Back to the days of the Wild West!

From January 20 until February 6 at the Riverside Theatre, Ballywillan Drama Group will be transporting their patrons to the American mid-west for their tenth anniversary production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s wonderful family musical Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! tells the story of some of the original settlers of Oklahoma - a tale filled with love, comedy and violence as statehood looms nigh.

Audiences will be transported back to a time when the cowboy and the farmer both were king and had to work out a way to live with each other.

Last staged by the Ballywillan Group in 2000 in their then home of Waterworld, Portrush, some of that original award-winning cast are reprising their roles.

David McClarty and Olive Hemphill will once again play their original parts of Ali Hakim and Aunt Eller, and are joined by Alan McClarty who, having played Curly ten years ago, now takes on the role of Jud Fry.

Mark Adamson plays the part of Curly and Fiona Warke takes the role of Laurey.

Ashling Reynolds and Colin McClarty are cast together again this year, playing opposite each other as the comical Ado Annie and the not-so-bright Will Parker.

The music from Oklahoma! is well known and classics such as “The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top”, “Oh What A Beautiful Morning”, “Kansas City” and “The Farmer And The Cowman” will delight audiences throughout the run of the show, and leave them with great memories for years to come.

The production team, headed by Director and Producer, Brian Logan, Musical Director, Eric Boyd and Choreographer, Sharon Wilson, are guiding the vast through through the final stage of the show and ensuring that this is the Oklahoma! to see this year.

Running for almost three weeks it is the biggest show in the Riverside Theatre and, indeed, is the longest running amateur musical anywhere in Ireland with eighteen performance dates.

Ballywillan took three nominations for their last musical, Fiddler on the Roof, in the Association of Irish Musical Societies Awards - Best Director, Best Lighting, Sets and Sound and Best Chorus - and are keen to show their wares to the public once more.

Nominated for Best Set for four years in succession, Brian Logan has once again created a sweeping design, which extends the width of the Riverside stage and includes recreations of the actual period log cabins and buildings.

Saturday matinees are at 2.30pm with evening performances at 8pm. Concessions apply. Box Office 028 7032 3232 or book on-line at www.riversidetheatre.org.uk

Seat prices 14 and 17.