GALLIPOLIS — Nearly 40 local youths will present a tumultuous tale of love, conflict, and patriotism as River Valley High School’s production of “Oklahoma!” takes center stage at the Ariel Theatre this weekend.

“The plot centers around two love triangles, one fun and one dark, and there is also the underlying theme of Oklahoma vying for statehood within that frame,” said director Cindy Graham. “It’s filled with patriotism and excitement for the birth of the Western part of our nation, with good old fashioned songs like ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘I Just Can’t Say No.’”

Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, the musical tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farmer girl Laurey Williams. Their love is challenged by Laurey’s threatening farm hand, Jud Fry, and much of the play follows the tension generated by this conflict.

In the RVHS production, Laurey is played by Kari McFann, Curly is played by David Householder and Jud is played by Jeff Hopkins.

“Not only is the story great, but the music is fantastic,” said McFann. “There is a story line for everyone. The drama and the music are both worth seeing.”

“It’s fun because what’s happening on the stage could apply to anyone’s life,” said Hopkins. “Everyone falls in love, and this play touches on the trials and triumphs and even some of the quirky parts of love.”

According to Wikipedia, ‘Oklahoma!’ was the first musical play written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The dynamic musical earned Rodgers and Hammerstein a special Pulitzer Prize award in the category of “Special Awards And Citations - Letters” in 1944.

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box-office smash and ran for a then unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours and an Academy Award-winning 1955 film adaptation starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones (in her film debut), Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert.

In 2007, “Oklahoma!” was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

“It’s almost like a tug of war,” said Josie Bapst, assistant director. “Curly and Laurey really care about each other, but they don’t want to admit it. The play is full of typical teenage angst. There’s a lot of action going on, but it’s also a very light hearted show. There are plenty of good happy songs with a wide range of vocals. Cindy has brought out the best in these kids.”

Student director Kayla Johnson, music director Elizabeth Fowble and choreographers Amanda Hager and Iliana Corfias have spent many hours contributing their collective talents to this classic stage production.

The show will be performed at 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, April 11 & 12, at the historic Ariel Theatre in downtown Gallipolis. Tickets for all seats cost $6 and are available by calling Josie Bapst at RVHS at 367-7377 or by contacting the Ariel Box office at 446-ARTS. Seats are limited.