Oklahoma!
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Cititour.com Review
In some ways, the meadow has never been as bright than it is in Daniel Fish’s daring “revisal” of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” now at Circle in the Square (after prior runs at St Ann’s Warehouse and Bard College). For nearly three hours, the house lights almost never dim on the lengthy unit playing space created by Laura Jellinek, complete with brightly colored streamers on the ceiling, tables full of chili and corn, dozens of shotguns on the walls and, yes, a crude sketch of a meadow on the back wall.
But there is darkness too, not just literally – during one very pivotal scene -- but in Fish’s subtle examination of the class system on which much of this seemingly plotless musical revolves. In fact, Fish has put almost every second of this show under a newly cleaned microscope and reformulated much of its DNA.
To accomplish this task, Fish has brought a bag of tricks as big and as stuffed as the one Felix the Cat used to carry to use in this production. The director’s untraditional approach to the show is heralded first by a small onstage pit that houses a seven-piece bluegrass band (which gives Rodgers’ score a marvelous country-like twang) and second, by the entrance of a guitar-strumming, horseless Damon Daunno, a handsome if rather lanky lad with a distinct tenor, as the cockier-than-ever cowboy Curly.
Yep, this Curly is still determined to get a declaration of love – or at least a date to the box social – from farmgirl Laurey Williams (the wonderful Rebecca Naomi Jones) and almost succeeds with an ultra-seductive rendition of “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” And, as always, Laurey eventually rebuffs Curly since she has agreed – in part out of spite, part out of fear, and maybe part out of sexual attraction – to go to the social with hired hand Jud Fry.
But here’s where things get tricky: In Patrick Vaill’s brilliant portrayal of Jud, he initially comes off as sad and introverted rather than menacing. In fact, he engenders our sympathy, making us see him as a victim -- a person being treated badly by a town full of people who simply think he’s beneath them -- before he puts legitimate fear into our hearts.
Jud is not the only character on whom Fish has put his fingerprints. The great Mary Testa is still feisty as Aunt Eller, but we soon discover she’s also obviously smarter (and meaner) than every man around her, essentially outplaying them all during the social’s auction and, most notably, in the final scene that determines Curly and Laurey’s fate.
Similarly, the wheelchair-bound actress Ali Stroker, whose expert comic timing and stunning voice are truly wondrous, is not quite as dumb as she first seems as the fickle and very sexual Ado Annie. She’s a woman who gets just what she wants -- from both her none-too-bright, long-time fiancé Will Parker (superbly embodied by the fantastically agile James Davis) and her opportunistic new inamorata, the peddler Ali Hakim (a hilarious Will Brill).
Yet, as wonderfully as Fish has rejiggered many of Hammerstein’s characters, he’s made one major miscalculation: Laurey is no longer just a haughty, willful beauty; she’s practically a split personality. She’s so headstrong and so confident at times – Jones’ now-solo rendition of “Many a New Day” is beyond stunning – that her frequent protestations about being scared of Jud or confused over her inner desires don’t really ring true.
Moreover, if you’re hoping the famed dream ballet will clear up this conundrum, you’re out of luck. While it’s danced stunningly as a solo showcase by Gabrielle Hamilton (clad only in a glitzy t-shirt that reads “Dream Baby Dream”), John Heginbotham’s ultra-modern choreography is simply too vague to illuminate Laurey’s inner conflict.
Of course, Laurey does eventually make a decision about which man to be with. It’s one that leads to her life, and the lives of those around her, to be irrevocably changed -- just as the territory she lives in will soon be changed by becoming “a brand-new state.”
And should you be an audience member who thinks he or she knows “Oklahoma!”, rest assured, your view of this classic musical will be just as transformed by this innovative production.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://oklahomabroadway.com
Cast
Will Brill, Anthony Cason, Damon Daunno, James Davis, Gabrielle Hamilton, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Will Mann, Mallory Portnoy, Ali Stroker, Mitch Tebo, Mary Testa, Patrick Vaill
Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/7/2019
Closing 1/19/2020
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 3/19/2019
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10019
Map
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