Putting on a production of “State Fair” has been on the minds of the Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra for a while now.

They had been preparing to perform the show in March 2020, but had to put those plans aside when COVID-19 shut everything down.

“We had always hoped to get back to it and this year was the year,” said show Co-Director Kathy Michael.

Now the public is invited by the Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra to enjoy performances of the musical “State Fair” March 29 through April 6 at Strath Haven Middle School in Wallingford.

Audiences can return to a simpler time and enjoy an old-fashioned fair that features an Academy Award-winning score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, including “It Might as Well Be Spring,” “A Grand Night for Singing” and “Our State Fair,” and a book by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli.

Behind the scenes, the set designer and production crew are creating sets that will transform the stage into 1946 Iowa, complete with fair booths filled with pickles, pies, and pigs, all hoping for that blue ribbon!

Michael is co-directing the show with Robert Moore, with Florrie Marks as music director and conductor.  

“State Fair’s” story of an Iowa family going to the state fair isn’t deep, but it’s “pure fun,” said Marks.

At its core, “State Fair” is a simple story of the Frake family. There are no villains, no bad guys, just “good fun, a bit of love and lots of family,” Michael said.

What makes Rose Valley’s fully staged show unique for its audiences is the live 24-member   orchestra that accompanies the cast. 

Marks added that she’s been working with some “wonderfully talented performers” whose “enthusiasm is contagious.” 

She is particularly taken with how the orchestra helps with the storytelling, utilizing pastoral woodwinds and fiddling strings for the Iowa folks and big band jazz for the outsiders at the fair.

“That integration of stage and pit is just part of what makes ‘State Fair’ such a joy to present,” she said.

Michael promises a show that’s “big and bold.”

“Accompanied by a large orchestra, the sounds are wonderful and echo throughout the auditorium,” she said. “We are having a lot of fun together and I can’t wait for the audience to experience this.”

Marks agrees.

“Our audience members will have as much fun watching the show as our performers will have presenting it,” she said.

“State Fair” is one of only two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals that premiered as movies before their stage musical counterparts— the other one was Cinderella, performed by RVCO last spring.

The Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra version is based on a 1945 movie starring Dana Andrews, Jean Crane, and Vivian Blaine.

The Broadway premiere of “State Fair” in 1996 earned both Rodgers and Hammerstein their final, posthumous Tony nominations.

Interestingly, the popular 1962 movie was set in Texas and the musical in Iowa.

“State Fair” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.com.

• All performances are at Strath Haven Middle School, 200 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, and include two shows on Saturdays, March 29, and April 5 at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, March 30, and April 6 at 2 p.m.; and Wednesday, April 2 at 8 p.m.
• Tickets are general admission and good for any performance. Online tickets can be purchased at http://www.rvco.org/.
• Cash, checks, and online payments are also available at the door.
• For other questions, e-mail [email protected] or call the RVCO hotline at 610-565-5010.