Arthur Darvill, Anoushka Lucas, and More Will Reprise Roles in West End Transfer of OKLAHOMA!

Initial casting has been announced for the West End transfer of the critically acclaimed production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!. Reprising their roles from the run at the Young Vic are Raphael Bushay (Mike), Arthur Darvill (Curly McLain), James Patrick Davis (Will Parker), Stavros Demetraki (Ali Hakim), Greg Hicks (Andrew Carnes), Rebekah Hinds (Gertie Cummings), Anoushka Lucas (Laurey Williams), Marie-Astrid Mence (Lead Dancer), Liza Sadovy (Aunt Eller) and Patrick Vaill (Jud Fry).

Full casting will be announced shortly.

The production will open at Wyndham's Theatre on 28 February 2023, with previews from 16 February, and run until 2 September 2023. The production is currently nominated for four Evening Standard Awards, including for Best Musical, Best Director and Best Musical Performance for Vaill.

The Producers have set aside a number of £10 tickets for Monday - Wednesday performances that are offered directly to those currently under-represented in West End theatre audiences. These are made available via an outreach programme run by Sita McIntosh of Inclusive Audiences - www.inclusiveaudiences.com.

Reimagined for the stage by Daniel Fish, the production played a sold-out run at the Young Vic earlier this year, having previously transferred to Broadway from St. Ann's Warehouse winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.

Forget what you think it is... this is Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! as you've never seen it before - re-orchestrated and reimagined for the 21st century. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, Daniel Fish's bold interpretation recently enjoyed a sold-out run at the Young Vic following sold-out runs in New York and across the U.S. on tour.

Oklahoma! tells a story of a community banding together against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Eighty years after Rodgers & Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this visionary production is funny and sexy, provocative and probing, without changing a word of the text.

Raphael Bushay plays Mike. His theatre work includes The Crucible (National Theatre), Red Riding Hood (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Tempest, Henry V (Shakespeare's Rose Theatre), Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company), As You Like It (The Lamb Players), Peter Pan, Henry V (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Queen of Chapletown (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox (UK / UAE tour, NST / Lyric Hammersmith / Leicester Curve), and Kampala (The Miniaturists / Arcola Theatre). For television, his work includes Holby City.

Arthur Darvill plays Curly McLain. His theatre work includes Rare Earth Mettle (Royal Court Theatre), Been So Long (Young Vic), The Antipodes, Treasure Island (National Theatre), Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Once (Broadway and West End), Genesis INC. (Hampstead Theatre), Hir (Bush Theatre), Elevenses/Beginning To End (Somerset House), Our Boys, Swimming With Sharks (West End), Marine Parade (Brighton Festival), Doctor Faustus (Shakespeare's Globe), White Rabbit Red Rabbit (Gate Theatre), Is Everyone OK? (Nabokov), Stacey (Arcola Theatre), and Terre Haute (Edinburgh Fringe Festival/West End/tour). For television, his work includes Grace, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, World on Fire, Danny & the Human Zoo, Broadchurch, Doctor Who, The White Queen, The Paradise, Little Dorrit, He Kills Coppers, and The Verdict; and for film, Fairytale Sect, Minutes Past Midnight, Robin Hood; Sex Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll, and Pelican Blood.

James Patrick Davis plays Will Parker. His US theatre credits include Oklahoma! (Theatre World Award recipient for Breakthrough Performance on Broadway, also at St. Ann's Warehouse and Bard Summerscape), The House of Blue Leaves (Broadway), We Are Proud to Present a Presentation... (Soho Rep), The Mother of Invention (Abingdon), The More Loving One (La MaMa), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Richard II, Long Day's Journey into Night, As You Like It (Quintessence Theatre Group), Clybourne Park (Long Wharf Theatre), and American Buffalo (Studio Theatre). For television, his work includes Search Party.

Stavros Demetraki plays Ali Hakim. For theatre his work includes Peter Pan (Birmingham Rep), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), Timon of Athens, Antigone, She Stoops To Conquer, The Kitchen (National Theatre), Adventures In Wonderland, Supermarket Shakespeare (Teatro Vivo), As You Like It (Dash Arts / Curve), Blood Wedding (Liverpool Everyman), By The Way (Chopped Logic), Gilgamesh (Belgrade Theatre / UK tour), and Birds Without Wings (Eastern Angles). For television, his work includes Miss Scarlett & The Duke, Doctor Who, Tyrant, and White Van Man; and for film, The Phantom Warrior, Hampstead, Risen, Dracula Untold, The Hope Rooms, Blush Furiously, and The Simple Equation.

Greg Hicks plays Andrew Carnes. His theatre work includes Dinner with Groucho (Civic Theatre Dublin, Belfast International Festival, Arcola Theatre), The Open House (Bath/Print Room), Richard III, The Kreutzer Sonata, Clarion (Arcola Theatre), Play Strindberg (Ustinov Studio), All's Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Little Eagles, Anthony & Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, A Winter's Tale, King Lear (RSC), Angels in America (Headlong), Venice Preserved (Citizens), Coriolanus (The Old Vic - Critics' Circle Award and Olivier nomination Best Actor). For television, his work includes Domina, Citizen Charlie, Burton & Taylor, and The Bible; Midsomer Murders; and for film, The Mercy, and Snow White and the Huntsman.

