WINCHESTER — On Thursday night, audiences of Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre’s high-energy production of “Oklahoma!” found themselves out west in 1906.

The play kicked off the theater’s 34th season and was an enjoyable romp filled with upbeat songs, thrilling dance numbers and vibrant costumes.

The play centers on the love story between cowboy Curly McClain, played by Logan Foster, and Laurey Williams, played by Emma Gwin.

Their courtship is made all the more exciting by Foster and Gwin’s push and pull dynamic as their characters emotionally grapple with the realization that they are in love. They are both stubborn, which causes them to make rash decisions simply to spite the other.

The actors have a believable chemistry on stage that carries them throughout the play. They also have talented singing voices that stand successfully alone but also blend well when they come together.

Gwin is a returning Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre actress. Last season she played the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” and was a member of the ensemble of “Sweeney Todd” and “Pirates of Penzance.” She holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from George Mason University.

Foster is a junior music theater major studying at Elon University in North Carolina.

“Oklahoma!” opens with Aunt Eller Murphy, played by Libby Ingham, as she churns butter. Ingham shines as the strong maternal figure in the play. She is tough enough to break up a fight and shoot off a gun, but also compassionate toward the other characters. Her mannerisms speak volumes when she isn’t saying anything at all.

Ingham is also a returning actress to the summer theater. In previous seasons she has starred as Fantine in “Les Miserables” and Judy in “9 to 5, The Musical.”

One actor who brought a whopping amount of energy to the stage was Garrett Metzler, who plays Will Parker. From the moment he appears on stage, he is the epitome of a rootin’ tootin’ cowboy. He is able to maintain his high spirit and energy throughout as he pursues his love interest, Ado Annie Carnes, especially when he introduces her to a dramatic kiss he calls the “Oklahoma hello.”

Katie Davis plays the adorably clueless Ado Annie. The girl who just “cain’t say no” when gentlemen suitors start “talkin’ purdy” is a contrast to Laurey, who is more strong-willed and initially says she doesn’t need a man to be happy. However, the two complement each other as friends. Davis also adds a breathy element to her songs to show that her character is still young and naive.

Rafael Martinez-Salgado, who plays the peddler Ali Hakim, and Jordan Stocksdale, who is the villain Jud Fry, are two characters on opposite ends of the spectrum. Martinez-Salgado is successful at making the audience laugh as a suitor of Ado Annie. He is simply interested in having fun and is more than happy to bow out to Will when she mentions marriage.

Stocksdale brings an element of suspense to the story. Through his body language, he shows that his character is disturbed and has anger issues. When he yells at Laurey toward the end of the play, his voice booms through the theater with fury.

When Martinez-Salgado and are Stocksdale on stage together, they compliment each other although they are so different.

The “Oklahoma!” ensemble also helped to keep the play upbeat while they danced the two-step. They also showed off their skills with high kicks, cartwheels and heel clicks. The choreography was well put together and the dancers were able to mostly stay timed together. When Laurey has a dream about Curly and Jud, the ensemble presented their ballet skills also. The dream sequence dance showed the emotions of the characters from love to fright without speaking a word.

The play’s orchestra, conducted by Thomas Albert, didn’t miss a beat during the play. Also, the elaborate set design helped to make the audience feel like they were out in the wild west with a farmhouse, windmill, smokehouse and white-picket fences. The detail in the smokehouse stood out as impressive.

“Oklahoma!” first made its appearance on Broadway in 1943. It was the first musical written by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre’s production of “Oklahoma!” runs through July 2 at Shenandoah University. Upcoming summer shows are Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” from July 6-16 and “Hairspray” from July 22-30. To purchase tickets visit www.ssmtva.org.

— Contact Jackie Puglisi at jpuglisi@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @LifeWinStar