GREEN GROW THE LILACS Runs Now thru 9/26 at Theatricum Botanicum

The final entry in Theatricum Botanicum's 2015 "Americana" repertory season, Green Grow the Lilacs by Native American playwright Lynn Riggs is the rarely produced 1931 play that vied for the Pulitzer Prize and inspired the first mega-musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!. A rough-and-tumble love story with singing cowboys and classic folk music of the pioneering era, Green Grow the Lilacs will be directed by Ellen Geer for tonight's (July 11) opening.

Riggs set his play in the great, unchartered frontier of the Indian Territory a decade before the area known as Oklahoma became a state, incorporating the colorful vernacular of early 20th century settlers and infusing Lilacs with songs like "Git Along Little Doggies," "Home on the Range," "Skip to My Lou" and the title song, "Green Grow the Lilacs" - along with lesser known ballads and up-tempo hoedowns. Unlike modern musical convention with which today's audiences are familiar, the characters in Riggs' drama choose to sing for the sake of it rather than to move the action along, giving the play an organic richness that complements the style of the period. Critics of the day credited Riggs with the creation of a new form, the "folk drama."

The semi-autobiographical story about cowhand Curly McLain, who goes up against an evil farmhand for the affection of Laurey, a farm girl - only to find himself arrested for murder on his wedding night - would make theater history; twelve years after its Broadway premiere (with Lee Strasberg in the supporting role of Peddler), Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted the play into the hit musical Oklahoma!. Although, Riggs' play was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for drama, the musical's popularity has eclipsed the original, and Lilacs is little known to today's audiences.

The wild prairieland setting transfers beautifully to the verdant backdrop of Theatricum Botanicum's outdoor amphitheater, where Jeff Wiesen stars as Curly; Willow Geer as Laurey Williams; Melora Marshall as Aunt Eller Murphy; Elizabeth Tobias as Ado Annie; Steven B. Green as Jeeter Fry; Leo Knudson as Old Man Peck; Zachary Davidson as Peddler; and Wendy Pigott as Cory Elam. Rounding out the ensemble are Tate Ammons, Olivia Buntaine, Carina Cherbosque, Caitlin Durkin, Arielle Fodor, Devin Holliman, Dimitri Aleman Jones, Kathleen Leary, Kendall Linzee, John Manahan, Victoria Yvonne Martinez, Gray Schierholt, Jay Sosnicki, Schyler Tillett and Alexander Wauthier as townspeople.

Lighting design for Green Grow the Lilacs is by Zach Moore, sound design is by Ian Flanders, costume design is by Randy Hozian and the production stage manager is Kim Cameron.

Theatricum Botanicum is renowned for its spirited productions of Shakespeare and modern classics in a spectacular outdoor setting. Unlike most theaters in the Los Angeles area that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum, using a company of actors, performs each play on a rotating basis so that it's possible to see all five mainstage plays in a single summer weekend. Theatricum has been named "One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles" by Buzz magazine, "One of Southern California's most beguiling theater experiences" by Sunset, and "Best Theater in the Woods" by the LA Weekly. "The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum's maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn't get any better than this," writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, "The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills."

Green Grow the Lilacs opens on Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. and continues through Sept. 26. Tickets range from $10-$39.50, with discounts available for students, seniors, the military and AEA members. Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For a complete schedule of performances and to purchase tickets, call 310-455-3723 or log onto www.theatricum.com. Visit Theatricum on facebook: www.facebook.com/theatricum. Follow us on twitter: @theatricum.

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