Colfax High School performs "Oklahoma!"

COLFAX - The Colfax School District serenaded a packed audience starting with Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' on the opening night of their production of the Broadway musical 'Oklahoma!' Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

The young actors brought the characters to life, bringing some old West to the Colfax stage.

As Aunt Eller, Elizabeth Salmond churned butter and teased Laurey, played by Paige Claassen, and Curley, played by Matthew Morgan, as they pretended not to be in love, as Curley, Morgan sang about The Surrey With the Fringe that he may or may not have rent from Claymore.

Will Parker, played by Mathis Inman, danced around the stage with Aunt Eller, telling everyone everything was up to date in Kansas City until she went about as fur as she could go.

Farm hand Jud Fry, played by Aslan Burt, swooped in and got Ms. Laurey to agree he'd take her to the party, much to Curly's dismay.

Meanwhile, Gertie, played by Layla Inman, tried stealing Curly's attention with her loud, perfectly shrill laugh.

Ado Annie, played by Charlotte McCulloh, teased the peddler man Ali Hakim, played by Jack Jones and Will Parker, singing her rendition of I Can't Say No.

Laurey sang Many A New Day to make the statement that no man was worth crying over, and it didn't matter that Gertie seemed to have Curley's attention.

Laurey and Curley tried to convince themselves they wouldn't end up together at the end, singing "People Will Say We're in Love."

The audience laughed when Curley and Jud Fry, Aslan Burt, sang "Poor Jud is Daid", and an unexpected gunfire smell filled the room when Curley shot a knot in the wall.

Laurey and the girls, played by Kyla Bibler, Ashley Morgan, Libby Lyle, Isabel Gibler, Charlotte Deleon, Ellie Pingel, Jovie Dawson, Vivian Riley, and Emma Olson, sang Out Of My Dreams as Laurey realized that the Egyptian-smelling salts she bought from Hakim wouldn't be what answered all her questions.

The second act brought in a lot of drama, with on-stage fights during The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends and several more moments of unexpected gunfire as Aunt Eller shot off some rounds and made Andrew Carnes, played by Michael Talley, sing.

The students danced across the stage during the farmer dance, and Will and Ado Annie snuck off to make sure Ado Annie knew that with Will, it's All 'Er Nuthin'.

Curly and Jud duked it out when Jud couldn't accept that Laurey was Curly's wife, leading to the unexpected fall of Jud as the boys: Ben Claasen, Trey Hunsaker, Jacob Ward, Michael Talley, and Josiah Huber gathered around his body to observe the damage.

They ended with a fist in the air, singing 'Oklahoma!'

Overall, Colfax students put on a sweeping performance of 'Oklahoma!' that many would say was more than okay.