Last Updated on March 8, 2024, 10:00 AM | Published: March 8, 2024
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma sends this information as posted below:
OKLAHOMA CITY — March 7, 2024 — Grammy Award-winning Broadway star Adrianna Hicks has been cast in the lead role of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s Summer Season opener, MARY POPPINS.
Performances are June 25-30 at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker. Tickets are on sale now and start at just $42.
Hicks most recently starred as Sugar in Broadway’s Tony-nominated musical, SOME LIKE IT HOT, which received top acclaim from the Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle. She also originated the role of Catherine of Aragon in Broadway’s hit musical SIX.
“I’m so grateful to be playing such an iconic role, back home where it all began,” said Hicks of her casting as Mary Poppins. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, where she was awarded a scholarship by the Congressional Black Caucus.
Lyric’s Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron is thrilled to welcome Hicks back to Oklahoma City, where she was last seen in Lyric productions of RAGTIME, THE WHO’S TOMMY, HAIRSPRAY, and OLIVER, at the Civic Center.
“She has always been a spectacular performer, and it has been so exciting to watch her career soar and share her talents with the world,” Baron said. “Fresh from starring roles in original Broadway casts, having Adrianna return to Lyric, to play one of musical theatre’s most iconic roles, is a true gift.”
Directed by Adrianna’s mentor and former OU professor, Lyn Cramer, Lyric’s production will feature more than 35 actors and dancers, plus a full, live orchestra making this production one of the must-see theatrical events of the year.
Cramer, the Weitzenhoffer and Rothbaum Professor of Musical Theatre Dance at OU, said Hicks is a joy to work with, noting she graduated from the university in 2011.
“I directed her in OU’s production of ANYTHING GOES in 2008 and choreographed her work in RENT in 2010,” adds Cramer. “Her professional debut was at Lyric Theatre as one of HAIRSPRAY’s fabulous and audacious trio, The Dynamites. Directing her in that production was such a treat, and I can’t wait for her to return to Oklahoma in Lyric’s upcoming production as Mary Poppins. Adrianna will undoubtedly enchant audiences as everyone’s practically perfect nanny.”
Variety calls Hicks “A Star,” Deadline calls her “Incandescent,” and The New York Times adds she has “A completely compelling aura of her own.” In February 2024, she became a first-time Grammy Award winner at the 66th annual awards for her principal vocals on the original cast recording of SOME LIKE IT HOT, which won Best Musical Theater Album.
Hicks previously appeared on Broadway in ALADDIN and THE COLOR PURPLE, the latter of which marked her Broadway debut. She was raised in McKinney, Texas, and began her professional career in Germany with Stage Entertainment with roles in DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE and SISTER ACT. Hicks also performed in LEGALLY BLONDE in Austria.
MARY POPPINS soars into the Civic Center this June for the first time in nearly a decade. Drawn from the groundbreaking 1964 Disney film and the brilliant series of books, this delightful family musical features the unforgettable songs “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and many more. The complete casting of Lyric’s magical, new production will be announced in April.
Tickets to MARY POPPINS are available online 24/7 at www.LyricTheatreOKC.org, and at Lyric’s Box Office by calling (405) 524-9312, Monday through Friday, 12 to 5 p.m. Discounts are available for groups of 8 or more. Subscriptions to Lyric’s three-show Summer at the Civic are available, which also includes JERSEY BOYS and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA.
About Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Founded in 1963, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma is the Official State Theatre of Oklahoma. Lyric produces classic and contemporary musicals, new works, and plays featuring artists from Oklahoma and around the nation. Lyric’s Thelma Gaylord Academy is the premiere professional theatre training ground, offering classes in all aspects of the performing arts. Lyric is a nonprofit member theatre of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and Allied Arts. For more information, visit www.LyricTheatreOKC.org.
Free Press curates press releases from organizations and people we know to be reputable. If you would like to submit a well-written press release for us to publish on our site, please click the email icon at the top of this page.
