Interview: 'It's Always Been a Role I've Loved': Actor Zizi Strallen on RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S OKLAHOMA! IN CONCERT

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! In Concert arrives at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the very theatre it began in on the West End, for two nights only on 19 and 20 August to celebrate the show’s 80th anniversary. The show, directed and choreographed by Bill Deamer, stars Phil Dunster as Curly, Zizi Strallen as Laurey, Christina Bianco as Ado Annie and Jordan Shaw as Will Parker and will also feature a 30-piece orchestra conducted by Ben Glassberg.

Recently, BroadwayWorld had the chance to walk with Zizi Strallen about taking on the role of Laurey. We discussed her love for Oklahoma!, what it is like to perform in a concert version of a show and the songs she is most looking forward to performing!

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How did you first get involved in the world of theatre?

Pretty much my whole family is involved in some way in theatre, acting, dancing or performing! My nan ran a dancing school that me and all my sisters went to. My mum and dad were dancers in lots of West End shows back in the 70s and 80s. So that was how we all have been involved in it. At one point when I was eleven, I said that I didn't want to do it for about six months, and then just changed my mind, went back and have never looked back since! [Laughs] So that's basically how I got involved - my whole family's involved!

And what made you want to be in this concert production of Oklahoma!?

I'd grown up watching Oklahoma! and I have always been a huge fan of the musical. When me and my younger sister were little, we used to constantly watch the VHS of The National Theatre production of Oklahoma! over and over again. I was the biggest fan of Josefina Gabrielle and then I was super, super lucky to work with her when I was 22 in Merry We Roll Along. I couldn't believe my luck! That was definitely one of those starstruck moments. So it's always been a role that I've loved, I've always sung the songs from . . . So when this came about, I absolutely jumped at the chance!

Can you tell us a bit about your role in the show, Laurey?

I love Laurey so much because she's like a modern woman of the times. She's very independent, she's very strong. It’s not that she dislikes men, it’s not that she dislikes Curly, but it's just that she feels like she doesn't need a man in her life to feel worth something. At that time when Oklahoma!'s set, the women in the show talk about making a hamper for their men and being the perfect wife. And actually, the role of Ado Annie is brilliant as well because she’s independent in her own way. So these two female roles in the show are just so ahead of their time and absolutely excellent in that way. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into Laurey!

And what is it like to be bringing back the show after the more modern revivals that have been on Broadway in the West End? 

So I actually didn’t see the more modern revival, so I’ve still got the very traditional version in my head. I'm looking forward to that. I'm definitely going to bring a certain strength to Laurey, maybe my own take on a modern edge. But I think Josefina Gabrielle did that really well back in the 90s! So I think I'm just going to lean into it a little bit but then still stay in the traditional sense of Oklahoma!. We've got a 30-piece orchestra, so it's going to be very Rodgers and Hammerstein’s traditional orchestrations - I think that's going to lend itself to being a more traditional production anyway. 

What is it like rehearsing and performing concert versions of shows like Pippin versus a typical West End Show?

Obviously, you have less time, so you have to just throw yourself into it, and you have to do quite a lot of prep work going into it. But Pippin was just insane! It was bigger and better than any of us thought it was going to be. The reaction to it was incredible! [Laughs] But we all just got there and threw ourselves into it. Everyone was really focused on what they had to do in this short period of time so we could get out there and deliver. There's a more stretched-out feeling when you rehearse for six weeks or whatever. When you have two weeks or ten days, it's just like, “Right, let's all crack on, get together, get something brilliant out of this.” And it creates camaraderie!

And what is it that pulls you to do these concert performances?

I don’t know! Realistically, if you were doing a long production of Oklahoma!, you wouldn't be able to have a 30-piece orchestra on stage with you. So there's something beautiful about the fact that we're going to be stood there with minimal staging. I say that, but we'll see what Bill Deamer [Director and Choreographer] comes up with! But the fact that we're going to be stood in front of that beautiful orchestra conducted wonderfully by Ben [Glassberg], it's just going to be so special. These one-off concerts are just so special, and you feel like you're part of something that's just like, “You have to be there, and if you miss it, you miss it!” So it's got that special one-off feeling about it, which I love.

Do you have any particular songs you're looking forward to performing?

I love “Many A New Day” because as I think more about Laurey, I think it's so ahead of her time. She says, “Why should a woman who's healthy and strong / blubber like a baby if her man’s goes away?” It's such a brilliant line! And that's how she starts the song. I can't wait to sing that one. And then also, I love “People Will Say We’re in Love.” It's so cheeky and such a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein duet. I love those songs!

What do you hope audiences take away from Oklahoma!?

I think they're going to take away lots of things! I think they're going to take away a new love for the music and a new kind of love for the story. It’s about people coming together in hard times and also accepting people for their differences - not judging books by their cover and things like that. I'm really excited for Phil's take on Curly! I think he's going to be really cheeky in the role. It's a really cheeky role, Curly, so I think he's going to bring something really lovely to it.  I think that'll be lovely for audiences to take away from it as well. 

And finally, how would you describe Oklahoma! in one word?

Glorious!

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! In Concert runs on 19 and 20 August at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

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