In a musical Kit Carson would appreciate, the Escondido park that bears his name continues its summer theater series this weekend with the opening of American Rose Theatre's production of "Oklahoma!"

Plays in the Park's second production of the season was Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration.

When "Oklahoma!" debuted on Broadway in 1943, it was groundbreaking in many ways -- it was one of the first musicals to advance its story through song lyrics and the first to incorporate a ballet sequence as a storytelling device.

Doug Smith, who's directing "Oklahoma!" for American Rose Theatre, said he hopes audiences will be just as surprised by the musical when seeing it outdoors at the Kit Carson Park amphitheater.

"That idea appealed to me," Smith said.

Scott Farrell, who portrays the huckster Ali Hakim, witnessed firsthand that element upon arriving at the amphitheater.

"When we held our first rehearsal at the site, I will tell you, it was incredible," Farrell said. "As the cast was singing 'Oklahoma' and saying, 'Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk making lazy circles in the sky,' there was a hawk circling over Kit Carson Park.

"You are treated to not just the spectacle on stage, but also the locale adds to the ambiance of the play."

Customarily the first person on stage, the cowboy Curly enters from the wings, but within the landscape of the amphitheater, the director can further envelop his audience into the story.

"I'm going to have Curly enter coming down the hillside through the audience," Smith said. "The very fact it is an outdoor play in an outdoor setting, tying into the old West here, made it very appropriate."

"Oklahoma!" is the story of a rancher, Curly, falling in love with the farmer's daughter, Laurey, during a time in which the Oklahoma territory is on the cusp of statehood in 1907. Sharing some dramatic plot points with a certain Shakespearean classic, Smith used the comparison during the show's first rehearsal.

"It is a bit of a reach," Smith said. "In 'Oklahoma!' there is not as much conflict as in 'Romeo and Juliet.' But it is a story of two people from different backgrounds falling in love. It is a bit of a hyperbole to compare them to star-crossed lovers, but I think the metaphor is apt."

Farrell believes his director hit the nail on the head with the comparison.

"It has the classic elements of the great romantic drama," he said. "There are two rival clans: the ranchers and the farmers. The star-crossed romance between the two members of these clans and how that romance in the end creates a greater sense of unity -- that is a classic storyline told for centuries."

Farrell portrayed King Arthur in American Rose's production of "Camelot" and sought to return to the atmosphere of a classic theatre troupe.

"It was quite the experience," Farrell said. "It has those bonds of connections between the company and its members."

During the first rehearsal, Farrell felt an immediate kinship with his director and fellow players.

"We have that connection of friendship off the stage and that carries through on the stage," Farrell said. "There is such support in this cast."

For Farrell, the magic of "Oklahoma!" lies in its cultural relevance.

"The show really set the tone for musical theater that we still expect today. It set the template for what we think of as American musical theater," Farrell said.

Director Smith finds captured lightning in every aspect of the production.

"It was groundbreaking, the first of its kind to really weave the music, the singing and the dance into the storyline," he said. "It was the first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and it was based on a solid play, 'Green Grow the Lilacs.' It has all the elements of good storytelling that audiences love."

Farrell concurs that what proved to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Rodgers and Hammerstein still has musical theater striving for excellence.

"Sixty, 70 years later we are still operating on the formula that 'Oklahoma!' created," he added. "In some ways, it is a superlative American musical."

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American Rose Theatre's production of "Oklahoma!" is the second show to be presented at the Kit Carson Park amphitheatre this summer as part of the Plays in the Park series.

The schedule continues with American Rose Theatre's youth company musical revue, "A Night of Song on Broadway" on July 25. Patio Playhouse presents "A Tribute to the Andrews Sisters" on Aug. 3 and Neil Diamond impersonator David J. Sherry on Aug. 4. Patio will then open a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I," running Aug. 10 to Sept. 2. After that, Arts Off Broadway will present two youth-cast productions (playing as a double-bill), "Remember Me" and "Footloose," Sept. 7-15. American Rose Theatre closes out the series with "Grease," Sept. 21-30. The full schedule can be found at www.pitpescondido.com.