little Night Music, 110 in the Shade, and Don Giovanni. For New York City Ballet, she created Double Feature, a full-length ballet featuring the music of Irving Berlin and Walter Donaldson, and For the Love of Duke, featuring the music of Duke Ellington. Her other ballet credits include But Not For Me for the Martha Graham Company and Take Five...More or Less for Pacific Her choreography received an Emmy Award® nomination for the HBO presentation "Liza - Live from Radio City Music Hall," starring Liza Minnelli. Other TV credits include co-conceiver/choreographer for PBS's "Sondheim - a Celebration at Carnegie Hall," "An Evening with the Boston Pops - A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein" and the "2009 Kennedy Center Honors." She received the American Choreography Award for her work in Columbia Pictures feature film Center Stage. She directed and choreographed The Producers: The Movie Musical, nominated for 4 Golden Globes®. She is the recipient of the George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater and a 2014 Inductee into the Theater Hall of Fame.

The Muny's production of Oklahoma! will run from August 10 - August 16, 2015. Oklahoma! is directed by Rob Ruggiero, with choreography recreated by Ginger Thatcher, and music direction by Kevin Stites. The production features scenic design by Michael Schweikardt, lighting design by John Lassiter, and costume design by Amy Clark. Monica Dickhens is the production stage manager.

For more information on The Muny and the 2015 summer season, visit www.muny.org.

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi