If there’s a bright golden haze on the meadow, and the corn is as high as an elephants eye, there’s only one place you could be — Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma,” one of the most well-known shows in American musical theater, opens this weekend at Fisher Theater. The musical is presented by Ames Community Theater on June 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 8p.m. and June 22 at 2p.m.

“Oklahoma,” which was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, first opened on Broadway in 1943 and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize that year. The show is set in the Oklahoma territory during the pioneer days and depicts a basic struggle between farmers and cowboys.

Within the plot exists a love affair between a young couple who are set on playing hard-to-get. Curley and Laurey both know how much they like each other, but neither one is willing to admit it.

That is, until Laurey agrees to go to the Box Social with Jud, and Curley realizes if he ever wants Laurey, he’s going to have to make it known during the auction of Laurey’s basket..

Jud, who saves up all his money to buy the basket, is furious when he is outbid by Curley. Jud won’t give up and threatens Laurey, ultimately leading to his getting fired from a position on her Aunt Eller’s farm. A drunk Jud returns to Oklahoma, and a fight breaks out, resulting in death and tragedy.

At the same time all of this action is taking place, Ado Annie is trying to decide which man (or men) she really loves. An ugly duckling-turned-guy magnet, she has all the men in town fighting over her.

Her father, however, is determined to keep her unattached. Ado, who “just can’t say no,” has other ideas leading to most of the humor surrounding her character.

While ACTORS is a community theater, the faces behind several of the principle roles are familiar to Iowa State. Cyndi Gryte (Laurey) and Chris Tuttle (Curley) were both seen in Iowa State’s spring production of “Bye-Bye Birdie.” Gryte and Tuttle both said they are enjoying the show and the higher level of professionalism within the cast.

“I think community theater is fun because you have a wide range of ages,” Tuttle said. “You get to meet a whole new group of people.”

Gryte and Tuttle also agreed the show is very different from doing an ISU production. Community theater demands a dedication from the cast in all areas, not just acting. The technical director, Brian Parrish, is also playing the part of Jud Fry. “You’re responsible for everything,” said Brooke McKnight, the face and voice behind Ado Annie.

One of the typical criticisms of musical theater is that it contains a lot of fluff or seldom focuses on reality. While Gryte enjoys the “happiness of musicals,” she feels this production has really attempted to take the plot a step further by adding more tension to the scenes.

“Jud really becomes a sinister character. He likes me so much it is almost creepy,” she said.

Tuttle agree, but also pointed out musicals often focus upon the positive. “The purpose of a musical is to take you away from the hardness of real life,” he said.

The addition of extra tension is not the only change that has been made to the ACTORS version of “Oklahoma.” Director Mike Miller said he has also incorporated children into the scene — something that is very rarely done with the show.

Miller is also working with a large cast of over 40 people. “It needs more people just to make it work,” he said. “For some of them, it’s a really big leap since we started in April.”

Miller said, however, that he has been confident in his cast from the beginning. “You find the characters in them that they don’t see in themselves,”Miller said.

Miller said the show is pretty much under his leadership until opening night, and it is the cast who takes over at that point. “They have to make the audience feel for their characters,” he said.

Tickets for “Oklahoma” are available through the Stephens box office for $15, and students and seniors receive a $1 discount. The community is encouraged to attend.

“Oklahoma is definitely a crowd pleaser. It has songs you’d know, whether you’re a musical theater buff or not. It surpassed my expectations,” Tuttle said.