There’s no doubt that Daniel Fish is creative, free thinking and gets into the nitty gritty of a musical as evidenced by the Tony Award winning Oklahoma! that won Best Revival of a Musical in 2019. His forte is deconstructing, getting rid of what he considers the unnecessary adornments so he can find the essence.

Looks like his next project will be tearing up the stage with Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella (1956) that opened at the Imperial Theatre and played 676 performances. As expected, he’ll be approaching it in a non-traditional manner with the same music team as Oklahoma! (Nathan Koci and Daniel Kluger). Loesser’s musical is about a love triangle between an older Napa Valley farmer, a young waitress and a good looking, but restless ranch hand – you get the picture! There are some great memorable songs such as “My Heart Is So Full of You,” “Big D,” and “Standing on the Corner.”

The casting notice: “Performers who identify as transgender, non-binary and queer are strongly encouraged to audition.”  More to come!

But if you’re interested in getting a peek before it most probably moves to Broadway, you’ll have the opportunity from July 7 – August 2 at the Bard SummerScape Festival in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.