Hard to believe the classic musical “Oklahoma!” is 66 years old. Camarillo Community Theatre presents the show with a cast of mostly young faces, many of them first-timers to this stage.

The musical is based on Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play “Green Grow the Lilacs,” which ran for only 64 shows.

With more than 2,200 Broadway performances, “Oklahoma!” was the first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The show is one of the first American musicals to integrate music, text and dance to tell a dramatic story rather than simply showcase a series of comedy sketches or hit songs.

The popular show is deceptively simple: Two guys fight for the hand of the same girl.

Cowboy Curly (Philip Wieck) comes courtin’ for Laurey (Sarah Bulger), who runs a farm with Aunt Eller (Penny Krevenas, Deidre Parmenter). Laurey and Curly fuss and argue, which means they’re perfect for each other. She turns down Curly’s offer to escort her to the box social and goes instead with her rough-about-the-edges farmhand Jud Fry (Noah Shultety), a loner who lives in the smokehouse.

As Laurey tries to decide which man she wants, tensions grow between Curly and Jud.

In a parallel subplot, dizzy Ado Annie (Mallory Martin) falls for the peddler Ali Hakim (Caleb Huelitt) while her intended, Will Parker (Adam Rayzor), is in Kansas City.

The girl’s father, Andrew Carnes (Roger Krevenas), tells Will he must produce $50 in cash to wed his daughter.

Will wins the money at a rodeo but spends it on gifts for his gal.

When Andrew sees Hakim sparkin’ with his daughter, he threatens the peddler with a shotgun wedding.

Hakim is mortified, as he only wanted fun, not a family. Will, meanwhile, wants his sweetheart back, but he’s broke.

The modest plot is brightened by memorable songs—“The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “I Cain’t Say No,” “Many a New Day” and the title tune.

People who’ve only seen the movie version will be pleasantly surprised to hear two songs cut from the film, “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!” in which the menfolk complain about Hakim’s forced engagement, and Jud’s solo “Lonely Room.”

Another notable feature is the lengthy Dream Sequence that closes Act 1. Laurey whiffs one of the peddler’s potions and imagines her life first with Curly, then with Jud.

The graceful ballet, which tells a story without words, is a delight to watch.

The company dance number in “The Farmer and the Cowman” is another crowd pleaser.

Although the songs are cheery, this seemingly innocent tale of good country folk contains undercurrents of darkness: pornography, stalking, promiscuity, violence and even death. American’s heartland is not immune to strife and trouble.

The cast’s standouts are Wieck, Bulger and an energetic Rayzor, who performs some nifty rope tricks.

The singing is excellent, but the taped instrumental musical arrangements don’t work.

The set design presents a new technique—painting scenery on the theater’s walls. The captivating result makes it seem the audience is sitting in a cornfield.

The tall windmill and grain tower are also inventive touches. The one piece that doesn’t work is the stylized cornfield painted on a sheet. At times the stagehands had trouble moving the backdrop in place.

The show seems to be missing some scenes. The song “The Farmer and the Cowman,” an ode for the two parties to get along, opens Act 2 without any preamble on why the folks are feuding. The role of Gerdie (Olivia Huelitt), the funny young lass with an ear-piercing giggle, feels trimmed down. The show is long—slightly over three hours—and perhaps cuts were made to reduce the running time.

Yet the show maintains its rousting good cheer as the townsfolk celebrate their new state and the audience leaves the theater humming those glorious tunes.

“Oklahoma!” runs through Nov. 22 at 330 Skyway Drive, Camarillo. For tickets, call (805) 388-5716 or go to www .camarillotheatre.org.