For days before I saw the current Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, I was singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" in my head. I certainly wasn't singing when I left the theatre, though. I had been too bored for three hours by director Daniel Fish's greatly re-imagined staging and disgusted by the violent, blood-splattered ending.
This unusual production was a hit during its run Off-Broadway at St. Ann's Warehouse last fall, prompting the move to the Great White Way. The appeal escapes me.
I could accept the country-western interpretations of the songs, even though I prefer the lyricism of the traditional versions. I was also OK with forfeiting a lush orchestra for a seven-piece onstage band, even though the songs never achieved their soaring beauty. Orchestrator and arranger Daniel Kluger's choice certainly makes the show sound more like pre-statehood Oklahoma.
But I didn't like having the house lights on the whole time, except for the precious few moments of drama or romance. (Lighting by Scott Zielinski). This was probably considered a way to make the audience feel a part of the community, but it was distracting to me.
Except for Ali Stroker as Ado Annie, I found the actors lacking. Their performances were lifeless and their singing voices downright irritating at times.
Rebecca Naomi Jones as Laurey was the greatest miscasting. She had none of the girlishness this character should have. She is way beyond girlhood days. She's a fully developed woman who looks as if she's seen her fair share of rodeos. This is problematic because the plot, such as it is, involves the courtship of a young girl who doesn't want to admit she is smitten with Curly (Damon Daunno), the cowboy who is wooing her.
This could be why their courtship lacks any spark. The only spark seemed to occur between Curly and Jud Fry (Patrick Vaill) in what is always the show's darkest moment. (In this production, the ending is even darker.) Curly, threatened by Jud's pursuit of Laurey, suggests he should hang himself so he could achieve in death what he hasn't in life, sympathy and approval from the locals who look down on him.
I never liked that scene before, but I found Fish's staging to be intriguing. The house goes dark and a black and white projection of Jud's face fills the back wall and we witness his facial expression as he considers Curly's horrible suggestion. It's quite effective until Curly's face appears and shares the screen. While his words are hateful, the scene feels intimate and it almost seems as if the two men are going to kiss. Strange.
Another change is Laurey's dream sequence, which is usually a ballet. In this production, with choreography by John Heginbotham, a young bald woman, Gabrielle Hamilton, wearing only a thigh-length white sequined T-shirt with the words DREAM BABY DREAM in black letters, performs an explosive modern dance, accompanied by a recording of electric guitars playing "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and then other songs from the score in more toned down versions. I liked this change.
Set designer Laura Jellinek has turned the Circle in the Square into a small town meeting place, with light wood planks and shotguns on the walls and wood planks on the stage floor. Green, purple, red, pink and yellow streamers hang from the ceiling and long tables hold ears of corn and red pots for the cooking. In an especially nice gesture, the audience is invited onstage at intermission for chili and cornbread. That’s the one part of the show I can definitely give a rave.
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