Who will strike it rich in gold, love?
Join Guymon Community Theatre as they present “Paint Your Wagon,” a Broadway musical comedy that follows the lives and loves of the people in a California wilderness mining camp in 1853 during the Gold Rush-era.
Popular songs from the show include "Wand'rin' Star", "I Talk to the Trees" and "They Call the Wind Maria".
In 1969 the film version also titled Paint Your Wagon was released, but with a highly revised plot and some new songs. The original book and lyrics are by Alan J. Lerner with music by Frederick Loewe.
The story begins with a crusty old miner, Ben Rumson (Tony Hardman), conducting a makeshift funeral for a friend. Meanwhile his 16-year-old daughter Jennifer (Ashlee Ortiz) discovers gold dust. Ben claims the land, and prospectors start flocking to the brand new town of Rumson. Within two months Rumson has a population of 400 from Maine to Tennesse, England to Ireland, all of whom are men except for Jennifer.
The musical, directed by Josh Setzer and assistant director Kasey Russell, shares the woes, love, and shenanigans of several characters. Salem Trumbull (Andy Scott) sets up shop in town. Prospector Pete Billings (David Stallings) is waiting to save enough money to send for his love Cherry (Alanna Bacon) and her Fandango girls (Leslie Aubrey, Natalie Watson, Rachel Helms, Tammy Hawkins). Miners like Steve Bullnack (Beau Hawkins), Rueben Sloan (Denver Fankhouser), Doctor Newcomb (Dennis Scott), Bill (Keeven Talbert), Ed (Ian Hill), and Rocky (Jevin Setzer) left factories with dreams of gold. Immigrants Mike Mooney (Patrick Coble) and Edgar Crocker (Tyler Puryear) left their homeland and so far mining isn’t paying off and young Jennifer senses the tension building in town. Julio Valveras (Tanner Aubrey), a handsome young miner forced to live and work outside of town because he is Mexican, comes to town with dirty laundry and runs into Jennifer, who volunteers to do his laundry and love is discovered.
Jacob Woodling (Larry Watson), a Mormon man with two wives, Sarah (Tammy Hawkins) and Elizabeth (Miranda Gilbert), arrives in Rumson where the men advise Jacob to sell one of his wives for mining equipment. To everyone’s surprise, Ben finds himself wooing Elizabeth and wins her. Jennifer, bothered by her father's actions, heads East for school telling Julio that she will be reunited with him. Cherry and her Fandango girls arrive and the mining and shenanigans continue.
Who will strike it rich in gold, love or ride the wagons back home empty handed?
Come to GCT to find out!
The opening week’s performances are April 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and May 1 at 2p.m. The show will run a second week after Pioneer Days with performances May 12 at 7 p.m. and May 14 and 15 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $8 and can be reserved by calling the box office at 580-338-0019. This show is made possible by a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
-Miranda Gilbert
Community Programs and Communications Specialist