JFK Students Bring Singing, Dancing Skills to 'Oklahoma!'

It surprised even their choreographer, but the boys in John F. Kennedy Catholic High School's production of Oklahoma! can dance. They're doing more than just jazz squares, too. Heel clicks, the do-si-do, choreographed skirmishes and more are all a part of their repretoire.

"Often I choreograph things in my head, and it doesn't necessarily come out looking like that," associate stage director and choreographer KC Creely said. "This, though, this looks like it looked in my head."

She thinks the song "Kansas City," which allows the male chorus to show off its dance moves, will be a crowd favorite.

The boys aren't the only all-stars in this show, though. Creely said her parents, producer-director team Jac and Susan Slivka, picked Oklahoma! because they knew they would have a strong cadre of young actors to play the show's many lead parts and chorus roles. 

Set in the Oklahoma territory in 1906, Oklahoma! tells the story of two romances, affable Curly McLain's relationship with the aternately stubborn and sweet Laurey Williams, and goofball Will Parker's relationship with the flirtacious Ado Annie Carnes. 

The show is very student-driven, Creely said. "This is all them. They build the sets; they do the lights. They're here painting every day. They work their butts off, and we don't have to be back here with a whip."

That hard work, combined with traditions, make the cast feel like a family. They all pray together before every show. The person leading the prayer, usually a senior, recognizes others in the cast by name for their hard work. They play onstage pranks on each other at one of Sunday's performances. The cast visits the home of the Slivkas to watch tapes of past Kennedy High School shows together. The Slivkas have been directing shows at Kennedy High School for about 20 years. 

Graham Adzima, of Chesterfield, said his favorite tradition occurs on the last night of rehearsal for each show. The guys in the show all go onstage shirtless in one scene. 

"Usually, the energy goes up then," said Adzima, who plays the creepy farmhand Jud Fry. 

Oklahoma! gave the guys one other tradition, too. Adzima said that every time the guys go offstage, they immediately pull out their prop guns and start shooting them. Creely said the props and costumes have really helped the cast get into character. Once the guys got into their leather chaps and boots, she said, they walked around with a different swagger.

Michael Klein, of Kirkwood, said getting into character was easy for him. Klein plays Will Parker and said his favorite scene was the song "Kansas City" because in it, Will is "a dancing goofball, kind of like me."

Adam Antor, who plays Curly McLain, said he slipped into the role easily, too. The senior from Weldon Spring described Curly as a cowboy who thinks he's "all that." 

"I just started acting like I do when I'm messing around with my friends," Antor said.

Other lead actors said they watched the movie Oklahoma! or clips of other stage productions on Youtube to learn more about their characters. 

"Laurey's lovestruck, but playing hard to get," Madeline Phillips, of Ballwin, said of her character. Phillips said she watched the movie, which features Shirley Jones as Laurey. "She's sweet and quiet, and I'm, well, not," Phillips said. 

Michelle Quinn, of Fenton, plays Aunt Eller. Quinn said she mimicked a lot of people watching to learn how to play the older character. She watched how older people walked and talked every day, Quinn said. 

"It's fun being old and having a cranky attitude," she said. "It's funny to be able to snip at people."

Kelsey Reinsfelder, of Ballwin, said she's enjoyed playing the flirtacious Ado Annie. Reinsfelder said she's a bit of a flirt herself, but nowhere near the over-the-top flirt Ado Annie is. 

"I wouldn't go around kissing lots of guys," Reinsfelder said. "It's fun to be flirty and not get into trouble."

Andrew Arendt, of Glendale, said he struggled to perfect the Persian accent required to play merchant Ali Hakim. 

"I YouTubed it, but that didn't really help," Arendt said. He modified an Italian accent with help from the directors, he said. 

Reinsfelder said when the curtain falls for the last time on Sunday afternoon, she'll still be singing along to the music from the show in her car. But not everyone agreed.

"I never want to listen to Oklahoma! again," Antor said, with a laugh.

"Oklahoma!" opened Thursday with performaces set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The show is in the theater at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, 500 Woods Mill Rd., Manchester. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children in eighth grade or younger.