There's something about Oklahoma! - the wide-eyed optimism, the honest-to-goodness sentiment, the no-fuss celebration of life and love - that makes the coming of this particular Oklahoma! something to celebrate. The American musical may have gotten darker than this, more complicated and more cynical. But it probably has never been more exhilarating than the day in 1943 when Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II first had the folks of the Oklahoma Territory singing their tribute to the land they adored.
Oklahoma! is 61 years old, but it's in fine shape in this nonunion national tour, patterned after the high-stepping revival that opened in London in 1998.
Shown here in the finale are Julie Burdick and Jeremiah James as the young lovers at the heart of the show, Laurey and Curly. The production, which recently played in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, comes to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Tuesday through Oct. 31. $20-$66.50. 813 229-7827, toll-free 1-800-955-1045, www.tbpac.org