Rebekah Hinds plays Gertie Cummings. Her theatre work includes Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder (Paines Plough's Roundabout - Winner of Best Musical Edinburgh Fringe), What's New Pussycat? (Birmingham Rep), Paradise (Hampstead Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Watford Palace), Grotty (The Bunker), Humble Boy (Orange Tree), Anita & Me (UK tour), The Government Inspector (Birmingham Rep/Ramps on the Moon UK Tour - Olivier Award Nominated), Billy Liar (Royal Exchange), Around the World (Sadler's Wells & Mint Theater, New York), The Little Prince - Concert (Savoy), and Sondheim Prom (Royal Albert Hall). Hinds won the Audience Favourite Award in the Musical Comedy Awards 2019 as half of comedy duo Maris Piper. For television, her work includes Scarborough, Inside No. 9, The Syndicate, Trollied, Shameless, Aunties, and Stains of Staines; and for film, Who Fired That Cannon?, Shandyland, The Public Benefits, and Woman of the Night.

Anoushka Lucas plays Laurey Williams. Her theatre credits include Elephant (Bush Theatre - also playwright), Henry V (Donmar Warehouse), After Life (National Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Chiaroscuro (Bush Theatre), Faces in the Crowd (Gate Theatre), and Sparks (Edinburgh Fest / Vault Festival). For film, her work includes Murder on the Orient Express and Been So Long. Her recording work includes her debut album Dark Soul (debut album); and her composition includes Sparks (BBC Radio 4 / Edinburgh Festival / Vault Festival), The Ballad of Klook and Vinette (Park Theatre / NAMT Festival NYC), and The Etienne Sisters (Theatre Royal Stratford).

Marie-Astrid Mence is Lead Dancer. Her theatre work includes Then Or Now, Table Talk, The Waiting Game, Courage, Like Water, Click, Pendulum, Captured, Washa, Ingoma, House Of Dream, The Suit, Red Riding Hood, Storyville, A Dream Within A Midsummer Night's Dream, Dépouillement, Tearfall, Melt, Mapping, Until Without Enough, Undivided Love. For television, her work includes Find me in Paris, L'Opera, and Spellbound.

Liza Sadovy plays Aunt Eller. Her theatre credits include Cabaret (KitKatClub at The Playhouse Theatre - Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical), Living Newspaper, A Separate Reality (Royal Court), Present Laughter (The Old Vic), I'm Not Running, Absolute Hell, Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Heiress (National Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pygmalion (Headlong), Wicked (Victoria Apollo), Oliver! (Sheffield Crucible), Mrs Klein (Northampton Theatre Royal - winner of TMA Best Supporting Actress), La Bête (Comedy Theatre and Music Box Theatre New York), Annie Get Your Gun, The Good Soul of Szechuan, Six Characters Looking for an Author (Young Vic), Sunday in the Park with George (West End and Menier Chocolate Factory), Secret Rapture (Bristol Old Vic), Richard II (Berkoff Productions), The Dresser and the UK première of Into The Woods (West End), Alice (RSC), The Slow Drag (Whitehall Theatre), Broken Glass (Manchester Library Theatre), Company (Donmar Warehouse and West End), and Sugar Hill Blues (Hampstead Theatre). For television, her work includes A Small Light, Outlander, Ridley Road, Vera, Babylon, The Honorable Woman, Emma, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Extras, Prime Suspect, Tonight at 8:30, Castles, and I Remember Nelson; and for film, Kativta & Teresa, Disobedience, The Knot, Sweeney Todd, Topsy-Turvy, and Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire.

Patrick Vaill plays Jud Fry - reprising the role he has played in Daniel Fish's production since its conception. He is currently nominated for Best Musical Performance at this year's Evening Standard Awards. His US theatre credits include I'm Revolting (Atlantic Theatre Company), Oklahoma! (Broadway, St. Ann's Warehouse, Bard Summerscape - Drama Desk and Grammy Award Nominations), Macbeth (Lincoln Center Theatre), Peter Pan (Bedlam), Cabaret (national tour, Roundabout Theatre Company), Edward II (Red Bull), Camelot, Othello, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Henry V, Richard II, As You Like It, Mrs. Warren's Profession (Shakespeare Theatre Company, DC), and also work with Bay Street Theatre, Capital Rep, amongst others. For television, his work includes Dash & Lily; and for film, Bleecker, Xmas In July, and short films The Lovers and Research.

After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American Musical Theater. Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes in Arms and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic, Show Boat, with Jerome Kern. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as "the musical play." Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer and Olivier Awards. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is a Concord Company.

Daniel Fish is a New York-based director who makes work across the boundaries of theatre, film, and opera. He draws on a broad range of forms and subject matter including plays, film scripts, contemporary fiction, essays and found audio. His 2019 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! transferred to Broadway from St. Ann's Warehouse and won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. Other recent work includes White Noise, inspired by the novel by Don DeLillo (Ruhrfestspiele Recklingshausen, Theater Freiburg, Skirball NYU), Most Happy, based on Frank Loesser's "The Most Happy Fella" (Williamstown Theater Festival), Michael Gordon's opera, Acquanetta (Prototype Festival/Bard Summerscape), Don't Look Back (The Chocolate Factory), Who Left This Fork Here (Baryshnikov Arts Center, Onassis Center), Ted Hearne's The Source (BAM NEXT WAVE, LA Opera, San Francisco Opera), and Eternal, a video installation. His work has been seen at theatres and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe including, The Walker Arts Center, PuSH, Teatro Nacional D. Maria, Lisbon/Estoril Film Festival, Vooruit, Festival TransAmériques, Noorderzon Festival, The Chocolate Factory, The Public Theater's Under The Radar, Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theater, American Repertory Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center at Bard College, Yale Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater, Signature Theater, The Shakespeare Theater Company, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Staatstheater Braunschweig, and The Royal Shakespeare Company. Residencies and commissions include The MacDowell Colony, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Mass MOCA, and LMCC/ Governor's Island. In December 2022, he will première a new production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide for Opera National de Lyon. He is graduate of Northwestern University's Department of Performance Studies and has taught at The Juilliard School, Bard College, and The Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is the recipient of the 2017 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts for the Theater.

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