It may not have sparked excitement when it was first announced as this year’s musical, but Oklahoma! three night run Thursday-Saturday proved to be better than expected as the cast made a rather boring plot and occasionally annoying score much more palatable.

Oklahoma! tells the story of rancher, Curley McLain’s (senior Ben Meaders) attempts to sweep farm girl, Laurey (junior Elizabeth Jowers) off her feet in 1906. The most major and notable subplot focuses on cowboy Will Parker (senior John Weichel) trying to tame his flirtatious love interest, Ado Annie (senior Noelle Brooks) and keeping her away from Persian peddler Ali Hakim (junior Jak Barth).

The majority of the large cast was entertaining throughout, regardless of the size of their role. They all seemed to maintain a high level of energy, particularly in larger numbers such as “It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage!” and “Oklahoma!”.

It’s going to be sad not having another opportunity to watch seniors Ben Meaders, John Weichel, and Noelle Brooks act in another musical at the high school. The three shined in their performances, bringing their characters to life. From the moment Meaders began to sing in the opening number, “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’”, it was clear that he has such talent musically and he was hilarious and charming. Despite being an inexperienced actor, Weichel was one of the most entertaining performers in the show, and his chemistry with Brooks was a highlight. Brooks portrayed ditzy flirt Ado Annie almost perfectly and was outstanding when singing the classic “I Cain’t Say No.”

The technical work for this show was wonderful, including nice touches such as a fully functioning windmill and volunteer Karen Karnuta’s outstanding painting on the vast majority of the set. The wonderful orchestra conducted by choir director Bethany Stuard and other technical aspects tied the whole show together.

The drawbacks to the show can’t be blamed on anyone involved in this production, but on writer and lyricist Rodgers and Hammerstein because the storyline occasionally lags and some of the songs are simply irritating. The high school’s adaptation is worthy of praise for making such a poorly written show entertaining.

This year’s musical was surprisingly entertaining, thanks to the wonderful singing, acting, and technical work.